Baby Won't Take a Bottle - Grand Rapids,MI

I was in the same situation like you. My son would not take a bottle and he did not took the bottle...we have to give him the milk and the water with a sippy cup and that work perfectly. Just give it a try! You might have to go thru a few types until she decides which one she likes the best... but it might work. I think my son did not liked the feeling in his mouth of the bottle but once we found a really hard type of sippy cup he just like it.

My son was the same, and I tried a different bottle/nipple that I found he was comfortable with. It may just be that simple, that she doesn't like the nipple you're using. The ones I used were called Nuby, they were more narrow and had little bumps on them, a bit like the breast.
Good luck, it can take time as babies love that time with mommy, I know mine did.

When I had to introduce a bottle to my little on who was also exclusively breast fed, I had someone else give her the bottle. She knew that I could give her what she wanted from the breast, and they know the Momma smell. So I'd say have your husband try to give her the bottle or have a friend or family member come over and help.

My daughter is almost two and the first word she says to me when I get home from work each day is "nurse" it is a comfort to them and a bonding. I love that, but if you have to go back to work she'll learn the bottle too.

E.

Here are a few suggestions.

1st~ There are bottles made from First Years called Breast Flow that are the closest bottle to mimic the breast. Get those and see if they help.

2nd~When you are going to give her a bottle it needs to be someone other then you for the 1st few times. She knows if it's you are she should be getting her milk the way she always does so it makes it harder on you.

3~You shouldn't even be around for the 1st few feeding. Go to another part of the house or leave the house. If you are close by she will sense you.

4~When giving her a bottle make sure the conditions are similar to when breast feed. Like if you feed in a certain room or chair who ever will give the bottle should do the same thing.

Good Luck!

You have received a lot of advice, I had luck with the "First Years, Breast Flow" bottles, I see that someone else mentioned these too. Mine was 6 months old before I found this one that worked. Also have someone else give it to her, sit in a different chair, maybe even in a different room, you might need to leave the house... if not for her sake, then for yours. If Dad is too much of a softy then have Grandma or someone who loves her but won't give in try it. Take the day and go Christmas shopping so that you aren't just sitting outside the house worrying.

I didn't get a chance to read what others posted, but a baby will eat (from the bottle) when truly hungry. It isn't fun to test the theory, but it's true.
I would recommend you stay in another room so she cannot see, smell or hear you and let your husband or another person give her the bottle. This is the only way to transition her over until she is more comfortable with it. Remember to stay calm and keep offering it. Do not just give up after a few attempts and feel defeated - she will feel this change of 'energy' and know that she's in charge.

You may also have to test out a few different nipples. I found that we liked Advent, as they seemed similar in shape. We also used the Medella, as that is what came with my pump set.

Try letting someone else give her the bottle. When she sees you, she expects a boob. Maybe big brother or for sure Dad could help. This is a tough one. :( All the best to you!

HI Jennifer---I sympathize with your situation. It's been a long time, but my first was the same way.

I have the honor of working with Dr. Bill and Jim (ABC-The Doctors) Sears and I'm pretty sure they've got a book or two that cover this subject. You can also go to www.askDrSears.com and they'll have suggestions for you. You can even ask questions right on the website.

Good luck and try not to worry too much. Your baby won't starve herself. In health, D.

Hi Jennifer,

You might want to start with a regular, standard nipple. Instead of offering it when she's really hungry, offer it a half an hour before she's hungry. That way, the frustration of hunger doesn't get in the way of her learning a new skill. Also, you'll probably need to leave the room or house when she tries. Let someone else offer it. If you do, she'll smell you and the breastmilk, and won't try. Also, running the nipple under warm water, makes it feel a little more like breast tissue. Tickle her mouth, let her put draw it in. Don't force it in. You might want to start with a 2 ounce plastic bottle with nothing in it. Let her play with it in her mouth etc. Once she accepts that, put a little breastmilk in it. Let her figure out that when she sucks on it, she'll get milk. Gentle persistence really pays off. Contact your local LLL Leader for more info. You can find her by going to www.llli.org Best of luck, S.

