I know Breast IS Best BUT . . .

Sylvia - posted on 07/24/2010

If it was me and my little one didnt take to a bottle I would wait till she did. Your lucky your able to brestfeed I was only to brestfeed for 3 weeks and that was it. I wasnt producing enough for her no matter what I did.

Amanda - posted on 07/21/2010

I am glad to see that someone else has my same problem. My daughter is 16 weeks and she will NOT take a bottle. We have tried about 5 different people, and many bottles both with formula and breastmilk. She adamantly refuses! I have about a month before returning to work, uugghh! I also tried the sugar on the nipple. She does not take a pacifier either. I have a 2-year-old and had the same problem, but she did take bottles from other people. I am so worried about going back to work and leaving her to starve all day and stress out her caretakers (my parents and an at home daycare woman). I am just hoping that when it comes down to it, she will be hungry enough to eat it. good luck Suzelle!

Leona - posted on 07/21/2010

also it could take a few minutes and a few attempts until she would take the bottle so i would just have to hold it in her mouth and rock her until she relised what it was...

Leona - posted on 07/21/2010

I have been so lucky with my princess, she isnt one of those angel kids you hear about. She really is the hardest baby but one thing i have been lucky with is her being able to flick between bottle and boob with no problems. Only one of my breast is producing milk so i cant 100% feed her myself so she gets formular when shes still hungry. I also used a shield for the hole second week feeding her because my nipples were so saw. Maybe getting her used to a shield might help the transition. Good luck with it all

Vicky - posted on 07/07/2010

also my bub wouldn't take the pacifier (dummy) unless I pop it in my mouth first and make it wet (only my spit tho) and SOMETIMES I need to wiggle it and just hold it lightly for about 30 secs til she gets the right suction going otherwise it just pops out her mouth....

Vicky - posted on 07/07/2010

hey there
i know you said you have tried all bottle sizes, but the one I use is the Tommee Tippee Back to nature one and they are similar to breast, closest I have seen.... http://www.femail.com.au/img/tommeetip_c...
my baby Sophie, since using these she wont use any other bottles, so I am thinking they MUST be pretty close to breast...just a thought :)

Sarah - posted on 07/06/2010

I was told that around 10-14 week some babies get fussy and will choose breast or bottle only for this time, but the best is to keep trying and use breast milk expressed and for mum not to be in the room whenthe bottle is tryed. Also try giving the bottle before the baby gets too hungry (so like 100 mins before fed is actually due) Hope that helps.

Katie - posted on 07/02/2010

I was in the same exact boat with my firstborn. It was the boob or nothing!! When I went back to work after 7 weeks or so, she would seriously go the entire day (9+ hours) without eating. My husband and mom were her caregivers, they tried every bottle on the market to no avail. This stressed them out like crazy, but there was nothing else we could do, I couldn't afford not to go back to work (I only worked part-time). My mom could get an ounce or so into her by using an eye dropper, believe it or not. She was so stubborn with the bottle for several months, but eventually she would take one. I do think she nursed much more at night when I got home then she would have otherwise. With my second-born the hospital gave us a special-needs feeder bottle (Medela) that is supposed to mimic breastfeeding, we gave her the bottle (with breastmilk) days after she was born and she ate from it like a champ. My first little girl was (and still is!) a stubborn one! Good luck, I know firsthand how stressful that whole situation is!

Jenny - posted on 06/30/2010

i fed my little boy until was one. i went back to work at ten months and fed in morning b4 i went and when i got home. he had juice from beaker and normal food in day while i was at work. he refused to take bottles from day one but did have a dummy. my little girl is now breastfed also but has a bottle at 10pm. my husband wants me to stop bottle but i am unsure as was forced to feed son until he decided to stop.

Leah - posted on 06/29/2010

I have the very same problem! Fortunately, though, since her daddy couldn't seem to handle feeding her while I was at work, and she was skipping meals because of it, my mom watched her a few times and really worked with her on it. Now she still whines about it for a couple minutes, but eventually she'll take it! That is, of course, unless I'm around, in which case she won't settle for anything less than me, which is perfectly fine except when going out places... bottle may work okay now, but she still refuses a pacifier and I'm not sure why.

Claire - posted on 06/28/2010

I am very lucky in that my baby will take breast or bottle. She much prefers breast, but after a traumatic experience just after her birth my milk dried up for a period of time so I had no choice but to give her a bottle. I use a nipple shield when breast feeding and I think that is part of the reason why the transition from breast to bottle is so easy for her. Maybe you could try feeding her with a shield on and then pull a swifty and try the bottle again, once she's used to the shape and feel of the shield.

Aelwen - posted on 06/27/2010

I know this sounds like a strange thing to do BUT it worked for a few friends of mine, an old nurse advised a friend of mine to put just a small amount of raw sugar either in the bottle or on the teet of the bottle the first time your trying to get them to take it. I have been told it works. Just something if you can't get anything else to work

Kris - posted on 06/27/2010

Haven't read the other replies yet, but... sometimes babies will take a bottle only if its from anyone but the mama. The whole being able to smell the milk on you thing. Also some babies will reverse cycle and nurse more at night. I agree w/ your midwife btw lol... might be worrysome a bit because of you going back to work but a much better problem to have than the opposite.

Staci - posted on 06/25/2010

Prepare a bottle of breastmilk and then leave your baby with someone else. Wait til she is really good and hungry and have someone else give it to her. You need to be completely gone, out of the house. Babies can smell their mom and she'll know the source of the breastmilk is there. If she doesn't take the bottle right away, don't panic...just bring it back to her a little while later and try again...do it over and over...when she's hungry enough, she will eat. But I can't stress enough how important it is that you are not anywhere near her while this happens. I have found the breast flow bottles by the first years are a great bottle for my kids...they let down like a breast so it's the flow that they are used to. Hope that helps! I know how frustrating it can be!

Judy - posted on 06/25/2010

If you are using a nanny or relative for childcare, you are entitled by law to so many breaks per day to breastfeed, you could have them bring her to you at work if the commute isn't too far or vice versa, you could go to her. Good luck I hope you get it figured out!