Tips for Breastfeeding to Bottlefeeding

Hi J.,

Have you tried a different brand of bottle? I don't know what kind you're using, but I just did some research since I plan on not using any formula with my 3rd baby (due in August) and giving a bottle of breastmilk once a day. I researched a lot of bottle brands, and read that the Nuby bottles seem to be the easiest to use when switching from breast to bottle. Good luck!

What worked for us after trying every bottle and nipple possible was just a plain ol' bottle warmer. I'd been warming the milk with heated water, but one of my twins needed the milk piping hot. Once she figured out it was ok, we didn't even need to warm it up for her.

I'll second the Adiri. I'm going to Italy in a month and needed to wean my now 6 month old. And I would think it would be easier to get a 6.5 week old to take a bottle than a 6 month old. Just because she is still so little. I started about 3 weeks ago and she REFUSED every nipple I gave to her. In my opinion, they're all the same. But, after about $50 in bottles and nipples, the Adiri is a tad different than the others. The nipple isn't so long and bulky like others. I tried non-stop for a week and she finally took to the Adiri. They're expensive, but if they take it, what are ya' gonna do? I wound up getting 3 new ones on ebay for right around $30 and that included shipping. Saved myself about $8 or so dollars. Go to BRU and get yourself one...it's worth a try!

I'm a mother of three and nursed all of them. My advice is, first be patient and calm, I know that's hard when their crying. Second trying to start feedings right before she starts crying, give her several drops in her mouth so she can taste it. Then try feeding her. What you must not do is give in right away. Calm her down any way you can except for giving her the breast. Even at that age the have more will then we do. Keep trying it's a battle that can be won. And when in doubt call your pediatrician, they will give you the advice best for your baby. (5 -10 mins may seem long but it's not.)

It took some doing for my daughter to take a bottle too. We started her around this same age and she HATED it. Here's what we ended up doing (which worked):
1. Start with freshly pumped milk. Go and pump 1-2 oz and put it in a bottle and immediately have dad feed it to her while you're out of sight
2. Try it every day

Once she'll take a little freshly pumped milk you can work on having her take a full bottle of possibly frozen milk. I made sure we fed our daughter with a bottle about 1x/week or more while I was off work (I went back when she was 6 months) and now, at 8 months, she does just fine.

It sounds like you're doing exactly what you should be doing. Not only am I a mom who nursed all 3 boys, but also a daycare provider here in Algonquin. I have several children here who in the past were being both nursed by mom and bottle fed by us and dad. Usually when I bottle feed a breast fed baby I snuggle the baby really close and hold the bottle almost as if they were nursing. A lot of times it's not mom's nipple their agonizing over so much as it is the closeness to mom. Best of luck! And congratulations on your little one!

What worked for me was covering myself with a shirt that had been worn by my husband (so the baby would smell Dad instead of me). This seemed to work quite well for us and it only took a few weeks before the baby was weaned.

Have you tried the adiri bottle?? It is shaped like a a real breast and if you use warm milk, it will even warm up like a real breast. It worked for us. The only down side is that it can be a little messy getting the milk into the bottle. Good Luck!
http://www.adiri.com/

My oldest daughter did the same thing. I waited till the suggested 4 week mark to have dad introduce the bottles of breastmilk and she took them okay, but he didn't try to get consistent until mommy went back to work when she was 10 weeks old. She took the bottle for 3 days, then completely refused. My mom came and she had a small amount of luck, but it didn't help my husband since he was the one who had to be there every morning with her. In the end, my daughter just waited everyday for mommy to come home. I was leaving the house around 6 AM and returning around 1 PM. She'd do her best stretch of sleep during those hours and spend the time I was home eating - including my entire night! She did have bad reflux (which we couldn't get the doctor to diagnose until she was four months old). Of course, when she was put on medicine and started solids at four months, life got much easier, but up to that point it was in reality sheer hell. Chiana never did take a bottle or a pacifer. I finally got her broke from nursing at 15 months - just three months before my second daughter was born. We started her on a bottle given by daddy at 2 weeks old. She did great, loved her bottle. In fact, by 5 months we had to put formula in the bottle to keep up with her love of it and at almost 8 months I gave up nursing entirely because she got more out the loved bottle. My son was born 5 months later. He too was okay with breast or bottle, but again we introduced it at the 2 week mark. He switched to formula in his bottles at around 6 months old and was weaned at 1 year when we discovered his milk allergy. I don't know if any of this helps, but that's my story of breastfeeding. I'm not sure how many hours a day you will be gone from your daughter, but there is a chance she may try to go without milk until you come home with the "real thing". When she gets started on solids things should improve greatly.
Good luck.