This isn't unusual. Some babies will only take the breastmilk from a little cup or spoon or medicine dosage thing. Can you possibly nurse her during your workday? If not, depending on how long you will be gone, some babies just wait it out and power-nurse when they're with you. I wouldn't push it. You are giving your little sweetie the very best you can, and this will work out. If you go on the LaLeche League website, you can get info on Working and Breastfeeding. It's www.llli.org. I am reading an awesome book they publish about this topic and the heroic measures modern-day mamas use to continue nursing while needing to work or finish their education. It's called Hirkani's Daughters. Very inspiring! Enjoy this time with her and establish a solid relationship and milk supply. I definitely wouldn't worry about the bottle until you're ready to return to work. Some gals are able to postpone that time a bit as well, but I don't know your situation.

Let your husband feed the baby with a bottle. Stay away when the baby is being fed - like in another room. The baby will learn and later you can bottlefeed her. The baby can smell you and, of course, rather go with the real deal. I did this with my son I couldn't produce enough milk and he had to take a bottle. Good luck! Nursing is fabulous and I really think it is so precious.

We figured out that she liked the soothie pacifiers, even though she didn't suck on them. She still enjoyed chewing on them. So after trying several bottle brands I tried the soothie brand and it worked. Once she got the bottle down pat I switched her back to the Avent ones because those are what I stocked up on.

Lots of good advice here, we also ran the nipple under warm water to get it to body temp. And yes, being out of the room is crucial.
Good luck, it takes a lot of patience.

Another idea my doctor suggested is to keep a blanket with you when you nurse (put it between you and baby). Then whoever gives the bottle should also hold the blanket the same way. The baby will smell you scent on the blanket.

Hello- well I understand what ur going through! But my problem she never switched to a bottle. I work part time and my daughter would not eat the whole time I was gone which was 9 hrs it was horrible. I tried every bottle on the market and had my hubby feed and she just refused. So when I did get home I bf her forever. I used every piece of advise and still she was stubborn. She is 2 and bf at night and she calls it ni night. Good luck and I hope u are able to switch to bottle :)

jennifer; try different bottle nipples, try the playtex nurser nipples, are most like the breast, and its a shame she has to take a bottle, but i understand how that works, especially since she reallyu loves the breast to us women who can breastfeed and the child not want to, you have what we all want, children are made to want the breast, but now a days with both parents having to work, its very difficult to continue to give our kids the breast all the time, however its great that we can pump and get it that way too, or with suppliments either way works well, i understand your frustration but the only thing you can do is switch the nipples and type of bottle till she finds the one that she will latch on, and she will eat when she is hungry , so its a hard one, just keep doing what you are doing, and have a great day, D. s

You may have already tried this but when I was in this situation I had my husband give the bottle and I was out of the room. If they have any sense that you are near they will want you instead.

Are you using one of the bottle nipples that mimics the breast? Also might help.

Good Luck!

I did a couple of things. First I put a little of my breast milk on the nipple, then I actually put the nipple over my nipple on my boob. My child go used to nursing with both the bottle nipple and just my boob. Then I switched her to the bottle, and did the same thing, put some of my milk on the nipple. I'm pretty sure she knew the difference because it took her longer to eat, but she did eat. Eventually she had no problem between the two. good luck!

Jennifer ~
Try having someone else, besides yourself, give her the bottle. She associates you with breast feeding, so why would she want the bottle from you? :) Try your husband, mom, friend, whoever you're close to try to feed her. She will eventually take it..she's not going to go hungry. Also, try calling your hospital lactation consultant and see if she has any suggestions (or even maybe la leche league).
good luck!
D.

What people have said about being out of the room/house was definitely important for us too - I used those first tries at the bottle as a chance to take a shower :) We found that, at first, even my voice from the next room would distract our daughter enough that she would stop drinking from the bottle. Also, what someone said about not waiting til she was really hungry worked for us - once she was crying, it was really hard to get her to take the bottle, but if she got it before that point, it was much easier.
I work p/t also, and she has a babysitter. The first couple times, she wouldn't take the bottle from the sitter, but she did eventually. Now, she's six months, and she'll even take the bottle from me! This too shall pass!