Need Advice on How to Transition from Breastfeeding to Taking Bottles

I highly recommend La Leche League. Please go to their website at http://www.lllusa.org/ and click on Find a Local Group. There will be other Moms at the meeting who have had similar challenges and they will be able to help you. They will also have books to help.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alternative-feeding.html

You'll find a lot of ideas here. I especially like this article: http://www.ilca.org/pubs/jhl/j18h1l10.pdf

You may have to wait until she's good and hungry. It sounds awful and it'll be tough, but if she's hungry enough, she'll take it. You can also look into the "breast shaped" bottles, although in my opinion that makes no difference. No matter how you cut it, bottles and boobs don't look or feel the same! I would also try doing it towards the middle of the day, rather than the morning or evening feeding, since you'll probably be able to continue with those if you want. Hope this helps!

Some babies have a tougher time making the transition to bottle feeding. What I would suggest is that your husband continue to try giving her a bottle in the evening. While he is trying to feed you should leave the house. He just needs to be patient and continue to try.If she hasn't taken the bottle when you return to the house just nurse her and have your husband try again the next night. It has been a long time since I had this problem so I don't have any specific recommendations of nipples to use but can suggest that you try different types until you find one she likes. Some nipples are supposed to be "more like the breast". Once she takes a bottle from your husband I would just substitute that one feeding and continue to breast feed when you are with her.

I know it is heartbreaking to hear your daughter crying but she will get the hang of bottle feeding. It took my oldest daughter about a week of trying until she would take a bottle from my husband and then she was able to go back and forth between bottle and breast with no problem.

Hi K.,

Just be patient. Have your husband continue to offer your daughter the bottle in the evening while you step outside. She will get the hang of it, but it may take some time. I would buy a couple of different brands of bottles until you find one that she likes the best. I tried four or five different bottles (Avent, Playtex, Gerber, etc.) until my son settled on the Dr. Brown's bottle. Once I tried Dr. Brown's, my son took the bottle with ease. It's the one that has the most parts to clean (of course!), but he's happy with it.

Good luck, and happy holidays!

You may just have to try a bunch of different bottles until you find one that she will take. My first took Avent without issues at all, but my second didn't take it at first but loved the playtex vent-air. We had to work a little with her, but most babies, when faced with the bottle or nothing, will take the bottle. Brooklyn (my second) still has some difficulty after my vacations, going back to the bottle. Also, make sure you are using breastmilk. It's also helpful if Dad holds the baby similar to how you hold the baby when you nurse. That's what we had to do with Brooklyn at first.

Continue what you are doing by leaving and having someone else give her the bottle. It's going to take a lot of patience on your part and your care givers part when you go back to work. Some doctors will suggest a sippy cup, like Nuby, but I personally wouldn't try that...they flow really quickly which could make her lazy at the boob :) Good luck!

Hi K.,

I had the same problem with my son (he's now 2 1/2 and made it through the bottle battle!). I tried different types of bottles and nipples until we found one that he liked; but before that my mom had success giving him breastmilk from a shot glass and a spoon. The nipples from the Dr. Brown's bottles seem the most natural to me. You or your husband also may try giving your daughter a bottle when she's really tired, like in the middle of the night. She may be still half asleep that she won't really realize where the milk's coming from, assuming you can warm the bottle up before she's screaming her head off. I remember feeling your same frustration and being horrified about leaving my baby. Keep trying, even if it's not everyday. She may just need another week or two. Good luck!

-L.

K.,
Sometimes the baby may not like the bottle nipples you are using, I had to switch to different ones in order for my daughter to take the bottle. Also, if you are trying formula, it can be quite a shocker to the taste buds from the mild and slightly sweet breast milk. If you can pump, that is the best way to go, but if not you may want to try out a milder formula. I would just keep trying the bottle every day at the same time, she will take it when she gets hungry, it just may take some time. Also remember that crying is the way that she communicates, even though it sounds very mournful, it does not mean she being traumatized but just that she doesn't like the bottle yet. Best of luck! :)

HI Kristin,we did the exact thing around four weeks. It is not easy and takes patience. Switch nipples untill you find one that your baby likes. My baby takes the platex drop in nipples that are brown. They are not plastic feeling and mimic the nipple more closely than any other we tryed. Also, my baby got frustrated with the flow from nipples, since our "let downs" are faster than the slow nipples, i had to go straight into the medium and fast nipples for my new born. He liked the flow and didn't have time to reject because of slowness. My bay is now 9months 2morrow and he still breastfeeds and uses a bottle. I have been doing both since 4 weeks. Good luck. J.

I agree with the post on putting breast milk in the bottle. We are going through the same thing. My 3 month old had no problem taking the bottle with either formula or breast milk then all the sudden she refused formula and then refused the avent bottle. I told my husband to switch back to the Dr Brown's and put breast milk in it and it worked like a charm. I don't have to leave the house now, I can just stay quiet and she will think I am gone. Hang in there, and kudos on keeping up on nursing while working, it can be stressful. K.

