Anyone EBF and baby just will not take a bottle?

[ready4num2]

Did you ever get LO to take a bottle? And how did you finally?

 

[ready4num2]

I should add that I've tried EVERYTHING! Nothing is working.

 

[Hoping4peanut]

We had the same issue. For about 2 weeks starting at a month We tried daily. Baby screamed...husband got stressed. So because I stayed home we gave up. It wasn't worth the drama.

My mom however found a bottle by adiri that she will take from her. She is 5 months now.

We sort of just let the issue fix itself. But she still isn't great at the bottle.

I have heard of people just having the husband and baby go on strike until baby took the bottle...

Sorry I am not much help. Just wanted you to know you aren't alone. No one talks about it..but this is actually a very common issue with babies who ebf.

I talked to a pediatrician who said the babies whose moms go back to work just go on a hunger strike and eventually give in.

 

[ready4num2]

We've been trying to do this for the last 11 weeks! She's taken the bottle only twice. I have to be away from her for about 10 hours in a week and idk what to do. Thanks for your input.

 

[purplesparkle]

My d's wasn't good with bottle either we just moved on to supply cup and doidy cup drinks from them much better now

 

[ready4num2]

I bought a sippy cup too. She can't grasp how to suck on it yet but she at least will let it be in her mouth. I have to leave her next week for 10 hours! I'm just so nervous

 

[luz]

When i went back to work at 8 weeks my EBF baby refused the bottle. We tried every different type of bottle and eventually (after about a week of me being back at work) she decided she would be ok with the dr browns bottle. Until she decided this bottle was ok, she would scream, because she was so hungry, all day long. Eventually she would fall asleep and then whoever was watching would slip a bottle into her mouth and she'd eat a few oz. I felt terrible knowing i was gone 8 hours a day and she would maybe take in 4 oz of milk, but there was nothing I could do about it because i have to work and unfortunately bringing my child to me every 4 hours so she can feed is not an option.

Keep trying, my last resort was to feed her using a syringe if she wouldn't take the bottle, but eventually she got over her stubbornness and took the bottle. I'm sure your LO will too.

 

[bcos21]

Nope eventually we just introduced a cup

 

[Snufflepop]

Nearly 8 months here and dd still won't take a bottle. We have moved on to trying out sippy cups now so that by the time I go back to work she is a proficient cup drinker.

It stressed me out at first until I just decided not to bother with bottles. I am not really away from her anyway so there didn't seem much point.

 

[Bevziibubble]

I tried everything but nothing worked. She knew where she wanted the milk from and was very stubborn with refusing any alternatives!
She accepted a sippy cup of water at around 9-10 months but only had the odd sip.

 

[ready4num2]

Ya still no luck. I have to leave her Saturday for hours. I'm so nervous.

 

[deeee]

I am having the same problem, my son is 4.5 months and he just won't take a bottle!! It's so strange, I've been trying to identify his problem: he takes a pacifier no problem, he latches on to the bottle's nipple when it's empty but as soon as the milk touches his mouth, he screams out loud and refuses it completely! I've tried expressed milk, formula, nothing seems to work! I also have to go back to work very soon so I am now trying baby cereal I thought I wouldn't try it until 6 months but I have no other choice.

There's a small trick you could try, with a small pacifier. If she latches on to it, replace it with the bottle slowly. She might latch on to it and not notice the difference...

 

[pootle33]

Yes us too. Did take 3 or 4 bottles from Tommee Tippee when 6/7 weeks old but hasn't since!! I'm not due back at work for a long time but would be nice to get a break occasionally or let his dad/grandparents feed him. Have bought a MAM bottle but if he doesn't take that then I probably will just leave it

 

[ready4num2]

DD hates the pacifier just as much as the bottle! I too have already given her cereal. I made it super milky so basically she'll have to be fed from a spoon Saturday while I'm gone. I also picked up a medicine syringe. She has a tongue tie I wonder if that has anything to do with it? Occasionally she'll allow the bottle or sippy cup in her mouth and she'll just play with it. I bought baby apple juice and added just the tiniest but to water in one of the bottles. She tried latching but couldn't get it! I have another bottle I'm going to try today.

