Deny breast for baby to accept bottle?

Luv2Run1st · November 2010

LO is 11 weeks old, and has refused the bottle ever since it was introduced at 4 weeks old. I return to work in 2 weeks and need for him to be able to eat while I am at work.

Our pedi wants us to go cold turkey with the bottle and only feed him from the bottle (no breast) until he accepts it.

She says it will take likely 48-72 hours. It seems so cruel and neither my husband or I can muster up the will to do this to him especially when he has been gaining so many new skills this week including rolling.

Anyone else have experience having to do this?

tosababy · November 2010

I think that's horrible advice. LO will come around when he needs to. If he's going to go hungry because he won't take the bottle, it should be on your first day of work, not some random day when you are available.

Also, doing something like this could seriously tank your supply.

jenuine · November 2010

I would get a new pedi if he recommended something that heartless to a 2 month old. Anyway...

Have you tried being completely away from your LO for a few hours to make sure your LO knows he has no option for you to feed him? Go to the mall, a book store or out to lunch with friends. Have someone (DH, grandparents, sitter, etc) sit in the chair where you would normally nurse, with the same lighting and other environment to try the bottle. That is what worked for us.

It's a terrible situation to have to be in, but far worse to starve your kid to get them to take a bottle. You can also check on the breastfeeding board, a lactation support hotline or Kellymom.com for more advice. Good luck.

Edited to add: Talk with your child care provider. They may have tricks as well. And worse comes to worse, you nurse before you leave for the day and when you get home at night. He'll probably reverse cycle and just eat when you are around. It's not great, but better than starving your LO.

tosababy · November 2010

I should add that the tot was very inconsistent and fought bottles too. I would even leave the house in the evening when Mr.Tosa was trying to give him the bottle, because he seemed to know if I really was there. I was stressed out and worried that he would starve at daycare too. He kept us guessing down to the wire, but he started taking the bottles when he needed to. Try not to worry or stress too much about this. Enjoy your last couple weeks of maternity leave and full time nursing (v. pumping).

Luv2Run1st · November 2010

Thank you everyone. Based on my gut feeling and responses, we will wait until he has to take the bottle when I return to work.

I agree that he will likely reverse cycle and I'm totally ok with that. Anything for my precious baby and plus I love our special bonding time to feed him anyways.

I was really upset when the pedi told me we would have to deny him for a few days.

azuremama · November 2010

Yeah, I don't think I'd do that, either. DS didn't like the bottle, and even when he got used to it, he wasn't always crazy about it. He won't starve, so he'll figure it out somehow.

Some things that helped us: getting the milk really warm, swaddling him while he ate, holding him in different positions (like away from whoever's giving the bottle or even putting him in a boppy on the floor). I also could not be anywhere nearby. GL!

ESTH2000 · November 2010

jenuine:

I would get a new pedi if he recommended something that heartless to a 2 month old. Anyway...

Have you tried being completely away from your LO for a few hours to make sure your LO knows he has no option for you to feed him? Go to the mall, a book store or out to lunch with friends. Have someone (DH, grandparents, sitter, etc) sit in the chair where you would normally nurse, with the same lighting and other environment to try the bottle. That is what worked for us.

It's a terrible situation to have to be in, but far worse to starve your kid to get them to take a bottle. You can also check on the breastfeeding board, a lactation support hotline or Kellymom.com for more advice. Good luck.

Edited to add: Talk with your child care provider. They may have tricks as well. And worse comes to worse, you nurse before you leave for the day and when you get home at night. He'll probably reverse cycle and just eat when you are around. It's not great, but better than starving your LO.

ditto this... and here is a link with a similar post

https://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/45546793.aspx

would also look into another pedi..

it will all work out in the end...good luck!

MirandaHobbes · November 2010

I'll add that for us it was just finding the right bottle- I literally bought every single type of nipple and bottle at Target Walmart and Babys R Us. DS finally caught on at 7 weeks with the bottle with the disposable liners. We also used a little trick- we dropped milk into his mouth with a medicine dropper to entice him to start grabbing with his mouth to something other than the boob.

Luv2Run1st · November 2010

ESTH2000:
jenuine:

I would get a new pedi if he recommended something that heartless to a 2 month old. Anyway...
Have you tried being completely away from your LO for a few hours to make sure your LO knows he has no option for you to feed him? Go to the mall, a book store or out to lunch with friends. Have someone (DH, grandparents, sitter, etc) sit in the chair where you would normally nurse, with the same lighting and other environment to try the bottle. That is what worked for us.
It's a terrible situation to have to be in, but far worse to starve your kid to get them to take a bottle. You can also check on the breastfeeding board, a lactation support hotline or Kellymom.com for more advice. Good luck.
Edited to add: Talk with your child care provider. They may have tricks as well. And worse comes to worse, you nurse before you leave for the day and when you get home at night. He'll probably reverse cycle and just eat when you are around. It's not great, but better than starving your LO.

ditto this... and here is a link with a similar post

https://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/45546793.aspx
would also look into another pedi..
it will all work out in the end...good luck!

Thanks for the advice and post with other helpful comments...much appreciated.

