help with weaning

[lexnrensmom]

my son has been breastfed since birth and he is 5 months....a huge 5 months too! 20lbs!!

I am back to work and he has not took a bottle yet. We are having the worst time ever. He screams at the sight of the bottle. We have tried so many bottles and nipples and even a few sippy cups. we have resorted to my husband taking me to work in the morning so i can feed him in the car before work and they come back at lunch so i can nurse him and then again after work they pick me up. and i nurse him again in the car. Im going crazy please help any suggestions would be great. But i feel like i have tried everything. IF i would have known it was going to be this hard I would have started with a bottle right away.

[rainface]

I went back to work when Little was 12 weeks old. We tried to get her used to a bottle before I had to leave her and it just made us all miserable. The first week I was back to work, she fought the bottle like crazy, she and my mom were miserable, and I felt horribly guilty, and she was hungry. The second week, she appeared to resign herself to the situation, and took bottles like a champ. She nurses 3 or 4 times a night now, rather than 2 but she loves being with my mom, reaches for bottles, and switches easily to breast when I'm home with her. It was probably the most miserable part of parenting for me, so far but we survived it, and you will too. Hang in there. 

[Jewels*]

That sounds really hard! What a wonderful mother you are for looking after his nursing needs!

Have you tried feeding him milk in an open cup? Some mothers find that cup feeding has worked for them.  I don't have much first hand experience but thought I would offer my 2 cents! Good Luck!
 

[skycheattraffic]

At 5 months you can also try sippy cups and straw cups. Maybe try a couple of different types of bottles too and be sure to use wide neck bottles. Open cup feeding and spoon feeding are other options.

[TiredX2]

That sounds really stressful!

With getting a child to take a bottle there seems to be two main methods.

The first is to make the situation as *close* to nursing as possible.  This would include warming the bottle (not only the milk, but the bottle and nipple itself), cuddling skin to skin, wrapping the bottle with a cloth that the mom has slept with, etc...).

The other is to make the situation as diferent from nursing as possible.  Some people lay the baby on their legs (with the baby's feet on their belly) and prop their knees up.  You can try milk that is cool or room temperature.  You can try a cup, a sippy, a straw... You can try spoon feeding.

I know it's really hard, but another option is that soon your DS will be old enough to eat solids.  If you're open to nursing during the night, you can reverse cycle nurse and have his long space without nursing be the middle of the day.  This can be exhausting, but works for many women.  You can introduce solids and water shortly and have those be his intake source during the day.

Good luck and GOOD JOB!!!

[Tear78]

Originally Posted by TiredX2 



That sounds really stressful!

With getting a child to take a bottle there seems to be two main methods.

The first is to make the situation as *close* to nursing as possible.  This would include warming the bottle (not only the milk, but the bottle and nipple itself), cuddling skin to skin, wrapping the bottle with a cloth that the mom has slept with, etc...).

The other is to make the situation as diferent from nursing as possible.  Some people lay the baby on their legs (with the baby's feet on their belly) and prop their knees up.  You can try milk that is cool or room temperature.  You can try a cup, a sippy, a straw... You can try spoon feeding.

I know it's really hard, but another option is that soon your DS will be old enough to eat solids.  If you're open to nursing during the night, you can reverse cycle nurse and have his long space without nursing be the middle of the day.  This can be exhausting, but works for many women.  You can introduce solids and water shortly and have those be his intake source during the day.

Good luck and GOOD JOB!!!

This is really good advice, since no baby will react the same. Going back to work is HARD. DD didn't want to accept drinking milk from someone other than me (even though it was her papa!), but she made the transition eventually. We also dealt with a supply drop when I went back to work, and I had to swallow my pride and wishes and start solids right before 6 months because the poor girl was hungry. It wasn't replacing my milk, it was giving her the food she needed beyond what I was producing. I know I felt guilty about it, but she started gaining weight again and seemed happier, so if starting solids is what you need to do, don't feel guilty for doing what's best for your baby. Keep trying new things and I bet you'll find what works. Kudos to you for being persistent!

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by Tear78 


Going back to work is HARD.

My DS was 12 months when I went back to work and it was hard for both of us!

Hang in there. I found (and still do a year later) that the immediate connection breastfeeding brings is a wonderful way of connecting right after work.