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August 2013 Moms
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Bottle & Breastfeeding Help??!!!

addysbabyaddysbaby member
in August 2013 Moms
So all the moms out there who have worked or gone back to work after having a baby I need your help. My daughter hated the bottle when she first started with one. Now that I'm back to work she's in the daycare half the day so half of her feedings are from the bottle with my milk I pumped. Now our problem is the two feedings after I get home it's like she fights nursing. And I'm not just talking kinda fussy I'm talking screaming and crying about it. When she does settle down to nurse she doesn't nurse as long as normal. So any ideas? It's frustrating and to be honest it makes me feel terrible that she would prefer the bottle to nursing.
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Re: Bottle & Breastfeeding Help??!!!

  • cinderincinderin member
    Are you using a low flow nipple? Is the caregiver keeping the baby upright? 


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    Baby Boy M - 08/01/2013 

    Expecting Baby Bean February 2017
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  • southernmama8813southernmama8813 member
    DD will sometimes do this the next feeding after a bottle or if she's had her paci a lot that day. I've learned with her to take her away from the boob and then put her back after a minute or so and she'll eat for a bit. Then repeat. Eventually she stops fighting. Sometimes I also will hold her like I'm going to feed her, but give her the paci and do the bait and switch routine.

    I refuse to give her a bottle when she does that and she will nurse. It just takes some effort and little extra time and patience. It gets better the older she gets.
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  • cinderincinderin member
    I will say - it feels *awful* to be "rejected" by your child when you offer the breast.

    I had been pumping after each feed and supplementing with my own BM for DS twice a day (at the pediatrician's recommendation due to slow weight gain). Tommee Tippee bottles with DS sitting up (I prop him against me/my arm or in the boppy) and the bottle is either room temp (if freshly pumped) or refrigerated. I do not warm it up. 

    I was terrified that DS would reject the breast (he had done so at about a week old and it was hell getting him back on - pure hell). My insecurities about it definitely didn't help. I panicked at every fuss. When I calmed down, he calmed down. Sometimes he fusses at the breast, sometimes he fusses at the bottle! It isn't personal.  

    It is hard to give him a bottle sometimes (even though it is my milk). But I remind myself that it is a good thing - it means he will eat when he is at daycare, which is comforting for both of us :-) 

     Anniversary
    When you've been married this long, you need a ticker to remind you.

    Baby Boy M - 08/01/2013 

    Expecting Baby Bean February 2017
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  • BellaOsoBellaOso member
    I went through this with my LO, (still working on it everyday,) and it was/is caused by my fast, hard letdown. I have to make sure I block feed. (Continually feed from 1 breast for 3-4 hours and not offer the second breast.) I also try to do "laid back nursing" where she is above so that gravity doesn't get my milk flowing too fast.

    I had a really hard time not feeling rejected and would get desperate for her to nurse making us both crazy. I got some advice from mamas on here and the breastfeeding board who said, "Just calm down and don't make it a big deal." So I offer the breast, and when she doesn't take it, I say, cheerfully, "Maybe next time." and when she latches, I sing, and keep my eyes on her at all times. I give her my undivided attention and slowly stoke her back. This helps her know this is the comfortable place to be.

    Whatever you do don't just try to wait until she is hungry enough to eat. It can start a whole other set of problems. Also, if she is struggling and crying at the breast - just give a bottle. If you let her sit there and fight and get frustrates she may start to associate the position or closeness to your chest with something uncomfortable. Hang out topless and skin to skin as much as your schedule and lifestyle allow.

    My DD and I are working on this every day and every nursing session but like PP said, do not take it personal. It is not personal. You are not being rejected, something is complicating the situation for you DD. Just work on being supportive and troubleshooting the complication.

    I hope things get better quickly. Good luck!
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  • LilMissScareAllLilMissScareAll member
    cinderin said:
    I will say - it feels *awful* to be "rejected" by your child when you offer the breast.

    I had been pumping after each feed and supplementing with my own BM for DS twice a day (at the pediatrician's recommendation due to slow weight gain).  

    I have to do this too and go in to the pedi for weekly weigh ins. We are supposed to give 1-2 oz after every other feeding. It's a pain and it's frustrating.

    Bottles are easier for them to eat from and sometimes LO seems to want to be a lazy eater. I've found that if I express some milk so he can taste it when I stick my nipple in his mouth, he'll go 'oh yeah food!' a little quicker. But some days it is a struggle. 
    Make sure your offering before she gets too hungry. Now that he's always chewing on his hand and its not a reliable hunger cue anymore, I'll lightly drag my pinkie knuckle on his lip and if he opens up, than I know he's ready to eat.
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