Refusing bottles / Dehydration

lulu8109 · September 2011

LO has been refusing bottles all weekend =/ We combo feed because my supply is low. We kept trying bottles this weekend (at room temp, which is how he gets it every day at daycare), but he kept refusing. Sometimes he'd drink like 1/2 an oz, but then he'd stop. I ended up nursing him every couple of hours, since my supply is low and I wanted to make sure he was eating enough. He's also been fussy all weekend because his two bottom teeth are coming in, so I think the refusing bottles is due to teething. His poops have been kind of thick and clumpy. He's been drooling tons, so I don't think he's dehydrated.

I saw a previous post where mamas suggested freezing BM and serving it slushy by spoon, so I'm going to try that tomorrow (need to pump and freeze BM) if LO refuses his bottles at daycare today.

Are there any other suggestions on how to make sure he's eating enough and staying hydrated? If this has happened to you, how long was it before your LO started taking the bottle again? TIA.

ChicagoBroad26 · September 2011

I don't BF (anymore) but this happened to us about 10 days ago. She refused all bottles for about a week. It was SO frustrating; it would take her about two hours (and me forcing the issue) so finish even a few ounces. However, she would eat solids. One day she just snapped out of it and took both again. No clue what it was about.

enjoylife · September 2011

You could try giving the bm after it has been in the fridge. Smetimes when lo is teething he only wants to gnaw on me for comfort we, bf too, but if we give hima bottle of cooled breastmilk then he chomps on the plastic nipple instead and it helps with his teething pain. There also some days he doesn't reallywant much milk in general other than first in the morning and before bed otherwise he is so busy he will take time for solids but not to bf. And then snap out of it. Also if your lo is drooling and having wet diapers (at least 1 every 4-5 hours minimum) they are not dehydrated.

lulu8109 · September 2011

enjoylife:
You could try giving the bm after it has been in the fridge. Smetimes when lo is teething he only wants to gnaw on me for comfort we, bf too, but if we give hima bottle of cooled breastmilk then he chomps on the plastic nipple instead and it helps with his teething pain. There also some days he doesn't reallywant much milk in general other than first in the morning and before bed otherwise he is so busy he will take time for solids but not to bf. And then snap out of it. Also if your lo is drooling and having wet diapers (at least 1 every 4-5 hours minimum) they are not dehydrated.

Thank you, both! And I hadn't even thought of doing a cold bottle. That would soothe his gums. Thanks!

mamaholmes2010 · September 2011

Our pedi told us to look for crying with no tears and no drool as signs of dehydration. I also will offer O something really cold to numb his gums before nursing or before a bottle. Good luck!

larrysdarling · September 2011

Try a sippy cup.

bosha711 · September 2011

Will he drink water or Pedialyte through a sippy cup or even a real cup? What about fruit with a high water content? hth

lulu8109 · September 2011

I haven't tried a sippy cup with BM or formula. He doesn't really know how to use one. I've tried several kinds and he hasn't mastered any of them. I give him a sippy cup of water at breakfast and dinner and he just plays with it. I might try with a regular cup. Thanks, ladies!

lulu8109 · September 2011

mands629:

Lulu just started to drink out of a sippy cup - like really drink out of it - this weekend. I actually got a Tommee Tippee sippy cup and that worked better than the other ones that she was using.

Anyways, I'm still working with the refusing bottles/dehydration issue. Today, she refused her 9am bottle, drank her 11am, and was working on a sippy at lunch. Each bottle I've decreased to about 2.5oz because I was tired of them throwing out my BM. I've started to send more water based foods to daycare with her, just so she gets the fluid from those (like applesauce), but it's still very, very frustrating.

I posted this consern I have about her refusal on another mom's board I'm a member, and it seemed like all the moms who responded all go through this and it's pretty normal. (These were moms who'd been there/done that anywhere from 3-12 months before us.) Anyways, I think I may also ask a question like this on working moms and BF boards. I'll let you know what they say!

Thanks, mands! Oh man, that must be so frustrating that she's STILL refusing bottles. We were getting tired of wasting formula, so we started doing 2 oz bottles. I know it's harder to lose BM. I hope she gets over her bottle strike soon!

I called my DCP and she said LO sucked down his 6 oz morning bottle and solids lunch just fine, so *fingers crossed* he's over his bottle strike for now. I'll stop worrying when he keeps it up for a few days.

jillybean800 · September 2011

ChicagoBroad26:
I don't BF (anymore) but this happened to us about 10 days ago. She refused all bottles for about a week. It was SO frustrating; it would take her about two hours (and me forcing the issue) so finish even a few ounces. However, she would eat solids. One day she just snapped out of it and took both again. No clue what it was about.

This exactly. then his teeth came in and he's back to normal!

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