Not taking bottle/dehydrated

[lacysmommy]

I returned to work today and worked a 4 hour shift. I nursed right before I left her with the babysitter and I left a bottle and extra milk. She hasn't taken the bottle well ever, but I hoped that she would take it today. Well, she drank about a half ounce total during the almost 5 hours we were away from eachother. I nursed her as soon as I got to the babysitter's. She didn't pee for a long time, and when she did pee I noticed it was the darkest yellow I've ever seen (we do EC so it's easier for me to tell the color of her urine). She's had 3 good nursing sessions since I picked her up and she's only peed three times since then, and usually she pees a lot more than that.

Should I be concerned? I know my oldest reverse cycled for 2 months until she decided she would take a bottle, but we didn't do EC so I have no idea if her pee was concentrated like DD2's has been. And also DD2 is a couple months younger than DD1 was when I went back to work.

My babysitter lives pretty close to the freeway so I could nurse her at lunch when I go back to full time, but really should I be concerned, or is it not a big deal to reverse cycle like that, even if the urine gets more concentrated? If it is a big deal, what tips do you have to get her to take a bottle?

[bri276]

personally I wouldn't be comfortable with that, she's still a bit too young to go too long a stretch.

have you tried all different bottles & nipples?

[lacysmommy]

Yes, I have several different bottles that I've tried. She hates them all the same.

[TurboClaudia]

different positions of holding her? (facing out away from the person holding her has worked for a few babies i've known who are resistant to bottles)

different temperatures of milk? (some babies are VERY particular)

she's almost 4 months old, and i'd probably be comfortable with a 4-5 hour stretch like that about once every 7-10 days or so. if she starts getting really upset and acting hungry during that time, i might start getting more concerned, though.

did she make up for it nursing through the night or more often the next day after that?

~claudia

[GatorNNP]

my 2 month old would go up to 6 hrs and be happy as long as no one forced a bottle on him. he would wait and nurse extra when we were together, in fact, he would do this several times in a row because I worked 12 hrs and 16hrs shifts. I am not advocating that, however, he did it just fine. He was gaining plenty of weight and he would have a lighter diaper until we were back together. my other daughter did the same thing around 3 months when I went back, she would only take sips from the bottle for the 9 hour day only 2 ounces the whole day. She eventually came around when she got more comfortable with her babysitter. My 1st baby had to visit me at work for feedings every 4-5 hours. Just one experience.

[NoMariposa]

I think water for a baby is perfectly okay (maybe I'm old school, but 4oz or less isn't going to keep them from nursing and getting nutrition). My pedi told me to give my 1 wk old chamomile tea for colick or was he a bit older...
Point being --
Maybe she would take water from a cup or a bottle. I would try a cup if she is sitting while supported. I might even try a cup anyway simply because it isn't trying to mimic nursing and dark concentrated urine is not comfortable to eliminate IME.

Take a look at special feeders for special needs infants, one is a cup used to feed babies without nipple confusion (Medela's site has photos).

I mention this only b/c your dd might take milk from a cup - open topped, sipped slowly. She might take a cup with a sippy lid, you can try that too.

Some infants will never take a bottle and wait for mom, even moms who work a full 8 hours. That is fine if they are taking other liquids and solids, not so fine when bm in a bottle is it -- so try a cup, try water, at 4 mo old even 50/50 water juice would be okay.

[mommyto3girls]

Juice at 4 months? Please don't. Introducing anything other than breastmilk penetrates the barrier in the intestines eliminating the protective coating 2 months earlier than it should be.

To the OP- Maia was 11 weeks when I went back to work. She refused the bottle flat out for 2 weeks, then for the next 2-3 weeks she would only take an ounce at the midway point (I was gone about 8 hours) In the begining she was very very cranky. Then she began to reverse cycle. Good for her bfing needs, bad for my sleep needs, but her needs out weighed my needs

[GatorNNP]

I would have to agree with mommyto3girls,
at that age it would be better to wait a little longer and only give expressed milk. Sometimes baby will take it from a dropper or straw or even refridgerated. My youngest likes her bottle milk right out of the warmer and extra warm (dh says 105 degrees to be precise, ha ha ha, probably it cools just down to core body temp by time she gets it). Good luck sorting it all out, I do remember it was sooooooo frustrating at first because there is that feeling like only you can feed the baby and you feel bad for leaving, and feel bad for the babysitter. Usually the situation is short lived or you figure out a way to make it work in the short term and it is over before you know it.

[mosky22]

What about offering the bm with a medicine dropper or a spoon or something other than the bottle.