Vent & advice needed re: bottles for ebf baby

AdamsKitten

So I went back to work this week (very part-time... only working 10 hours a week.) and baby AJ is refusing to eat while I am gone. She has been EBF since she was born (she's 10 weeks old now) with the exception of one feeding where we gave het a bottle a month ago to see if she would take it. She did fine with the bottle then, but now she wants nothing to do with it. We have now tried 6 different bottles/nipples with no luck. (Avent, Playtex (regular and ventair), Evenflo, Dr. Browns, Gerber) I know she won't starve while I'm gone, but when she's hungry she cries and cries. I don't know what to do! Any miracle bottles that I haven't tried yet? Any advice?

rssnlvr

Sounds like she is a boob gal. You would have had to continue giving her a bottle once every 1-2 days the whole time so that she learned to be okay taking it in addition to nursing.

I have no advice b/c my kiddo refuses bottles also. I go nurse him twice a day while working. 

There is that new Me de la Calma bottle they are selling at Ba by Ear th that is supposed to be more like breast-eating, but it's $20 a pop. Kinda pricey for something she may hate.

ndluvsrk

Have you tried to warm up the bottle? Sometimes it's a temperature thing.

We tried everything with K2 and he absolutely refused to take a bottle, but sometimes he'd take a sip or two if it was warmed up.

It was a real pain so I can relate. Hope she takes to the bottle soon! And hope your return to work wasn't too bad. I know it can be so hard. 

el_twirpo

i feel like so many of us went through bottle strikes last month, and it is definitely NOT easy. usually the problem is the bottle itself and not necessarily a type, so i wouldn't go crazy buying everything available (like i did) just yet.

have your DH try when you're not around. warm the bottle so the milk is body temperature. try microwaving just the nipple to warm that up too.

our daycare teachers would swaddle DS, rock him, sing to him and when he was calm, just move the nipple across his lips to entice him. it took almost 3 weeks and lots of patience, but he finally came around.

hang in there! 

cia

kellymom has a lot of great tips for ways to try offering a bottle.  The one that worked for us was to hold DD facing out, looking out a window, with the nipple warmed in addition to the milk.

 

We also talked to a lactation consultant who gave us a lot of ideas for ways to try to offer the bottle.  It involved a lot of trial and error.  It's an adjustment period, but you will find something that works.

Persa

We used the breastflow bottles (i bought them at BBB but they may have them elsewhere now) and did fine with those. I was more worried about her preferring the bottle to the boob though

Taytee

Abby would not take a bottle while in the cradle hold, she would keep turning her head for boob no matter who was holding her. I seriously thought I wasn't going to be able to go back to work. Her "secret" was that she would only take a bottle in the boppy. So, not being held basically. DH would also lay down one of my slept in shirts over her chest and around the bottle (for my scent) if she was still not having any of it.

You can syringe feed babies. It's time intensive but you just give it like you would medicine in very small amounts, aimed to the inner cheek. They'll swallow. It's sometimes helpful if they use a pacifier to give them a few cc/ml of milk, then the paci (to aid in their sucking sensation). Hint, when trying to give small amounts with a syringe, use your thumb on the pluger, not your "pointy" finger. It gives you a lot more control. You hold the syringe like you do a pen to click it. Clear as mud?

I had to do this once in the ER with a dad who brought in his 6 month old daughter. The mom went out of town having neer given the baby a bottle. Ever. She had been pumping but just stashing for this girls trip and I guess she figured they'd just figure it out? Baby didn't eat for almost a day and then got a fever anyway and dad brought in a screaming feverish unhappy 6 month old. I was able to give her 4oz over 20 minutes a tiny bit at a time and then she fell asleep for the first time in almost 24 hours =(. It was cool in that I felt like the Baby Whisperer but I felt really bad for the both of them!

AdamsKitten

Thanks for all of the advice!  I left my PJ shirt with her today, but it hasn't helped  

I am going to have to try the dropper, for sure.  I was hooping she would catch on but I am afraid she isn't going to. 

I feel like I really screwed up by not giving her a weekly bottle.  I just assumed since she took to the bottle so well when we first tried it, that she would continue to do so... but not so much.  Boo. 

I have a rec from a friend for a good LC so that might be needed. 

 What a mess!!  Poor baby

corbittm

My lil one was 8 weeks when I returned to work. He was EBF the entire time I was at home. He refused to take a bottle, so I went and bought every bottle sold at HEB. Finally we found one that worked. MAM bottles. They are amazing. He hasn't had any nipple confusion and even likes their paci. Good luck!