I feel your pain on this one! Luckily I get to stay home with my daughter, but it was very difficult at the beginning. It's a good thing that you leave because she knows you are in the house and she's confused as to why you wont give her what she wants. The best way is to continue having your husband feed her the bottle NOT YOU! It's just too confusing to her. Also, who ever will be caring for her while you're at work should also try to feed her. It's not easy and it just takes time and patience. Just keep to a routine, your husband comes home, you leave for about an hour or so while he prepares the bottel and feeds it to her. Have him try to wrap an item of your clothing around the bottle, so she smells you. One bottle that my daughter took to was SECOND NATURE. another one I wanted to try, but didn't is sold by ONESTEPAHEAD.COM called the ADIRI NATURAL NURSER, I would try both and see if she takes to one of those! Good luck.

I understand how you feel. This happened with my second daughter. We tried everything, different nippes, bottles, binky's, anything that would help. In the end she ended up taking the platex nurser with the drop in liners. My daughter was is very stuborn and would wait it out until I came home from work. I work 10 hour days in Casa Grande, so was gone for 12 hours a day with drive time. She would scream all day without eating. This went on for two and a half weeks. She would nurse when I came home from work. The doctor told me to come home from work and continue to work on bottle feeding until she got used to both bottle and breast. My husband would not allow me to do that though, because he was so sick on hearing her cry by the time I came home from work. I would try the platex nurser, because it looks and feels most like the breast. Just stick with it. It just takes time. Each child is different. My other two daughters took the bottle much better, so just hang in there. Good luck! -A.

you may try giving her a bottle during the day, that way she becomes used to the idea of a bottle from both of you and she can begin to accept the bottle as part of her routine with you both and not just with dad. All three of my kids were breast fed and none took to the bottle with ease. They accept it when they find out that's all they will get, it's a heart breaker for the first couple of times then they get over it and it's fine. Most of us humans dont like change, but life is constant change so...

I agree with the pp. My son prefers the Playtex Ventair. Dr Brown's are great bottles if she will take one. They are practically gas-free, almost no need to burp. Good luck!

try the breastflo by the first years. If your giving formula add a little bit of kayro syrup (light corn syrup) to make it sweet like breast milk.

I went through this with all 3 of my boys. I found that gerber nipples, with 3 holes in them, were easiest for them to transition to. I introduced bottles around 4 weeks. Are you using breast milk in the bottles? When I fed the boys at first from a bottle, I put my bare breast next to their cheek, so they still have the feeling of me next to them (your breast will often leak during this, but just keep a towel under you.) This made the transition to bottle a bit easier. Persistence was the key for me. My husband was very supportive during that transition time. So, keep trying. It WILL work!!!

I cut out one breast feeding per week (during the day only) and pumped during that time, weaning myself down eventually to feeding the boys before I left for work, pumping during lunch, and feeding them again as soon as I got back home, and again before bed. I was able to keep this up for 7 months.

I know you have gotten a ton of replies, but I have to add my two cents.... as a breastfeeding professional, here are my experiences.

I know this sounds dumb, but make sure the nipple has a hole in it. I've seen a few (Playtex) lately that had NO hole.

Make sure the milk is really warm. Cold breastmilk sometimes clogs the nipples with the fat in it. Microwaving kills breastmilk, use warm water.

The softer the nipple the better. Ventaires have HARD nipples, but the Playtex with the drop-in's are very soft, so are the Dr. Brown's. The latex nipples (brown) seem to be the favorites. Also the wider the nipple, the better.

Remember, babies need to have enough of the nipple in their mouth to trigger the suck reflex. Get lots of the nipple in her mouth. Don't force her. If she is screaming, she won't eat. period. Calm her somehow. Then try again.

You may even have to nurse her for a couple minutes to get something in her belly so she'll be more willing to work with you. Try a time when she's nearly asleep and very calm.

You may have to try a few different bottles to get the right one. It is my experience that all the "breast" type bottles are not that much different than typical bottles. With that said, you may have to skip the slow-flow nipple, and go to a medium-fast flow. If your milk lets down fast, or she is a very efficient eater, the slower bottles may just piss her off.

Good Luck! I hope you figure this out quickly... if you need more info, or just want to pick my brain, give me a call!
____@____.com

I went back to work when my daughter was 3 months old. She wanted nothing to do with a bottle either - it was horrible and I worried so much about what was going to happen once I was back at work full time. It ended up working out fine (thankfully). I went back to work w/o her wanting to accept the bottle even the night before, but she took the bottle great from her grandma (her babysitter) the next day with no problem. I guess she figured she was hungry, there was no sign of mommy around, and there seemed to be some food in the 'thing' that grandma was offering. The only issue was that she would only accept the Dr. Brown's brand bottle. I tried other bottles (gerber, avent, etc.) and she would not take them at all. I say to still have your husband try and feed her at least once a day, but babies are smart, she'll adjust fine. Good Luck!

