Need Help with Baby and Bottle

Hi J.,
No you didn't wait too long. :) Although it may feel like it! One thing to note before I give you my suggestions: It should be someone other than you giving him the bottle for now...he will look at you like you are nuts trying to give him his milkies from that plastic thing! LOL!

The bottle I've had the best luck with for not only situations like yours but also therapeutically to bring nipple confused babies BACK to the breast is the BreastFlow Bottle by First Years. It actually is designed to mimic how babies suckle at breast by requiring compression and suction to get their milk. It isn't identical to breastfeeding, but it is closer.

Regular bottle nipples are firm and shaped much differently than the breast so of course baby has no clue what to do with them. :) The BreastFlow fits in the mouth differently and, in my professional opinion, is much more effective than the Adiri. Having tried both with my clients (I am a Lactation Consultant and specialize in feeding issues as well as work with the basics of latch and positioning) I much prefer the BreastFlow and I am not one to really promote one thing or another...I use what works best for each individual baby.

The research is showing us now that orthodontic nipples are not ideal for babies as it causes them to suck oddly using more of a tongue thrust motion (pacifiers too) to get their milk (imagine that on your nipple!) so those of us up on the research do not recommend those at all. Avent is just too firm and the nipple is short...wide based does not necessarily mean the nipple is a good one...

So - give the BreastFlow bottle a try. I was super skeptical about them at first but used one out of desperation with a baby who wasn't able to breastfeed well at all but was refusing his supplementary bottle in favor of the breast (not a safe thing for him at all!). His momma happened to have a BreastFlow so we gave it a try. This was a kid I wasn't sure would ever be able to breastfeed 100% because of his issues - but not only did he take the bottle just fine (because it is so much like the breast - soft and squishy and fills the mouth similarly as the breast) but he also figured out how to do on the breast what he was doing on the bottle - the consistency of suckling motions was what did it for him and he is now breastfeeding 100% and doing great! Since then (this was a year ago almost now) I have used this bottle with many babies with the same type of success...

Good luck! Hang in there - keep trying and you will get there!

Warmly,
J. Simpson, IBCLC, CIIM

19 weeks is not too long but playtex worked best for me. I didnt know what I was going to do because my daughter was the same way and I needed to go back to work. I just kept using the playtex and would put it in her mouth and squeeze a little out in her mouth until she finally figured out that was her food source.bI took about onw week.

What is in the bottle? Are you pumping breast milk or trying formula? If you are trying to use formula it could be the difference in the taste. I used a soy based formula along with nursing and my son seemed to take it much better than a milk based formula.
Good Luck

I had the same problem with my baby. She still was refusing the bottle 2 days before I was going back to work. I was totally nervous! I just kept trying different nipples, finally the one that worked for me was the Medela bottle that came with the pump. Good luck!

J. -

My daughter also refused the bottle and we had absolutely no luck getting her to take it until she started daycare. The first two weeks she was at daycare (she started daycare at 14 weeks - P/T), she was refusing it and I had to go over at lunch to feed her. However, her daycare provider was amazingly dedicated and more immune to her fussing and one day, after two weeks, my daughter took 7 ounces. She has not had a problem with the bottle since. We tried EVERY bottle (literally!!) and the only one that worked was the BornFree bottle (available on Amazon.com, at Whole Foods, and at some Babies R Us stores). She still refuses to take a cold bottle or any other brand bottle but does great with a BornFree bottle warmed to body temperature.

The advice I can offer is have a very experienced care provider who is more tolerant of your child's fussing and can be with her on a regular basis try EVERY DAY until your son finally gives in. When they are very hungry, the bottle just upsets them more. My daughter's daycare provider told me that she gave my daughter the bottle when she was drowsy (just after she woke up from a nap) in the beginning and then she was basically too out-of-it to fight too much! We also sang to her and walked around while feeding so that she was distracted. Definitely don't try in the evening - like all of us, they are fussier and more opinionated in the evening. If none of this works, you may want to chat with your pedi about skipping the bottle all together and going to the sippy cup. I have a few friends who did this and were quite successful.

Keep me posted!

- J.

