need help FAST....weaning.....?

Question

PLEASE HELP...im desperate to wean my six-month-old daughter off the breast and onto bottles but have had no luck! i tried about 2 months ago but ended up giving in - this time im deturmined to do it but am finding it so hard! i breast fed her about 11 hours ago and wanted that to be the last breast feed but im finding it too hard to not give in as she hasn't eaten since and refuses the bottle point blank! she hasn't wet her nappy at all today and is screaming constantly! please help, any tips or advise will be much appreciated! i'ved tried the bottle teats that feel like nipplesand no luck!

can i just say to "tegansmummy" and "belinda" that im not going to let my bloody baby dehydrate! for god sake it was a simple bloody question about changing from breast to bottle im not beating her up or anything! also who said i was going "cold turkey" i am still breast feeding in the nights but want to cut out the days - the morning feed being the last feed of the day and back to breast at night! thanks for everyone else's help, just to let you all know she did take a whole 6oz bottle about an hour after posting this question and is doing fine - she's not dead because i've starved her!

also the reason why i need to cut out day-time breast feeding is because i have to go back to work part-time, it may be ok for you to be perminantly attatched to your children but i dont have enough money to stay home everyday, i need to work 2 days-a-week and don't want to confuse my daughter by feeding her everyday except the 2 days im working, i want to keep her in a routine, bottle during days and breast at nights!

Answer 1

you can get different teats that are made of different materials maybe its the feeling of the teat , if not keep persivering she will eat when she is hungry enough, stick to your guns you'll get there

Answer 2

BREASTFEED YOUR BABY!!! My goodness, listen to her little cries! She wants her mommy, and she wants to nurse... You will dehydrate her if you go cold turkey like that!! You need to only cut one feeding out a week, if you absolutely must wean. But how aweful for you to just take away her comfort and her source of food just like that! Feed her before she ends up in the hospital!

Edit: If you breastfed her 11 hours ago, that is the same as going "cold-turkey". And, if you didn't know, you CAN pump while you are at work, and give her your breastmilk in a sippy cup, if she'll take one. But, some babies will not eat until you get home. THere still is NO reason or excuse for you to be letting her go 11 hours without breastfeeding. Let's be realistic here. All you're teaching your daughter is that her needs are not important to you. But, you'll do whatever you want to anyways. I just feel sorry for your little one.

Answer 3

I have had the EXACT same problem! I even went to the extreme of leaving my daughter with my mum for a weekend with only bottles and formula, I hate to say that she starved for the whole weekend and only took 2oz.

Obviously different strokes for different folks but the ONLY thing I can suggest through personal experience is weaning slowly. I have only just stopped feeding my daughter, who is turning 1 in a week or so and the way we both coped is to do it gradually. I know this isnt what you want to do but it worked...which is one step up on how things are going now.

How I did it was, cut the night feeding out completely first and then the last feed of the day. Because your breast wont be being "used" for a long period of time, your milk should deminish enough to make the day feeds shorter. Cut these down gradually, maybe 2 or 3 feeds a week, and slowly your milk should dry up. This is what happened for me and the whole process took about 3 weeks. I found that when I was down to 3 feeds a day, I produced such crap quality milk, and so little of it that my daughter wasn't too interested anyway.

I really hope it goes well for you, it was total hell for me at the beginning but if you're absolutley sure you want to stop you really have to be persistant. Only feed your baby from the breast at specific points during the day and then only offer her water between times. I also found that my daughter was completely uninterested in bottles and teats. We never did get her to drink from a bottle and we found the only thing that worked was a spout, removing the valve that stops it from leaking, and literally dripping water into her mouth. She slowlly got used to this and managed to swallow it. After about a month or so she started sucking and drinking normally so we put the valve back in. I know these time spans must seem like an eternity to you but when it all gets too much just remember that your baby will not starve itself to a point of danger. If your baby is only offered formula/water then eventually it will drink it.

Good luck......and sorry for waffling!

Ps, if you wanted to contact me my email is [e-mail]

Answer 4

You didn't give in, you responded to your baby's needs. She needs you. Not cold plastic and machine-made overprocessed powder. She needs you. Realize that it's the highest compliment that you can receive and accept it graciously. Your baby will thank you for it.

Edit: I stand by what I said, and I didn't mean to judge nor attack. From her point of view, the bottle is cold plastic and the formula tastes weird. Have you tried it? A baby who refuses the bottle is giving her mother a compliment, even though it is frustrating to work part time and know that your baby is not taking anything while you're gone (I've been there). She already is dehydrated. You said so yourself. It happens to everyone sometimes. You can call me a Nazi, but as a Nazi, I hope you choose to continue to respond to your baby's needs. Nazis are mean like that.

Answer 5

it's not a good idea to stop breastfeeding cold turkey- it only hurts you and your baby. you will get engorged and, trust me, that hurts BAD! i breastfed my son until he was 10 mos old and he was only weaned due to circumstances beyond my control- though i was ready to stop. is baby's dad around? try having him (or another family member if he's not) feed your baby some of your breast milk in a bottle- try different bottles too. she's used to your breasts and now your trying to give her some weird plastic thingy is how she sees it. i found the Avent bottles best. and if she's not ready she's not ready. keep at it though- don't give up. every day try giving her a bottle with your breast milk in it then you can switch from giving her breast milk in the bottle to formula should you choose. if you are extremely frustrated, depressed or just down right ready to quit breastfeeding NOW then contact baby's pediatrician who should be able to help with some good tactics and ideas for weaning. i hope this helps- good luck!

Answer 6

She might not like the taste of formula more than the fact that the milk comes from a bottle. Have you tasted it? not that good. It also might be that she loves being close to you. Instead of refusing to nurse her and making it a contest of the wills there are a few things you could try. My sister had a son just like your daughter. Instead of giving him formula because it didn't agree with him, which could be an indication of lactose intolerance, she started out with soy milk. My nephew liked both plain and the vanilla soy milks. They are not thick like cow's milk and closer in feel to the breast milk. Also try putting your breast milk in bottles and giving it to her or have others feed her more often if possible. Or you could try to find out what foods that can sometimes make the milk taste funny, like broccoli, and eat that about 30min before you feed her, but give the bottle first then breastfeed if she refuses and hopefully she'll like the bottle, but you really shouldn't go cold turkey. It seems to be causing you more stress than her.