Luv2Run1st · November 2010

MirandaHobbes:
I'll add that for us it was just finding the right bottle- I literally bought every single type of nipple and bottle at Target Walmart and Babys R Us. DS finally caught on at 7 weeks with the bottle with the disposable liners. We also used a little trick- we dropped milk into his mouth with a medicine dropper to entice him to start grabbing with his mouth to something other than the boob.

Yes, we have tried almost every bottle and type of nipple at BRU. I think there are two bottles he dislikes the least...the playtex dropin with a latex orthodontic nipple and a avent bottle. We have tried the medicine dropper too.

I was suggesting to my husband to maybe try having him suck his finger which he likes to do and then switch it with the bottle. I've heard of people doing that trick with the pacifier.

arte79 · November 2010

Personally, if I have done every trick out there, I would be willing to deny the breast. BUT, not for 48-72 hrs. I will only do it for however long LO will be in daycare. I'd rather have DH do it than rely on the daycare provider to get LO take the bottle. Besides they have rules on how long they can keep offering the same bottle. I guess, you can send 1oz bottles to daycare so the milk is not wasted.

Bella427 · November 2010

Ah, DD used to do this. She took a bottle fine before I returned to work but when she started daycare she would have random days (maybe one every couple of weeks) when she would refuse the pumped milk. I did the opposite of what your pedi recommended and basically rushed out of work to feed her when they would call and say she hadn't had a bottle in 5 or 6 hours. She definitely reverse cycled for a long time, but at least I knew she was getting enough milk. One trick that sometimes worked for us was putting the bottle in her mouth while she was asleep and sometimes she would drink without waking up enough to realize what she was doing. It's so hard when they're little and do this! Hang in there.

ESTH2000 · November 2010

no problem...it always amazed me how DD would eat just fine for the nanny with bottle but the minute she saw me she wanted nothing to do with the bottle ...just wanted the boob..in fact..that is still the case now Wink

good luck returning to work!!!

charmgal · November 2010

With DD#2 we tried everything for over 6 weeks prior to my returning to work. She wouldnot take the bottle--from anyone. We tried every bottle/nipple out there and tried all the tricks you hear about (swaddling, sitting in a bouncer, etc). She would not take it.

My first day back at work I was gone 9 hours. She refused to eat during that time. A little bit would dribble into her mouth, but we're talking about 1/2 ounce all day. When I got home, I tried to give her the bottle and she took it from me. Then she took it from my mom the next day with no problems. She's been taking bottles with no issues ever since.

Some of my other friends were forced into the same situation, and it never really took more than that first day of work for them to take the bottle. If you end up in this situation, I would also definitely breastfeed in the evening when you come home from work--why make them stay hungry any longer than possible? Besides, many babies that age sleep 8 or 9 hours at night without eating, so if they don't eat while you're at work the first day it's not the end of the world. They're hungry, but it's not like starving them for 2 or 3 days straight.

When I got home that first day, I said to myself, "Okay, I'll try the bottle and if she won't take it right away, I'll nurse her." But she took it. I think your pedi is off base in that it takes 48-72 hours anyway. Most seem to catch on much quicker.

Luv2Run1st · November 2010

Bella427:
I did the opposite of what your pedi recommended and basically rushed out of work to feed her when they would call and say she hadn't had a bottle in 5 or 6 hours.

I will be able to do this...and actually, had planned to feed him at my lunch since my work and DC are just a block away from each other.

ak1234 · November 2010

Luv2Run1st:
Bella427:
I did the opposite of what your pedi recommended and basically rushed out of work to feed her when they would call and say she hadn't had a bottle in 5 or 6 hours.
I will be able to do this...and actually, had planned to feed him at my lunch since my work and DC are just a block away from each other.

I wouldn't take your peds advice on this, especially since your job is so close. At first, my LO would really only take the playtex drop-ins when I tried to have someone else feed him. Once I went back to work, he seriously DOES NOT CARE what the milk comes out of if it isn't me. Playtex, Avent, Medela...he simply doesn't care, though he does prefer the milk to be warm. He still rarely drinks more than 12 ounces a day at daycare, though.

h2babe · November 2010

I would not follow your pedi's advice, that is horrible! My DD refused bottles the first two weeks I went back to work, she wailed and wailed. She took nothing from the bottles, so I went and nursed her at lunch.

She slowly warmed up to it, took 2-4 oz/day the next 4 weeks after trying all kinds of tricks, and finally after about 7-8 weeks, she was willing to take 8-10 oz/day. We tried about 8 different bottles and nipples to get to the one she finally accepted. She still won't take bottles at home when she knows that I am around. I was ready to nurse her at lunch for the first year, but thankfully she takes bottles now. Good luck, it may take a while for both of you to adjust, but you will figure out something that would work.

bancbev · November 2010

My baby wouldn't take a bottle prior to starting daycare. I was a wreck but kept reminding myself that even if she didn't eat the entire time she was there, she wouldn't starve to death. The first day, she fought the first bottle tooth and nails, but after that was fine. I had myself worked up for weeks over really nothing.

Avent bottles have worked the best for us and our DCP says they are usually the best for babies that don't like bottles.

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