J. -
Please let me know what happens with Aiden. My daughter Lauren is also 10-weeks old and I've tried all the bottles you've tried. I haven't given her the pacifier but should I start? Anyone out there, please help us!

That is about the time I started with my daughter. I could not give her the bottle. I had my mom come over and I would leave and she would give her the bottle. She would refuse, but give in when she got hungry. For the first month of getting her used to a bottle I had my husband or mom give it to her and than would leave the room. I use the Gerber air vent bottles.

J.,
My wife and I had difficulty with our son taking the bottle as well. What helped is if I gave him the bottle instead of her...(he just celebrated his first birthday and still nurses to fill in the "cracks" of everything else he eats). This way he was not confused by the difference between mommy's milk and the bottle's milk. Once we started that he took to me giving him the bottle very quickly, it was only a couple of feedings and he was hooked. My advice would be not to worry about breastfeeding too long... there is nothing better than what you can make yourself. That being said, I know it took a lot of pressure off my wife once I was able to feed him every once in while. I hope this helps, good luck!

I remember going through something similar with my second son. He was a great breast-feeder (really efficient). I noticed that breast milk comes out (almost SPRAYS out) really quickly while the bottle doesn't let much milk come out. I guess he thought it was too much work for too little milk. I ended up enlarging the holes in the end of the nipples and he was fine after that. He did have a tendency to feed really quickly and needed to be burped thorougly to get rid of his gas.

Hope this helps...

Hi J.,

There is a bottle called Adiri nurser that is just like the breast. You can search for it online- I don't think that they sell it in regular stores.

Congratulations on your baby Aiden!!

M.

Don't give up because eventually, when he is hungry, he will take the bottle. You might try mixing formula with breast milk gradually. It might be the formula not the bottle.

Good luck!

I had the same problem with my daughter who is now one. I used the Playtex drop in bottles with the natural latch on silicone nipples. I bought a whole bunch of nipples and types of bottles but that was what she took. But I do have to add that it took a couple weeks of giving her a bottle and only a bottle until she took it. What I was told and it is true.... A baby won't starve it's self. They will eventually take it but they may scream for hours before they do and if you break down in a couple hours and give her the breast she will know that she can cry for that long and you will give her the breast it will be longer next time if do. I cried and so did she but you just have to be strong and keep trying.....she will take it eventually!

I have a 7 month old that does the same thing. She is exclusively breast-fed so she has no idea what to do with the bottle. She has taken it a few times in the past but it wasn't from me because that makes it harder. Are you feeding her formula of breast milk? If he hasn't had formula before he probably isn't really liking it. I used to push on the nipple so the milk would squirt in her mouth that has worked also. 10 weeks isn't that long, as for me, it's way too late to give her a bottle. Good luck.

Hi J.,
I tried the MaM Sassy Ultivent bottles for my daughter, it's supposed to be most like breaastfeeding. I had to get them online though (target.com) because I couldn't find them loccally. Check out www.AskDrSears for tips on getting a bresatfed baby to take a bottle. Congratulations on your new little one, K.

You might try the Breastflow bottles by First Years. They can be found at Babies R Us stores or online. They have a second nipple which is supposed to fill with milk or formula in the same manner as a breast. My 5 month old twins had no problems going between the bottle and breast with them. Of course they had both from birth, so I can't make an exact comparision to exclusive breast feeding.

We like the Dr. Brown's bottles as far as minimizing gas and spit up. Also, they have a fat bottle with a nipple shaped more like a womans breast. When my son uses that one I can see the similarities to when he nursed. They also have I believe four stages of nipples to try. It might not be a bottle issue thoug, in which case I can't help you. My son had to have bottles in the hospital so he got used to them early on. good luck!

My son did the same thing around 11 weeks and I had to return to work. We finally found a bottle that he liked - the Adiri. They are sold at Goore's in Sacramento, otherwise, you can find them online (www.rightstart.com, www.babiesrus.com). For your baby, it may not be a bottle issue. I also had to have my husband or mother-in-law feed him with the bottle and it took him several tries to really get the hang of it!