I was just going to leave it. It doesn't bother me that only I can feed her, but I have to be away every so often so hopefully she'll be ok. I feel awful knowing she'll be left with my mom and will probably scream to nurse and I won't be here.

 

[Feathers]

Yes and at 11 months he still won't. Honestly I just gave up and offered a free flow sippy cup which he loves! He didn't take properly to that until he went to nursery though, but luckily he's a good eater too so I tried not to worry. They don't *need* bottles it's just easier for us sometimes! I'd stick with the cup as an alternative.

 

[deeee]

How did it go Saturday?
My LO screamed himself to sleep last time i left him...

 

[Kiwiberry]

Just started giving her bottles after we established BF. She seems to do really well on both. Keep in mind though my baby is a preemie and is still not yet "newborn" age.

 

[ready4num2]

Saturday wasn't horrible. She was pretty upset and I felt awful for leaving. She did eventually take 4 ounces from the bottle! I was so happy and relieved. We tried giving her the bottle Sunday and yesterday and she wasn't having it!

What really annoyed me is that my mom and one of my friends thought that I was going to stop breastfeeding because she took the bottle finally. I don't understand why they'd think that! It wasn't easy to cope with at times but DD and myself made it through. If I just stopped it would've felt like all of the hard work was for nothing.

 

[Kiwiberry]

Saturday wasn't horrible. She was pretty upset and I felt awful for leaving. She did eventually take 4 ounces from the bottle! I was so happy and relieved. We tried giving her the bottle Sunday and yesterday and she wasn't having it!

What really annoyed me is that my mom and one of my friends thought that I was going to stop breastfeeding because she took the bottle finally. I don't understand why they'd think that! It wasn't easy to cope with at times but DD and myself made it through. If I just stopped it would've felt like all of the hard work was for nothing.

I know exactly how you feel. OH and MIL wanted me to try to stop BF and just do EBF to help get her out of the NICU quicker. I decided against it, and OH was telling me he thinks it would be easier. I just can't seem to quit when we have gone so far now. She went from not feeding at all to being a champ at BF and now she is even sucking down bottles too. I just can't find it in me to quit. Part of it is due to the fact that I have never quit anything in my life and so it would take a huge hit to my pride. I also don't want to quit when we have gone so far. The nurses in the NICU helped me realize that today. I was getting a bit discouraged a day ago because she falls asleep halfway through her feeds. They told me that is normal and not out of expectations, that she will come around within a few days. They also said it is because of her age.

 

[leash27]

We tried regularly to get DD to take a bottle from about 4 weeks and it was a total nightmare. If I was out of the house, she would occasionally take it but only after fighting it for so long she got tired and gave in. Even then, she would only take 2-3oz at best. We bought Dr Browns, Tommee Tippee, Medela, NUK and finally MAM bottles - seriously we spent a fortune! She seemed to take the MAM bottle easier than any of the others so we stuck with that one and continued to try her several time a week.

Then, one Sunday afternoon I was absolutely exhausted and she was having a feeding marathon. I was on the phone to my mum sobbing because I was so tired and fed up and basically just wanted a break. My mum suggested trying her with some formula in a bottle to see if the taste made a difference. I was reluctant as I have worked so hard to get BF established and maintain a good routine etc but I was desperate so we gave it a shot and she knocked back 5oz of Aptamil! She would only drink it if it was really warm and I had to be out the house (think she can smell my BM). We kept offering it every day for a week and she kept taking it so then we tried her with some expressed breast milk and she took it! Now she will take formula and BM in a bottle and she even takes it whilst I am sat next to her. We now have a routine where she has one bottle each night from DH before bed, not because I need it but because I am scared if we stop offering it she may go back to refusing it again lol.

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