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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
Switching from BREAST to Bottle HELP!!!!
OMG, my daughter loves to BF. She caught on to it so quickly. But now it's time for me to return to work and she refuses to take the bottle. I've switched nipples and brands, but she will not have it. Did anyone else have this issue? IF so, how did you overcome it?
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Re: Switching from BREAST to Bottle HELP!!!!
Are you giving it, or someone else? I cannot give a bottle to DS and DD was the same way. I can't even be in the house usually.
Try different positions. My DD would only take a bottle in her bouncy seat. If she was being held she'd want to nurse, even if it was my DH holding her!
While I personally didn't have a problem with this, I've heard rumor of a few things that might help:
Have you tried leaving the house and letting someone else try and feed her? Because I've heard they can 'sense' you in the house/room and it can affect them.
Have you tried pumping breast milk into a bottle rather than using formula the first time (don't know if you've even used formula, though)?
Thanks for your help. I'm pumping my breastmilk. I've tried the Drop Ins, NUK, and of course the Medela bottles. So far she will suck the Drop Ins the longest. It's like she will get hungry, begin to suck, then cry when she realizes it's not a breast. I've tried to bottle feed her, DH has tried, her grandma, her nana, and now her Nanny is trying. I have to work as I've already had 7 weeks off.
I have been dealing with the same issue for several weeks now, and I've posted about it multiple times. I've received a lot of helpful tips, which I will try to summarize here (share the love!). I will let you know, however, that we have yet to achieve real success with the bottle, despite offering a bottle at least twice a day for two weeks, and trying many different bottles, techniques, and times of day. That being said, the first piece of advice I have to offer you is PATIENCE! I know how frustrating it is. I also suggest teamwork, because I was going nuts listening to her scream every time a bottle touched her lips. DH has now taken over most of the "bottle battles." Here are some other suggestions, courtesy of fellow bumpies:
1. Many babies will not accept a bottle from mom. Have DH or another caretaker give the bottle. Mom shouldn't even be in the room. If possible, leave the house.
2. Many babies can be fussy about temperature. Lots of BF babies seem to prefer the milk very warm.
3. Feed baby facing away from the bottle-giver or in a chair, swing, or boppy. Some babies see bottle feeding as completely different from breastfeeding and want an entirely different "experience," hence, no cuddling or cradle hold.
4. Don't under estimate the power of distraction. Walking, tv (oh, the horror!), talking, singing -- all of these things can help distract baby from the fact that the food is not coming from the boob.
5. Offer the bottle while baby is asleep (we had success with this) or just waking up. The sucking reflex takes over.
6. Many moms seem to have had success with the Playtex Drop Ins, using the slow flow, Natural Latch, latex (not silicone) nipple. This is what we're sticking to, after trying 8 different bottle brands.
Best of luck to you! I hope you have success! Someone reminded me today that no baby has died of starvation when food is available, so keep that in mind. As hard as it is to leave when you're not sure your baby will eat, I do think that "If she's hungry enough, she'll eat" -- which is what many people have told me but I've yet to put to the test. GL!
Someone has also suggested to me trying a cup or spoon to feed the milk. I haven't made the attempt yet, but DD definitely likes to try drinking water out of my glass, so if she doesn't warm up to the bottle soon we may try those alternatives.