Baby that won't take the bottle?

Question

My 9 wk old won't take the bottle consistantly. We searched for good nipples (she seems to like a Playtex laytex nipple) and I've had other people (dad, grandma, future care-taker, etc) feed her while I was out of the room. My baby will take to the bottle sometimes, but other times she'll scream, and I'll give in and put her on my breast (in which case she settles down nicely). THis could be a problem as I plan to start back to work when my baby is 12 weeks old (3 weeks away); I'm afraid that feeding time will be frustrating for her care-taker.

I have seriously considered not going back to work or asking my employer to cut back my 3/4 time to 1/2 time. Money could be an issue if I cut back on my work, but time will tell as my husband is interviewing for a new job. I am hoping that his new job pays well so that I CAN cut back my work load so that I can spend more time with babe!

Opinions? Ideas? Thanks!

Answer 1

Good for you for breastfeeding!! Alot of moms give up if they have trouble. Likewise to this, same with the bottle alot of moms give up with the bottle feeding after a few inconsistent and troubling times. The only thing I have found that worked for us was 1st: I had to be calm and relaxed, babies sense when we are tense, timid or unsure of ourselves.
2nd: It's different, for both of you so relax yourself into it. Stay focused and determined, wait till baby is really ready to eat.( I do not believe in waiting until baby is straved, then it becomes way easier to work themselves up and we most certainly go back to the breast just to soothe them.)
3rd: Don't stress to much if baby won't take bottle right away from you, I constintly had to remind myself, "I am going back to work, not watching him/her throughout the day." As long as baby takes the bottle at some point from dad,grandpa or nanny he/she is certainly figuring things out.
I am a believer in not wait the "required/or recommend" time for switching from slow to fast nipples. Maybe baby gets your milk alot quicker, switch baby to the faster nipple. Also, make sure no one holds the baby in the same position you two nurse. Babies tend to lose their patience this way, hold the baby propped up and looking out that worked for us. I also like all the playtex products they worked the best for our ever growing family. Most important don't be to hard on yourself, making the decision to go back to work is the hardest in the world. Whatever is right for your family is the right decision for all of you, including baby. P.S. It gets easier as they get bigger and that's why we keep having more. Cheers and you're a great mom!!

Answer 2

I had the same problem with my son. I started back to work when he was 6 weeks old and he HATED the bottle. We tried all that we could find and he hated all of them. He literally would drink 2 ounces from a bottle between 8a and 5p and SCREAM the entire day because he was hungry. This continued for 6 weeks until I finally quit my job and stayed home with him during the day and worked evenings so I could be home with him the majority of the time.

We have found that the only nipples he would take were the Playtex nurser ones - not the clear ones, but the old brown ones. To this day, those are the only ones he will take.

Once he started eating more solid foods, we slowly weaned him off me during the day, until when he was about a year old I could go back to work full time.

Answer 3

There's a lot of variables here.

Are you giving her breast milk in the bottle?
If not, try expressing some into a clean bottle when you feed her, and then put it in the fridge. The next time, tell someone to try too feed it to her. If that works, go get a breast pump or rent one from your local hospital or leche league. I have a nice medela one that has a compartment to put ice packs in and put the stored milk in there (so you can pump on breaks at work).

It may be your scent that she misses.
Take a Tshirt or blanket that you have worn and have whoever is feeding her drape it over their shoulder while they feed her.

It may be the skin to skin contact.
Dad can take off his shirt to feed her, grandma may just hold the baby closer to her chest.

I knew of someone who lived close to work, and her mom would take the baby to breastfeed on her lunch and breaks. The baby learned to eat enough at each of those times that the mom was able to work 8 hour shifts, feeding the baby 3X while at work. (Obviously you need an understanding employer and slightly flexible work environment). If you're working a 6 hour shift, that's only one feeding if you get her on a 3 hour schedule.

I also had a LOT of success switching breast & bottle with the Avent bottles, and she may need a faster flow nipple, because she possibly feels like she's sucking too hard and not getting enough.

Maybe you just need one of these:
http://mistupid.com/pictures/page107.htm

:) Good Luck!

Answer 4

My daughter wouldn't take a bottle either - well, she did once or twice and then refused.

Thing is, I'm not returning to work; I just wanted to know I could leave her with someone else and so I wasn't prepared to persevere as hard as i might have if I absolutely needed her being on bottles.

You will need to decide if you definitely will be returning to work - perhaps after your husband's interview - and then decide how hard you want to try with her.

Just to prepare you, I have heard of mums that have returned to work to leave their babies with bottles at the day care and they have refused to feed the whole time they have been there. However, I can't believe a baby would truly starve itself and I also think your little one is still young enough to be persuaded! My daughter likes the latex teats also - well, she had them in her mouth longer than any other....! - so keep tryiing perhaps, with other people doing feeds for you and perhaps you keeping the same ones each day e.g. every morning and every night, so she knows what she *will* be getting from you and perhaps relaxes for the other feeds...?

Good luck.

Answer 5

babies like consistency and routine.. Whenever you are planning on being home, breastfeed.. Then you plan to be at work, bottlefeed. Let her fuss, even if it takes an hour to eat... she will eventually get used to this. Breasts are great things too.. they will make enough for your baby! So if she only feeds from the breast at 6 pm and 10 pm.. thats all your breasts will make =]

Especially since you stil have 3 weeks left, be persistand and you shouldnt have any problems at all by week 3..

Keep trying bottles.. also consider different flow of nippes, if your letdown is fast, she will not take the slow rate nipple, she doesnt want to work that hard!.. I have tried many many bottles with my son... All those that reduce colic, i sometimes do not see the logic behind them..

But i recently perchaced Avent bottle.. On the nipple is has a skirt...that lets air in, so baby doesnt have to take breaks to let air back in do make sucking easier.. ( imagine yourself drinking from a bottle... you have to stop to let air in, so the bottle isnt collapsing... ) This helps the baby eat however vigurously it wants.. just like the breast... Try themm they also come in wide variety of nipple flows and promote breastfeeding.. i have heard great things about them and they were #1 bottle for a couple of years.

Answer 6

Working 5 half-days will greatly reduce your stress! This way, your baby only has to be bottlefed once, and the bottle is obviously traumatic for her. I've been through this too, and working part time was the answer for me. I hated being away, and my baby hated the bottle, but we had no money at all. I hope your husband's interview goes well! My husband joined the Army and I haven't worked a day since. I love staying home. Deployments suck, but being home is awesome.

Answer 7

She'll be fine, She'll take her bottle eventually. My girl wouldn't take it either. But gave into it eventually. I kept her close to work so I could go feed her at lunch...but she took her bottles really well from the caretakers, eventually. And never lost wait. Now after 5 months she prefers the bottle and is in the process of Weaning ME.

Answer 8

you may want to check for acid reflux. good luck.

here's a good list of symptoms.
http://heartburn.about.com/od/infantschildrenandreflux/a/refluxininfants.htm