How will my breastfed baby get to sleep when I go back to work if he won't take a bottle?

Question

Any suggestions I can give the father and grandmother? They will be caring for him and he still won't take a bottle, not even with breastmilk. He will chew on a bottle with water in it but not really suck. I'm hoping that if he is away from me, he will take a bottle from someone else but I'm still afraid to leave him. He is 6 months old and I just got a really good job that I can't pass up. I am supposed to start on the 5th. He will not suck on a pacifier either.

Not really to sleep with a bottle but to use for comfort. He usually is rocked to sleep and I will be home in the evenings

For you morons that posted your rotten comments on here about my going back to work...my son is 6 months old and I have been at home with him for the entire 6 months and during my pregnancy. At least I'm not sitting home collecting welfare checks.You would probably be bitching about that too.

AND, he won't starve.....he eats babyfood, it is only putting him to sleep that I asked about.

Just so Mr."Lost" knows...I am not a single mother and I'm not some teen. It's obvious your mother paid no attention to you and you have to lash out at everyone with babies.By your previous questions,you are a very angry person and have a lot of issues. Get a life!

Answer 1

Don't fret too much. He'll probably put up a big fight, hoping to get his way, but if he gets hungry enough, he'll eat. You not being around for the bottle feedings will definitely help. Tell Daddy and Grandma that they'll be hearing a lot of crying at first. If he's stubborn, it could go on for a good stretch. But don't worry, things will work out. Good luck.

Answer 2

If he's not taking the bottle, make sure you're nowhere to be seen or heard so he doesn't think he can just wait it out or protest enough to get what he wants.

Also, it's true, if he gets hungry enough, he'll probably take the bottle. Maybe you could practice by going out for a few hours during the day, or at least to the other room where he can't see you and his father or grandmother can try to give him the bottle.

Another thing that works is to wait 'til he's getting kinda tired. He'll use it as a security and end up drinking more than he might otherwise 'cause he's too tired to realize what's going on. :o) It works!

Answer 3

He will learn a new way to fall asleep when you aren't there. It probably won't be a problem.

What *could* be a problem is him refusing all nourishment while you are away. If he absolutely refuses to take a bottle, try giving him a cup instead. You can let him drink from a sippy cup, or you can have someone feed him from a regular cup, whichever works better for all concerned.

To cup feed, hold him in your lap in a semi-sitting position (or sitting up if he isn't comfortable the other way). Take a cup that is half-full, and place it on his lower lip. Tilt it upwards so that the milk just touches his upper lip. Let him slurp it up on his own; just keep adjusting the angle of the cup so that he can do it. This method is used with babies who are *hours* old, so it won't hurt him. Just be careful that he doesn't bat at the cup and knock it over.

Answer 4

I had a similiar problem when my Breastfed baby started refusing the breast because she liked the bottle too much (had the bottle while I was at work). I needed a bottle that was as much like the breast as possible, so she wouldn't tell the difference too much.

I switched her to the Playtex Nurser system, with the drop-in liners. I use the clear silicone nipple. If you feel the nipple, it is much more soft and pliable, not STIFF like other baby bottle nipples.
When my baby took it for the first time, I noticed the way her lips latched around it were much more like suckling at the brest. And she took to it very well. I kept her on the 'slow flo' nipple, and she has never had a problem going between breast and bottle since.

Good luck to you. And BTW, GOOD JOB on nursing her! You are 1 awesome Mommy who has made the BEST feeding decision! Keep it up!

Answer 5

When my older daughter was 3.5 months old, I went back to work very part time (4 hours per day, 2 days per week), and my husband stayed with her. She had taken an occasional bottle before, but refused them completely once I started work.

It was frustrating for my husband at first, but he found ways to comfort her and get her to sleep without me there. If she were really hungry, she'd take just enough from the bottle to get by, but she'd mostly just wait for me to get home.

Since your baby is 6 months old, you could try offering breastmilk in a sippy cup or even letting him try to sip from a regular cup with help. You can also work his schedule so that he gets any solids when you're at work, and he can just nurse when you're home.

Keep in mind that he may start waking at night again (if he's been sleeping well) in order to make up for missed daytime nursings. He may do this to have that special time to reconnect with you even if he's getting enough nutrition during the day.

Good luck to you as you go back to work!

Answer 6

That is a serious dilemma. My best suggestion is to contact a lactation consultant to see if they can help him take a bottle. My consultant helped mine get back to the breast after she has to have a bottle when my milk hadnt come in and she had jaundice.

Other thing you could try a nipple with faster flow with your pumped milk. That way the milk will flow into his mouth and he might recognize the taste and start drinking. Try to feed him yourself with a bottle of pumped milk, that way he still has your comfort while he gets used to the bottle. Also carry around his blanky with you for a couple of days and have father or granny wrap it around him when they give the bottle. Maybe then he can smell you while he has the bottle. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Answer 7

strt pumping your breat milk and place it in a bottle then have hubby or g ma feed the baby everyother feeding so that the baby will get use them feeding him/her , if not you can have hubby take the baby to you at your break or at lunch so u can nurse the baby but its best to try offering the bay the bottle now , just pump out enough milk for the babies feeding and give the bottle if he chews on th bottle nipple he will eventually latch onto the bottle dont worrie he wont starve and he wont be hurt in anyway , like all changes you need to do the gradually skip a breast feeding and have dad bottle feed the child

Answer 8

The girl above me knows what she's talking about The crucial thing is to find the right type of bottle and I agree 100% with her suggestion. My kid's mom breast fed them. When she worked night shift at the hospital, she left little bags with her milk in the fridge for me. I had to try different bottles, before the little buggers got the hang of it. Now, they are incredibly beautiful, healthy kids (I'm not just saying that cause I'm their dad!:). Whatever you can do to breast feed them, remain persistent. Help dad out by clearly showing him each step. He'll get the hang of it in no time. Believe me, I'm no genius and I learned pretty quick. Grandma will chip in too! She'll get the hang of it real fast. When a hungry baby cries, we figure out what to do to solve the problem. Congratulations!!!

Answer 9

Try expressing your milk and giving it to baby in a sippy cup. Some babies go directly from breast to cup. I'm guessing you've tried many different types of baby bottles. I use the Playtex disposable bottles with the flat top nipples...they are the closest to the breast.

Keep trying and be consistent. Good Luck

Answer 10

You'll have to get him used to the bottle... he really shouldn't go more that 4 or 5 hours without (you should know better that anyone else, every child is diferent)... but let him get hungry enough, put a little sugar on the nipple, and he'll get used to a bottle.