- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
It takes a while, but if they are hungry, they will latch on... promise! If you express a drop out of the tip and then they taste it, they'll go for the bottle naturally.
Oh that is hard! I would suggest your husband try every night/day at the same time, with you out of the room. If the baby knows you are there, then she will be less likely to take the bottle. You could then try a few different strategies. Have him try to feed her when she is really hungry so she will be more likely to try the bottle. Other people seem to have success nursing a few minutes first to calm the baby down and then switching to the bottle. See what works for you!
We found the Playtex drop in nursers the best for when our son was really small.
I have a friend whose baby also would not take a bottle, yet somehow when she had to go back to work the baby figured it out!! Try to enjoy your last few weeks and don't stress too much about this, she will take the bottle eventually!
I agree with Miss Longcoat, express some of the milk onto the nipple and rub it like you would your nipple on LO's uppper lip. Don't wait until she is starving hungry. Maybe try it about an hour after she nurses. Something to consider is trying the MAM bottles. I know for pacifiers some babies that don't want to take a pacifer will take the MAM brand ones (my baby is one of these) and I imagine their bottle is very similar. I believe Mrs. DG said she got her LO to take a MAM bottle.
Overall, take deep breaths and relax. It will work eventually. Just keep trying but stay calm and peaceful.
It takes a while to make the switch. They dont like it but they will get hungry and take it. Try squeezing the nipple of the bottle and getting a little milk on their lips.. Dont be frustrated it will happen!!
you might want to look into breast flow bottles. they are great if you are going between nursing and bottle feeding. good luck!
Mom needs to be out of the room. Babies can smell their mom 20 feet away.
If baby uses a pacifier, find a similar nipple.
Have the person who is feeding baby try wearing or wrapping themselves with something of mom's- a bathrobe for example.
Feed before the baby is hungry-that way they won't be too frustrated to try.
Try a different setting-don't sit in mom's usual rocking chair.
This is just one story...
We gave Kayla a bottle once a day starting at 2 weeks because my mom told me with my older sister (her first) she wouldn't take a bottle. One night after about 6 weeks or so, my parents had a night out and my mom's mom (my grandma) was baby sitting. My sister wouldn't take the bottle when my grandma tried to give it to her, but my grandma is SUPER kind and patient and told my mom when they got home that she just let her cry a little because she figured she would either be so hungry she would take the bottle or she would cry herself to sleep. A lot of people on this board would probably tell me I'm crazy for telling you that but if you keep trying and it doesn't work you have to do something:) And I may be biased but I think my older sister turned out to be a pretty stellar person!!
Also, we use Born Free bottles which seem to work pretty well. Not that that helps any but just FYI. :) I hope it works out for you soon! Babies do crazy things! :)
Google "Lipase" and "breastmilk". Here's a fast link: http://breastfeedingbasics.info/lipase-and-bad-tasting-breast-milk . Sometimes mothers have this enzyme that makes breastmilk taste sour within hours, or sometimes minutes and that's why babies will reject the bottle. It's worth testing out if you want to continue to explore possible reasons.
So, not every baby will take a bottle. It was a total struggle to get our baby to take one. She still prefers to hold out until I get home from work rather than take the bottle!
Things we did to improve her bottle taking:
1. MAM bottles/nipples. She liked them best.
2. Feeding her outside with distractions, birds, trees etc. She'd forget it wasn't mom and start sucking absentmindedly. Bouncing on the yoga ball or feeding in babywearing also helped.
3. Only Mr. DG fed her... because he was the one to take care of her daily
4. Get the milk hotter than you think. Babies like hot booby milk!
I also agree, check for lipase. The milk tastes like rancid soap or strong metal if you have it... but luckily it's only 5% or so of women.
We were able to get her to take enough to survive until I got home from work. I know how you feel, it's totally stressful... but just keep trying different things!
