Moms of Bottle Refusers - Help!

[cjwn]

I need to start combi feeding DS2 who is 18+ weeks. We've co-slept and breastfed since birth, which has been tough but fine, only now my backache is getting progressively worse, caused by feeding in the side lying position and switching sides during the night. He wakes every 1-2 hours for a boob and will not settle any other way. It's taking its toll on my sanity and it's starting to affect my family life (husband sleeps on the couch and I have no energy for my two year old). I just need some consecutive hours of sleep!

I started combi feeding DS1 at 4.5 months and he took to it no problem. I guess I didn't expect DS2 to be any different but actually it turns out that he is a bottle refuser so this is a new kind of hell for me. He grimaces, pulls away, shakes his head, gags, cries and looks for a boob. He has taken bottles of EBM and formula occasionally before but can't be persuaded to do it anymore.

I'm using Dr Browns or Medela Calma with pre-mixed hipp cartons of stage 1 formula. I don't have the time to express enough breastmilk to switch out a feed so it has to be formula. What should I try (other than persistence)?

 

[noon_child]

Have you tried not co-sleeping but still bf in the night. At that age we found out LO was getting woken by our restlessness and noise at night, maybe your LO is the same. Not saying you'll get more than 3hrs but you might. Is it worth a try to not have to fight to get bottles introduced?

 

[cjwn]

Thanks. I've no doubt that co-sleeping is hindering matters, but it's less of a problem for me at the moment than bottle refusing. I don't enjoy breastfeeding, I see it more as a necessity than a pleasure, and I'm tired of being the only source of food for this little fella. My plan is to combi feed, then move him to his own cot, then wean him, then move him into his brother's room. I probably won't give up breastfeeding until I have to go back to work in September (he'll be 10 months) but I've had enough of doing it exclusively. So I'm being persistent by offering a bottle every day, hoping he'll eventually just take it, I don't know what else to do.

 

[LDC]

Keep going with the persistent offering of a bottle, and try getting someone else to offer it to him too as he will associate you (and smell) boob.

I wouldn't bother trying swapping lots of bottles or anything, just keep the same one and keep going.

My lo was also a bottle refuser and I totally synpathise with where you're coming from. It's tiring, it's hard and frankly, I resented my lo for a little while because of it. And my oh for just getting left alone! I went through a stage where I felt rather smothered by the whole process, then my poor oh wanted a cuddle and I wanted to tear my hair out as it was just another person on me!! What a cow!!

Unfortunately, I didn't have a happy ending; lo refused bottles until 10 months when I went back to work and she was old enough for a sippy cup. Fingers crossed someone on here has a better answer for you.

One thing I will say is, now in hind site the beautiful thing it is, I'm so glad I managed to feed her for 10 months bm alone. If I was me back then, I'd have just slapped myself round the face.