15 weeks old and refusing to take bottle! (Nightmare....)

[Natalie&Karl]

Hi Everyone, my little girl is nearly 15 weeks old and has been refusing to take the bottle for abut a month or so now.

She took to both the bottle and breast really well in her first couple of months or so, but she's now refusing to take the bottle completely - with both breats and formula milk - she used to drink both fine too.

I've tried Avent teats, tommee tippee, the breastflow technnology bottle - but to no avail! I've tried to get my mum and her dad to feed her when i'm out of the house (so she cant sense boobies) bit she still looks at us in disgust when we try to put it in her mouth....

EXAMPLE:

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ALL ADVICE/SUGGESTIONS WELCOMED!!!! ITS MY BIRTHDAY IN TWO WEEKS AND I DONT WANT TO GO OUT WITH IT ON MY MIND THAT SHE WONT BE FEEDING AND DRIVING DADDY MAD!!

THANKS! XXXXXXXXX

 

[Tam]

Hun if she is hungry enough she will soon take it, so I really wouldn't worry........I know it can be upsetting waiting for her to eat and knowing she is wanting to BF, but perservere with it. But in the rare chance that she doesn't, contact your HV for advice. Good Luck hun! x

 

[Helen]

I have exactly the same problem with my two. They've been exclusively breast-fed up until recently, but they've had a bottle since about 6 weeks old with expressed milk at the late night feed.

I've been trying to get them to take formula for the last couple of weeks which they refuse and now Tommy is refusing his bottle of expressed milk!

In my experience, it doesn't matter how hungry they are. If they don't want it, they don't want it! They just get more and more irate.

I still get the look of total disgust or the more cunning "I'll look as though I'm drinking it but actually dribble it out of the corner of my mouth".

 

[Natalie&Karl]

lol Helen - yes the dribble it out of my mouth stunt.... not impressive...lol.

From the internet searhing i;ve down the majority say its best to try about 1/2 hours to an hour before they're due fooding so that they're content, rather than when they're hungry and distressed!

A few people recommended the NUK bottles and silcone teats, so i'm giving those ago in the next couple of days!

Good Luck Helen, let me know if tou succeed any time soon!! x

 

[Lucy]

If she is refusing the bottle how about offering her the milk out of a cup (or at her age the lid of the bottle?)

 

[Caroline]

Alisha would only take milk from bottle if it was really warm, Kayleigh will only take it if she's really hungry, otherwise its disgust. She's gonna have to have formula during dat when i'm back at work again as i can't express enough for her, and back up in freezer running out, should be fun for daddy !

Its so difficult getting them to have anything other than boob, both my girls only tolerated abotle. Good lluck girls, hope you succede.

 

[beanie]

I was going to suggest cup feeding too

 

[skiwi]

hi there,

try warming the nipple of the teat up

does she take a pacifier, if she does,try a bottle nipple similar to the pacifier she uses.

Try putting her in her car seat so she is semi-upright, and then feed her the bottle while facing her

tommee tippee "closer to nature" bottles with "easi vent", they are suppose to be like the breast...

hope something works best of luck

 

[Natalie&Karl]

Thanks All, i've tried cup before... still dribbles most out - but it is more successful than a bottle.

I'll try everything suggested and let you know when progress is made! x

 

[Helen]

Good luck Nat.

Our two have the Tommee Tippee closer to nature teats for expressed milk and are ok with those. My HV suggested Dr. Browns (I think) as a possible alternative.

They've started having water in cups but when I tried formula, the same thing happened.

Caroline, mine (esp. Tommy) are the same about temperature. It has to be really warm (same with expressed).

I wish I was one of those women who could just whip out a bottle of formula anywhere and feed them. Instead, I'm stuck with whipping out my boobs all over the place.

 

[Caroline]

lol Helen @ having to whip out the boobs, I too have the same problem, I'm dreading OH having to try giving her formula.
To date with Kayleigh I've had my boobs out 1. sat on theapavement outside the Houses of Parliament when we went to watch cycling
2. In the car at a service station on motorway, when traffic cops decide to park next to my side of the car. They didn't stay there for long!

 

[Helen]

LOL! Worst place I've had mine out was when I went to see bloke I used to work with who'd set up his own business with 3 other blokes. So there's me, the little ones and them all in this tiny office and despite just being fed before we left they screamed the place down until I whipped them out. It was an awkward moment!

We have a wedding and a christening next week. I reckon they'll be out somewhere near the font!

 

[Caroline]

When Alisha was Christened I had to feed her part way thru' as she was a hungry guts. Vicar says about walking round congregation with her took one look and went erm maybe later

I'm sure they can sense that now's not the time for mummy to whip them out , so decide they're going to scream until you do.( Even if the're nowhere near to feed time.)

 

[hypnorm]

Could also be a sign that teething is causing problems - ewan went off his bottle for a while when he started teething. I had to give him so bonjela or teething stuff then he would take bottle.

 

[Natalie&Karl]

LOL at you all whipping them out all over the place. I'm pretty lucky with Mia, she can go for about 5 hours without a feed when we're out. She's very content - too nosey and curious with the "madness" of the outside world to notice that she hasn;t been fed!!

Although i have WHIPPED THEM OUT in a car park before. to feed (obviously) ....not streak!

 

[Natalie&Karl]

YAAAAAAYYYY SUCCESS AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I havent breastfed ALLLLLLL day!!!

Mia has drank 8oz from the bottle and is as happy as larry!!

I had to express my milk from the breast and mixed 2oz of breast milk with 2oz of formula (aptamil) - i used the NUK brown silicone teats with the NUK bottle and caught her when she was content and happy. put her in her fave chair in front of some MTV and she drank!! Was like an early birthday present!! whoop whoop!!

 

[Helen]

Congratulations! You got there in the end. We've gone back a few steps. Charlotte will take a bottle last thing at night of formula (any kind). Tom was refusing a bottle full stop so we've ended up just giving him expressed milk late at night and he's taking that again. I've started mixing in some formula in increasing amounts for him and all is going ok. Plus I've been mixing formula into their food and they're both ok with that.

TBH though since they've got a bit more established on solids, they're a lot easier to feed and it's all calmed down again. PLUS I worked out it was going to cost me £25 per week to switch them entirely to formula. Suddenly breast feeding seemed like a great idea again!