Any tips on bottle feeding as my daughter preferes breast?

Question

My daughter is not content on breast milk alone, and every 2 hours she needs another feed. I am unable to leave her with anyone for very long. I have been introducing a bottle and she does take some, sometimes but its a feeding nightmare sometimes. This morning for example she took 60ml that was after a 4hr sleep. Then she just played with the teat ( Mams) I stop, take her round the house, change her nappy, massage her and try again. She sucked a few times and that was it. I gave in and put her on the breast which she took and had a good feed. If I carry on with the bottle we can be feeding on and off for hours. Or she will get into a right state (bad tempered crying and not wind). Oh I forgot to mention I feed her lying down as we have discovered its less windy and she cries less! Any advice on getting her to take a whole bottle. I want to be able to leave her with my mum for a couple of hours and not worry that she is just constantly crying all the time as she has done previous

Answer 1

Breast fed babies need to eat every two hours. Try different nipples (faster or slower flow nipples) try different positions while feeding her. Be careful though you might be opening pandora's box- she will like feeding from the bottle that has faster flow nipple and may not go back to the breast. How old is your daughter? If she is very young, you should wait so that she does not get "nipple confusion."

Have you tried getting someone else to feed the bottle? My sister could not feet her daughter the bottle because her little one could "smell" her mother was right there and she prefered to breast feed. Are you using expressed milk in the bottle? Maybe she does not like the formula. Do not heat the breast milk in the microwave, it changes the taste. Similarly, the formula gets an iron taste when heated in the microwave.

Good luck!
Good luck

Answer 2

How old is she? Is she is very young, feeding every 2 hours is NORMAL. Breastmilk digests in about 90 minutes and her tummy is only the size of her fist.

You shouldn't be the one offering her the bottle. She is SMART and knows that you have the real thing, straight from the tap! Who would want that silly bottle when mom's warm, soft breasts are right there? Let Dad, Grandma or some other trusted person offer her the bottle while you are not in the room. Take a walk. Take a bubble bath. Run a couple of quick errands.

Try different nipples. (Avent usually works well for most BF babies.) Try the milk at different temperatures. (Assuming you are using pumped breastmilk so the taste is familiar?) Have the caregiver try different positions. Try "just like nursing" in a cradle hold.....maybe even the same chair you usually nurse in. Or try totally different positions. Have the caregiver prop her feet up and lay baby with her head at the caregiver's knees, propped up facing each other. Or try baby's back to the caregiver's chest, facing out. Or try walking around with baby in a sling or front carrier until she starts drinking the bottle. Try when she is about half asleep.

Remember that a bottle isn't the only way to get milk into a baby. You could try a spoon, a small soft-sided cup (like comes with a bottle of Pepto Bismol), a medicine dropper, an oral syringe, etc. At 3-4 mos of age, she could probably also try a soft spout sippy cup (Avent makes one) without a valve.

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Answer 3

Did you say how old your daughter is? Human breast milk is the best food for babies. They feed like that (a little here and there) because that's the best way to consume nutrients. She also associates feeding with Mum and comfort and love and socialization. So with breast feeding you are not only feeding her body, you are feeding her psychological health as well.

I know it's hard. I breast fed one of my babies until he self-weaned at 2 years old. Some suggestions: get a baby sling and "wear" your baby. Then your hands will be free. Pump some milk and let someone else feed her a bottle or feed her with a spoon (dribble it into her mouth slowly and carefully at the same rate she swallows). While this is going on you leave the room and take a shower or a walk or a nap. The point it to have that sort of feeding associated with someone else and breast feeding associated with you.

If you have to return to work and you're worried about her starving while you're away, put your mind to rest. Eating is a basic drive and if a child is healthy, they will eat before they will starve to death. But, if this is not the case, wouldn't it be nice to just help her be happy and healthy by enjoying feeding her yourself? For health, babies should be breastfed exclusively until they have teeth (which is when they will have the enzymes to digest solid food) and then breast fed until they wean from the breast which could be up to 2 years of age.

If your baby is less than 2 months old, lie down with her and feed her all she wants and enjoy your "baby moon" (like a honey moon only with your baby). Believe me, nothing will matter in 20 years like the time you spend with your daughter right now.

Answer 4

This is a hard one. I dont know how old she is-sounds pretty young if she is eating every 2 hours. I would just keep trying and try different nipples and dip the nipple in the pumped breastmilk so she may taste the milk first and not the nipple she is not used to. Once she older it will be easier as she wont be eating as often and after 6 months she can start a little the solids. My sister had the same problem and her baby never took a bottle at all! Finally took a cup at close to 12 months. Very hard on my sister! Just keep trying and good luck

Answer 5

It is normal for a breastfed baby to want to feed every couple of hours, its not that she is not satisfied with the breastmilk its that babys can actually digest breastmilk easily but with formula it is really difficult for them to digest as its designed for cows and they put chemicals in it to make the babys feel fuller for longer. Having this knowledge I would say dont be selfish and breastfeed her if thats what she wants, why should your baby be refused her favourite food just because you want to leave her with your mum for a few hours? If you express your own milk for her to drink and buy some of the adiri bottles which are shaped like a breast (available from blooming marvellous or online) then she will be much more likely not to cry etc. You can always cup feed her, it takes time and patience but its easily done.
How old is she by the way?

Answer 6

first are you getting plenty of rest fluids etc so you know that your milk is filling your baby up if not look for advise there.next do you really want to continue feeding you baby breast milk,are you dedicated to it .you don't say how old your baby is could they be ready for solids.if you can answer to all thees and still need to give the bottle so your mum can look after baby for a while i found that my babies would take a bottle of other people but expected the breast off me.if you have plenty of good milk you could express milk if you need anymore help i think maybe you could speak to your health visitor or similar if your not in the UK

Answer 7

you don't say how old she is. Have you tried expressing your breastmilk into the bottle? My son went straight onto a sippy cup when he was five months old, he hated the bottle.
But can I just say the reason they tell you not to bottle feed your baby lying down is because the milk can run into the eustachion tube and cause ear infections. Which is horrendously painful.

Answer 8

Its a different technique feeding from a teat...it flows quicker..there is nothing wrong with 2 hour feeds she will get longer between as her tummy gets bigger.

Its not true that breast milk doesn't satisfy...its constitution changes as the baby grows

Answer 9

first of all babies have small stomaches and its VERY normal for them to want to eat every 2 hours!
Second- she knows your smell and you and she knows YOU mean breastfeeding. It will be easier to get her to take a bottle if someone else can give it to her- not you. This will help =) have dad or grandma or someone try to feed her next time she is hungry with the bottle and just have patience- it will take some time and practice- but shell eventually take it.

Answer 10

Try the Tomy Tippee 'back to nature' bottle. My partner feeds our 10 week old son both breast and this bottle and he now sleeps up to six hours after a good feed on the bottle!!