I don't have any children of my own yet ( due in March). I do know of mothers who had trouble with this in the day care I worked at. One mother was trying to get her daughter to take a bottle, but was given it to her directly from the fridge. I heated the bottle under some warm water and the baby took it immediatly with a little cheek coddling. Are you warming the milk? You want it to be about the same temp at your body temp because that is what the baby is use to. Do not heat in microwave because there will be uneven heating an though one spot may feel cold the next sip could be boiling hot. It's worth a try. Also from what I have read nipples with many holes as apose to the ones with a single hole in the middle, imitate the mothers breast more naturally and make for less gasey upset babies.

Hope some of this helps. Have a happy holiday

Our daughter had a big problem transitioning. We finally gave up and started giving her a sippy cup. The take and toss ones are usuable and worked very well for her.

My only suggestion is try different bottles and use breastmilk (if you aren't) -- eventually you can introduce formula (if you want/need). Some kids prefer different nipples on the bottles than others.
Good luck and it will likely be about persistence.
L.

I had the same problem with my son when he was that little. He preferred to breast feed and we struggled for a long time to get him to drink from a bottle. I found that he drank better from the larger, softer nipples (like Playtex). Also, some bottle nipples are either slow flow, or fast flow, just look at the nipple. I hope this helps!

My experience is a combo of Mary and Leslie. My daughter was taking the bottle just fine, then BOOM - no go! I worked with her several days, holding her while she cried it out, only wanting to nurse. I would just hold her for an hour or so while she cried, then she would fall asleep from it all. When she woke up we would do it all over again. Took a couple of days and trying different nipples, etc. but finally she would take a bottle (Ventair or collapsable bags with brown nipple worked best). I then made a point (even though I stayed at home) to pump and give her one bottle per day, just so she stayed used to it. Somedays she protested by refusing, but then she went hungry that feeding and she didn't seem to mind. At that point she knew it was bottle or nothing. It is tough, but hang in there! So many of us have been right where you are!!

I would suggest a few things. My daughter likes the Ventaire bottles or the drop ins. What we did when I had to go back to work is I left my husband with our daughter one night but before I left I rubbed my hand on the nipple of the bottle so that my scent was on it. This may help her transition.

Just keep trying. Different positions--my son liked to be facint outward with bottlefeeding, even though he was more than happy to cozy up during breastfeeding. Try different bottle temperatures as well. You have plenty of time, really, and babies change so fast!

I pumped for both my kids at work. My son had no problem with the bottles but my daughter only took one grudgingly. She only took about 6-8 oz. during the day and then she would nurse herself silly as soon as we got home. Your daughter won't starve, honest!

If you are thinking of pumping when you go back to work, I highly recommend looking at the iVillage W&P board ( http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppworkpump ) and the livejournal Working Cows community ( http://community.livejournal.com/working_cows/ ). These ladies are great sources of information and support!

It sounds to me like you are doing this just right. We had a similar struggle with my oldest daughter.

Keep trying different bottles. The ones that worked for us were Dr. Brown's.

Are you giving breastmilk or formula in the bottle? She may be more receptive to breastmilk since that is what she is used to.

Different positions may help. A cradle hold may remind your daughter of nursing and strengthen her refusal to take the bottle. You may want to lay her down on your knees or even place her in a baby seat. Once she gets used to the bottle, you can go back to snuggling while you feed her.

You do not need to get her up to taking all of her feedings from the bottle before you go back to work. She just needs to know how the bottle works.

Try the platex nursers with the "old fashioned, brown, square" nipples, that's what worked for me.

First, hang in there! :) Second go on line and get an Adiri bottle! It is the closest thing to a real nipple out there! :) Also try having your husband hold your sleep shirt around the baby when trying to feed her. That way she gets the comfort of your scent while getting used to this foreign object in her mouth!

K.,
I had the same problem with my little guy. My husband and I kept giving him the bottle a little at a time. At first he really did not like it and I was stressing because I had to go back to work as well. I had started to pump at home about 2 weeks before I went back to work and used breast milk to help the process along. This helped because the milk was familiar to him. It was a slow process but little by little he came around. Another trick that might work if the feeding time is at 2:00 pm then wait until 2:20 pm to feed her. When they are hungry all of the sudden they are not so picky. It sounds brutal but it worked. I would not skip feedings; your little girl will just be hungry and probably pretty cranky.

As for bottles I used, Avent bottles they worked great once we got into the swing of things. Another point I will make is this try to relax when giving her the bottle if she can sense that you are stressed then she will be stressed. Relax and keep the faith that everything will happen as it should. Good Luck to you and the family.

P.S. Keep up the good work!