Feeding Problems

emoxymoose

Not sure if anyone is in the same situation but I'm really at my wits end here. My ds is 4 1/2 months old and has been EBF till this point. He was so great at it from day one that I never introduced a bottle at all until about 8 weeks, which is when we realized he wasn't going to take it. He won't take a bottle or pacifier, just pushes it out with his tongue. I haven't been away from his for more than an hour since the day he was born and now it's really starting to wear on me. Even when I have reserve duty my DH has to bring him to my unit and sit in the car with him for 8-10 hours so that I can feed him every two hours. Maybe it's selfish but now I just want to quit nursing all together and try to starve him to take a bottle. I've tried EVERY type of bottle, nipple, pacifier, sippy cup they sell. I've spent hundreds of dollars and nothing will work, any suggestions?

mylittlesunshine

When you have given him a bottle was it you giving him a bottle or someone else? I would have someone other then you try giving a bottle and I would leave baby's sight. While I was able to give DD1 a bottle, DD2 just plain refuses to take a bottle from me. Good luck!

Starbear06

I too went through bottle refusal but it was around 23 months old. I just had to be very persistent and offer the bottle for every feeding. I would place the bottle nipple at the corner of his mouth and let DS go for it rather than sticking it in his mouth. Some times it worked some times it didn't. We went through some days where he didn't eat much during the day but would wake more at night. And when he was going through this I always fed bottle at MOTN feedings as well. Of course he would take it then because he was sleepy and hungry. Eventually he just learned to take the bottle and it became a non issue after he started daycare.

khill86

DS took a bottle for the first time last week. He, too, would push bottles and pacifiers out of his mouth or chew the nipple but never suck.

We tried again last Wednesday because I was in a wedding and bridezilla wanted manis, pedis, dinner Thursday, rehearsal and dinner Friday, and then hair, makeup, lunch, pictures before the wedding Saturday. DH was prepared to bring him to me Thursday and Saturday to nurse, but the wedding was out of town and it would have just been horrible. DS ended up taking about 8oz total from bottles in 7 hours on Thursday, and 6oz in 5 hours on Saturday. Enough to tide him over, anyway.

I don't have any hard and fast answer for you, but what finally worked for us was that we were all just happy and playing and I had been giving DS sips of water from a cup, which he thinks if hilarious. Literally sips, like maybe a few drops a few times, and most of that fell out anyway. Well he made a sucking sound and I thought why not try a bottle really quick? So DH kept playing, I got some milk ready, I have lots frozen, and gave the bottle to DH to give to DS. He gave it to him while DS sat in his rocker and DH sat beside him. He took it, well slurped at it, but got 2oz no problem. It wasn't until his third bottle the next day that he really sucked instead of slurped, but technique didn't matter to me.

I honestly think part of our problem was that we were trying too hard to make it like nursing, when it's not. It will never be the same as nursing and we'll never trick DS into believing it is. So I think treating it totally differently, like giving it to him while he sat on his own in his rocker, kind of took the pressure off? We had been having DH hold DS in his arms, laying back every time we tried before, similar to how I hold him while nursing. We tried warming the nipple, slipping it into DS's mouth while he was at the breast, offering it first thing in the morning, after a nap, before a nap, before he got hungry, etc. None of that worked for us. OH! We had always tried with slow flow nipples too, and we used fast flow. DS had no problem coming back to the breast, but I also have no problem never giving him a bottle again, we really just needed to get through those 3 days. I'm not sure if flow matters at this point anyway?

Anyway, I'm obviously no expert, and it may have been luck that this worked, but it wouldn't hurt to try it?

jamiah18

I can totally relate! Dd "quit" the bottle for me around two months and has never looked back.  About $150 worth of bottles/nipples later, still no luck.  However, last week we decided to try again.  We had her completely distracted and laying in her crib watching her mobile.  She took two ounces! This is huge progress for us considering she would scream and cry at the sight of a bottle. 

I agree with pp, so many people told me to simulate breastfeeding, but I think babies know the difference. 

Good luck, hang in there, and don't give up!  

beck8008

Our LO started refusing the bottle at 9 weeks... I still leave him sometimes because I figure that he'll survive a few hours without me...  if he gets hungry enough he'll have to take the bottle- we've had luck sometimes with the nuk bottle or Dr. Browns, but it's usually a major struggle.  LO also won't take a paci   We're starting to introduce cereal, so i feel a little better leaving him knowing that he can at least get a little cereal in his belly if he's really hungry

UGAZIKE

I could have written the post myself! my DD is also 4 1/2 months and is EBF and wont take a bottle. I have wasted soo much money on bottles. I started with avent original to avent natural to breastflow to nuk  to dr browns then finally tommee tippee. all to no avail. We have tried slow flow, fast flow, medium flow.  DH gives her her bedtime feeding per bottle every evening when he gets home from work without me in the room. She starts off blowing rasberries with whatever milk that gets into her mouth while talking and chewing on the nipple. the crying kicks in when hunger kicks in and she realizes its bedtime. Its very frustrating for DH especially since he just worked 10hrs. DD has fallen asleep on many occasions without eating ( she will rather go to bed hungry than take the bottle!), It totally makes me feel like a bad mum so i of course tries to dreamfeed her and the crying resumes. I always end up nursing her bcos i wouldn't be able to go to sleep know that she went to bed hungry.  

I was just browsing thru tb looking for answers, was reading ur post when a friend called and was really convinced that what my DS needs is a sippy cup (one of those 4+months one). well she got me and now i cant wait to go buy one and try. here is one by avent. tommee tippee makes one too

https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4340715