My two were both the same. Neither of them would take a bottle, but we just kept trying and trying every day. With my daughter, she would drink from a sippy cup before she took a bottle, and although she would not take much at least it was something. We also used to feed her with special breastfeeding cups that we got online. One day though, after weeks of trying, she just took a bottle and after that would always take one! It was breastflow. My son was similar, he also took breastflow first but both of them once they got the hang of it would take any bottle. My daughter was 5 months and my son 6 months when they first took one. I am also a teacher and was also stressed about going back to work, so I know how you feel! I would just persevere, offer it several times a day and try when she is not too hungry, that way she won't be so desperate to feed in the usual way.
Breastfeeding on demand is hard work but once you get to 6 months and start weaning, it gets way easier as then they start to get into a routine with feeds and you can predict far more when they will want feeding so you can plan around it. My son is 11 months now and only has one feed in the day, one first thing in the morning and one last thing at night, he has been on that routine since about 9 months and before that he just had an extra feed mid morning. Before weaning he had no routine at all.

We went through this too, and she is sometimes taking a bottle now. I have put off returning to work because of it, so will not be returning until 9 months instead of 6 weeks like originally planned. We introduced a bottle right at 6 weeks, along with a pacifier and she wouldn't take either. We started with tommee tippee, then tried playtex, then some glass ones (don't remember brand), then medela ones, and avent. We finally had success with Nuk air flow I think they are called. I would bf her, then slip the nipple of the bottle into her mouth and hope she kept eating. It didn't always work, but now she will generally take a bottle without doing that. Not often enough that I leave her more than a few hours at a time, and make sure I'm within 20 minutes of home, but I can get out. I have only left her 3 times now, but plan on doing it more now. Getting her to take a bottle has been the hardest thing for me so far, but remember when it's hard, that if you had introduced a bottle from the beginning, LO may not be bfing now.

I haven't read the other replies as I'm on my phone, so I'm sorry if I repeat anything.

It took a long time for my daughter to take a bottle. She still refuses occasionally.

It's best if someone else gives her a bottle while you are out of the room. If she knows you're there she'll want your breasts. My daughter only takes very very warm expressed milk, if it's not warm enough she won't take it. I've heard other people say this too. We have to catch her before she becomes too hungry or she gets herself into a state and refuses it. You could also try a doidy cup or a sippy cup, it won't offer the same suckling comfort but will ensure she is receiving her milk.

With regards to nursing to sleep, my daughter still does this. I'm not sure of the best way to stop this I'm sorry. My daughter will fall asleep in her pram or in the car but other than that she has to be on my boob.

I hope you get there soon

My daughter refused a bottle for ages, having taken one occasionally until 4 weeks and then more often from then. So there's nothing to say that your baby would take a bottle now if she'd had one early on anyway. I know how you feel, it's horrible feeling trapped, but for me it would have been worse if my baby refused the breast.

Anyway, in the end we got her to take a bottle (a MAM teat) by trying her 2-3 times a day but at times when she wasn't really hungry. We just made it a game and let her play with the teat with lots of smiles and 'yays' when she had it in her mouth properly and eventually (after a few weeks) she sucked on the teat and took about 1/2 oz, then the next time she took a full feed. She did take a bottle from me initially, but now she won't take a bottle from me at all, but will from anyone else.

You could also try a lidded or open cup if she is 4 months old and she might take milk from that.

My LO would throw a fit when we tried to give her a bottle, but then we tried using warmer water in the bottle (because we had been using room temperature water previously). That made a huge difference for us!

I could have written your post word for word! I was feeling so trapped because my baby would only take milk from me and only sleep if I breastfed her. We started rocking her instead of giving her boob and after a week or so she was fine. She did cry a bit to start with and will still have a bit of a whinge for a minute or two at first, but she will go to sleep. This is great as my husband can get her back to sleep if she wakes at night, or if I need to go out in the afternoon I don't need to worry that she won't go to sleep. I was having to go upstairs and stay upstairs when she went to bed at 7 so I completely get the trapped feeling. We are having less success with the milk feeds but as she is 6 months she is being weaned now so is going 4 hrs between breastfeeds instead of 2. What we've done is go straight to a sippy cup (a free flow one as she's not used to sucking from a bottle teat), I go out of the room and daddy gives her the cup while she's in her highchair after she's had dinner. She takes some out of it but mainly just plays with it at the moment. But at least she is getting used to it and doesn't cry. She used to scream and scream if we tried to feed her, she much prefers to feed herself. We are trying to keep it different from breastfeeding as if we try and feed her in the same position she just kicks off! I'm using formula as I can't express enough daily to then just throw away She doesn't seem to have a problem with the taste. We tried loads of different bottles but she just got upset and we got nowhere so decided to bypass bottles completely. Hope you get it sorted soon, I understand exactly how you feel!

Not sure if anybody has suggested this or not but get somebody else to feed her and get them to put their hand on her cheek as she feeds as it will feel a bit like the skin she would feel when she's breastfeeding. This worked with Freya. My OH tried this and it worked and worked when I put my hand on her when my mum was feeding her.
Definatly worth perseveering and then keep it up once or twice a week at least so she doesn't forget.
Also, try some cooled boiled water in the bottle with her first to save wasting your milk, then once she is used to the bottle, you can try with the milk x x

Don't beat yourself up for not starting soon enough - we had our baby on bottles of expressed milk from the very start, and then at 8 weeks she started to refuse and scream if you tried to give her a bottle. She's 14 weeks now and still refuses, i've tried about 6 different brands and all sorts of temperatures. It's so frustrating, and i hate wasting the milk! But just wanted to reassure you that had you ignored advice and started sooner you could well be in the same situation like me anyway!

I have to take bubs to work and feed her in the car, not ideal but better than nothing!

I had the same my son had the odd bottle as early as one week after birth for medical reasons, he then rarely had EBM after that and the next time he had it he completely refused, even the fastest flow teat was too slow for him, he was fine with a sippy cup though and most can be used from 3 months despite what they say on the packaging xx

I have just bought 2 different cups so fingers crossed one of them will work!