Why would your baby take breast milk from you and not from the bottle?

Question

My friend has a 10 day old daught who will take the breast milk directly from the mom. But she won't take the pumped milk. Is that normal?

The baby WILL however take formula from the bottle.....

Answer 1

Yes. Babies prefer the breast to an unatural silicone nipple. If she starts the baby too early supplementing with the bottle the baby will get nipple confusion anyway. If she really needs to get the baby to use a bottle it helps to have someone else feed it to her and the mom sometimes has to leave the room. I read a study that babies can smell their mothers breastmilk from 50 to 100 feet away!

Answer 2

Very normal. Many babies refuse the body due to the feel of the artifical nipple. My son who is now two 1/2 never once took the bottle... only the breast, sippy cups, straws and now regular cups. I tried numerous bottles, always with expressed breast milk... but he preferred the comfort and feel of my breast. Although it was tough at times -- in the end it was a blessing because I never had to wean him from the bottle and the breast. Not to mention, he's an extremely healthy, happy child. She should continue to try other nipples and if someone else if feeding the child... have them hold a shirt that was worn by her while comforting the child...that can help some.

Answer 3

Even though they look kind of the same, a woman's nipple and a bottle nipple are nothing alike. A small baby that has already learned to breast feed still has not learned to drink from a bottle. Keep giving her the bottle, she'll figure it out eventually. Also, the mom needs to hold the baby close to her, just like when she breast feeds, so the baby is still comfortable and in the same position as she is when she is breast feeding, this way she kind of understands it is feeding time. All you can do is be persistant.

Answer 4

That's a smart baby!

Sincerely, babies know that bottles lead to more bottles. Supplementation (with pumped milk or formula) causes the milk supply to drop. Your friend's baby isn't interested in building that supply back up. Honestly, I believe that babies know that. They're smarter than many physicians in that way . . .

Babies refuse the bottle because it's not natural. Babies are born with a breastfeeding instinct, but bottles are not part of that instinctual behavior.

It's normal for a baby to refuse a bottle, and it's a very good sign. That is a baby who insists on the best! Tell her dad to start saving for when she's a teenager!

Answer 5

YES, this is completely normal since the bottle feels different than the breast to the baby. I had this same problem with my daughter. Your friend can try different brands of bottles. Avent was the one that worked for us. Also, it sometimes helps if someone other than the mom offers the bottle to the baby. It helps with the confusion that the baby has when mom offers a bottle in place of her breast.

Answer 6

The nipples are different.
If she plans on continuing breast feeding, it is not recommended to bottle so early because it could create nipple confusion, and the baby won't nurse at all on the mom.
It might take some time for her to get used to a rubber nipple. She might need to try different nipples to find one that the baby will take.

Answer 7

yes, this is normal. the baby will know the smell of her mothers milk which is why she wont accept it, a baby has to use a different technique to get milk from a bottle than from the breast, if you ask me is sign of a bright girl!

Answer 8

Babies are smart like that!-) My son wouldn't take a bottle to save his life. bottles are not anything like real human touch. The nipples don't work the same, they smell different and the mouth action required to get milk from a fake teat is totally different.

Answer 9

very normal sometimes baby will be more willing to take the bottle from someone other then Mom.

Answer 10

yes my son was like that because he wasn't used to drinking out of a bottle and eventually he learned to use a bottle