Keep trying! My LO did this, and we just kept offering it to him. Try different nipples, different bottles, and have your husband do it when you aren't around for a few hours. They will take it when they get hungry (most of them, I think).
I was having trouble with this as well. We originally tried avent and dr brown's bottles. The nipples are so long and narrow and Baby T just couldn't get used to it and would get very frustrated. We switched to the breastflow bottles, which worked much better. It definitely seemed to look and feel more like my breast.
We heated my milk to body temperature and made sure there was milk around the nipple and put a few drops into Baby T's mouth. I had to nurse for a few minutes, and then switched to the bottle. It worked best when he was tired to, because once I'd start nursing, he'd get sleepy and wasn't paying as much attention. He'd get a very confused look on his face, but would eventually just start sucking until he was taking a whole bottle.
Going thru this very thing myself actually. Started my adventures in getting baby Charming to take a bottle, because quite frankly I'm alone (FH is deployed) and exhausted and would like to be able to have a day off without my baby screaming bloody murder when I leave her with a sitter for more than an hour or two.
Anyhow, I too have bought lots of bottles and nipples. I finally had her feed from a Born Free bottle/nipple. It's got the roundness she needs to feel her lips butt against the warmth of the milk and not hard plastic ring. Oh, and I make sure the milk, I'm using Enfamil, is warm or I pump and pour for immediate feeding. I started by walking her around as I was feeding her. If I sat down in the rocking chair she expected to nurse from the breast, so I kept moving and focused my hold so it was not the usual feeding hold either.
It's also true, when baby is hungry he or she will feed. I kept distracting baby and playing with her until it was sleep or nap time and she was hungry for milk.
I wish you luck. So far I have been able to travel with baby Charming to the store without having to worry about breastfeeding. I can't wait to see how church goes on Sunday. These are just some of the things that have worked for me this week.
Thanks for all the advice! We still aren't there yet, but she seems to hate the the Mam and Breastflow bottles less. Thanks again.
Well I went back to work for the first time Friday. I did ok, but baby girl did not, only eating maybe a couple ounces and mostly crying herself to exhaustion. I feel terrible. My husband was able to bring her at lunch, but at that point she was sleeping and I only got her to eat a little when I woke her up. I called La Leche League and they offered some advice, but I feel like nothing will work. Monday I start a full week of working evenings, 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. This is terrible!
@july09bridetobe: I'm so sorry it is still a struggle and she is holding out for you instead of giving in to a bottle. Hang in there!
I'm sorry you're having such a tough time. :( I don't have any advice, but maybe Mrs. DG does. You can PM her; I'm sure she'd answer back. She had a tough time with Ceci, too, and she might have some more advice for you. Good luck! I hope things improve!
Thanks so much for the support! This is incredibly hard, but I appreciate the well wishes.
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Brielle | 29 |
 vorpalette |
29 |
| caseyleigh10 | 24 |
| ellisrobertson | 24 |
| les105 | 23 |
| fishbone | 23 |
| lionskitty | 22 |
| SouthernGirl | 21 |
| mypinkshoes | 21 |
| kat2014 | 19 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| JewishBride | 1 |
| UpstateCait | 1 |
| mandb122 | 1 |
| Lindsay05 | 1 |
| SouthernGirl | 1 |
| PurpleUnicorn | 1 |
| KatyElle | 1 |
| BoiledPNut | 1 |
| Bao | 1 |
| Beebug | 1 |
My 2 month old will not take a bottle. I have to return to work in 3 weeks and am really stressing about what we are going to do. I have tried the Medela bottle that came with my pump, the glass Evenflo bottles and now the Platex drop in nurser. The majority of the time it is me trying to give her the bottle, which I know is not recommended. Last night my mom tried and both my mom and husband have offered it in the past. Her pediatrician recommended the Playtexs drop ins and to hold her head and jaw. I'm at a loss of how to fix this and have to figure this out in just a few short weeks. Any help would be great.