I don't think you waited too long -- it can happen. You've probably read all of this advice: don't be in the room when trying the bottle, even maybe leave the house. Try holding him in different positions. Try to put him in a bouncer and give the bottle from behind (I read that this was the only thing that worked for someone). Does the manufacturer of your pacifier make a bottle nipple you can try? We found that the nipple did make a difference, and he was only happy with one particular kind. Maybe keep trying different nipples. Try giving it when he's not too hungry but not full either. Good luck!

Oh, and you definitely have not "nursed him too long!" AAP recommends a exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, and then continuing for full year, WHO recommends two years. There might be ideal times to introduce a bottle, but it doesn't mean you have to give up breastfeeding.

My daughter never did take to a bottle, and it was just something I had to deal with. We started using those soft straw cups after teaching her to drink from a straw (hold your finger over the end of a regular straw while it's in a drink, then let your baby suck on the end of the straw.)

Hey there, I had the same issue with my little chubba. The only thing that worked for me was persistence. After having trouble (similar to yours) for 2 weeks, I actually stopped breastfeeding for 3 days (during the day) and exclusively bottle-fed to get her used the nipple. It worked like a charm - she stopped playing with the nipple and started figuring out sucking. Just keep at it and he'll eventually get it. good luck! -L. s.

The Adiri bottle was recommended to me. YOu can get it at Whole Foods or Babies R Us. I used it with my son two weeks ago to introduce a bottle. It has a nipple that is close to the breast. Hope ths helps good luck.

Just to confirm what another lady mentioned; the way milk is dispensed from a bottle is different than from a breast. You may just need to try a different stage nipple, as well as different types. I also wouldn't limit yourself to just the expensive name brand bottles either. My daughter's favorite bottles when she was a baby were the cheap Walmart brand (And of course I didn't find this out until I tried every other kind!). Just keep trying, eventually, the feel of a bottle won't be so foreign to your baby, and hopefully, he'll become more receptive.

J.,

Try the adiri bottle, it may be that he wants to feel that "breast" against his mouth. My nephew was the same way. Also if that doesn't work keep trying new nipples one of the hundreds out there is bound to work. But seriously consider the Adiri bottle, it is wonderful.
http://store.euphoriamaternity.com/by-ad-nurser-3.html
-or-
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/yhst-9917817112...#

Best,
K.

My lactation consultant had me start with the baby hungry enough to be interested, but not so hungry that she had a fit with the bottle...then I was instructed to leave the house and let a caregiver (in my case, my husband) offer the bottle to her. With the nursing breasts out of the pic, babies tend to be more open to food from another source. The L.C. said to make sure you don't just hangout in the back yard, but that you actually leave as a baby can smell a nursing mommy and will hold out for the real deal. All I can remember on top of that, is not to force the bottle, but simply consistantly offer it. I hope this is a start....

Hello...I am a full time mother of 5....oldest is 11yr boy, 5 yr boy and 11 month old triplets. I exclusively breast fed them until they were 6 months old and had to add formula because I couldnt keep up with all 3 of them. My 2 boys were great with the bottle, but my baby girl had a really hard time. I found the best sucess to be with the playtex bottles. It just took alot of time and patience. dont give up, keep trying different bottles, babies are extremely intelligent and sometimes they just want mama. good luck! hang in there!

My first born didn't take to the bottle right away either, and we figured it was the flow from the Stage 1 nipple. When we tried Stage 2 nipples, she took to the bottle right away! She liked the faster flow and it was easier for her to suck! Hope this helps!

Good luck!

I had the same problem with my daughter (now 11 months), we started introducing the bottle at 2 months and she was not having it! We tried daily for about 2 weeks straight and bought 1 of every bottle in the stores! What worked for her was NOT using stage 1 nipples, but stage 2. Aparently it was not coming out fast enough for her. Then we just kept trying everyday until she got better and better at it. Its frustrating but don't give up - it took me about 4 weeks altogether to get her to take a bottle. Good luck :)

I had the very same issue with my son. He is now almost 9 months old. I was told after a lot of research on him not taking a bottle that I started too late with him. I hear there is a window that if you miss it they won't take a bottle. Luckly like your son he likes his NUK brand pacifier. I gave it up for a few months and stoped wasting my milk. When he was around 4-5 months old I gave him just the nipple off the NUK bottle just like a pacifier then after he didn't have a problem with that I was able to give him a bottle. I hope that helps!