Afraid I will have to quit work - bottle issues

pinkwedding05

I can't believe after all of our latch problems that now A won't take a bottle.  We're still experiementing with fresh vs. frozen, bottles, and nipples, but it's not looking good.

I only work about 5 hrs on Monday, but I've had to leave early 3 times now because she was hysterical at home with DH.  It wouldn't be as bad if I worked closer to home, but I'm atleast 40 mins away.  My clients are also getting frustrated.

I don't really want to work, but it gives me just enough money so that I don't have to ask DH for spending cash and it keeps my name active in my work community.

 Besides, what if DH and I decide to go out for dinner and leave her with my mom?  We haven't wanted to yet, but we might someday.  I'm very frustrated with the whole bottle problem and it makes my fear of dieing even worse.  She would choose to go hungry (atleast for awhile) before taking a bottle of frozen milk or formula. 

MayBride2B2007

we struggled SO much with bottles for hadley.  she simply would not take them and it was killing me.  i tried EVERY bottle they sell at BRU and even ordered a few online that you can't get in stores.  one day, she finally took an avent bottle (the first of many we tried and only once we started cycling back through bottles she had rejected previously).  she took that for about a week (we were trying to give her just one bottle a day to give me a break and to get her used to taking one in case i can't be with her for an extended period of time).  after a week she refused it again so we cycled through the bottles again.

she now will only take the dr. brown's bottles.  mr. soup gives her one bottle a day.  we initially tried having him give it to her when he got home from work, but i soon realized that after being with me and nursing all day, she didn't want to do that.  so we switched and he now gets up with her first thing in the morning and gives her a bottle then, when she is the hungriest.  it has worked wonders for us.  she takes it every day and when i need to go out without her on the weekend, she'll take an extra bottle or two from him.  we haven't ever tried to have anyone else give her one yet, but hopefully she'll take it from someone other than mr. soup too.

good luck.  i know first hand how stressful it is.  just keep trying and offer a variety of bottle options and keep testing them out.  babies are funny about not liking something one day and then liking it the next.

Summerstarr2

ugh. I don't have any advice, but I wanted to say gl & hugs!

dr.girlfriend

I got seriously scared before I went back to work.  When Kiran was younger he took a bottle great, but we didn't stay in practice and when we started again before I was going back to work he choked and refused it.  We finally just had to put it aside if he did that and try again later...when he got hungry enough he drank it down fine, but it was really stressful!  The first day at I was back at work DH stayed home with him, and he wouldn't take his first bottle until almost noon, DH was almost hysterical!  Then the next day, his first day at daycare, he threw up the first bottle and refused to take anymore, and I had to come home from work early.  But, when I got there I gave him the second bottle and he guzzled it down...I think he was just too worked up without me there at first.  And he has been fine ever since. 

Try telling your DH that if it doesn't work immediately, don't stress and try again in a few hours.  I've also heard that rubbing the nipple on your breast to give it your smell might help.  You might also try giving the bottle late at night if you're still doing night feeds, as sometimes they can take it more automatically in their sleep.  Good luck!  Don't quit your job, babies DO take bottles, they just don't want to!

ETA:  I would also sometimes at home pump right before I fed him, so the milk in the bottle was body-warm.  Then I would put him on my nipple, and once he started to suck take him off and give him the bottle, alternating like that until he sucked a few times from the bottle to get him used to the different feel.

TriciaJoy

Robbie;s OT recommended Second Nature bottles for this problem. The nipple is completely different, with multiple holes more like a real nipple..

 

Good luck, babe,