Hi J.,
I had the same problem when I was breastfeeding my child. I had to be consistant with giving her a bottle. I let someone other than me give her a bottle and stayed away from her. If she gets really hungry, she will take it. Try the bottle at least once a day, if not more to try to get used to it. It will take some time and patience. Hope it helps. Good luck!

Both mine rejected the bottle. My caregiver used a medicine syringe to squirt the milk in. The cup that comes with the Medela bottles can also be used.

www.kellymom.com is a helpful site. Also a LaLecheLeague that has evening meetings has working moms that can be helpful.

Hi J.-
I waited too long with my son (2nd child) to give him a bottle. I think he was around 3-4 months old. What worked for me was to begin nursing and then have a bottle of breastmilk right there too. During the feeding I would sneak the bottle in right next to my breast and slowly get him to latch on to the bottle. It took one or two tries before he would take the bottle this way, but we had tried a bottle unsuccessfully for many weeks prior. Once he got used to the bottle we didn't have to go to this extra effort. I'm sure this goes against "best practices", but it was successful! Good luck!

Neither of my kids easily took bottles and my first absolutely refused it. SO I feel your frustration. With our first who refused altogether, I was back at work after 6 weeks too and they had to spoon feed and syringe feed the milk to her since she wouldn't touch the bottle. With my 2nd, she took it after a while but we started with a sippy cup and she went over to a bottle. Try different things. They will go for it eventually and no child starves themselves willingly. If they are hungry THEY WILL EAT. Otherwise, they will wait it out for you and learn to go for longer without feedings. I know its hard. I was going nuts at the time but this too shall pass. It gets so much easier and you miss those days more and more. Congratulations on becoming a mom and kudos to you for breastfeeding and trying to do what's right with the pumping. My hat is off to you! I did it (and still do) you can too!!!

I know you got lots of responses, but I wanted to offer some support. I experienced the exact same thing, put a request on here, and got many similar responses. It seems like something different works for every baby, so just don't give up and keep trying new things! I went back to work when my now 9 month old daughter was 3 months old and still refusing to take a bottle, even when I was gone all day and she was obviously hungry. I was soooooo worried! But, I had a patient in home daycare provider who fed her breastmilk with a medicine dropper everyday! She got enough to keep her satisfied, and then she breastfed like crazy in the evening and all night long. Eventually, through trying lots of different things everyday, she slowly started taking the bottle from the sitter. What worked for her was making as different from breastfeeding as possible. She started taking it while she was in her bouncy seat with the sitter holding the bottle behind her so that she couldn't see the sitter. Now, she'll even take one from me if I have to for some reason! Good luck- I know it's stressful, but it will work out!

Try giving the bottle after one of her longer feeding intervals so that she is really hungry. When I say longer intervals, I mean in the morning or another time of day when the distance between feedings is the greatest. The trick is to reintroduce it to her when she is the most hungry.

You are right to be thinking of this now. I know a lot of people who have waited until right before they go back to work to try the bottle. It's sometimes tough to go back to work after your first pregnancy--you don't need the additional worry of whether your little girl will take the bottle while you're at work. I also think around 6-8 weeks is when pediatricians say to introduce the bottle. If you start working on getting her to take the bottle now and giving it to her once or twice a day, the baby will be used to the bottle when you go back. Don't worry too much about nipple confusion--that's more of a concern before the baby is 6 weeks. Good luck! I was a working mom for my first two. Everything will work out with some advance preparation!

My little guy (9 1/2 months) had trouble with bottles, too (and exclusive breast milk). We found the playtex drop ins to be successful.

Try feeding the bottle about 20 minutes before you would nurse so she is not starving and will give the bottle a chance? Try squirting some milk in her mouth to let her know that it is milk? We have been giving my son a bottle since birth because I had latching problems and because I was going to be going to school when he was only 4 weeks old so he has had bottles almost daily since birth (with breast milk in them). Try one feeding a day with a bottle maybe in the evening when dad is home.

Congratulations on your bundle of joy! Good luck!

Hi J.! Well I breastfeed my daughter until she was 6 months, but I fell into the same problem you are. She would take it at the first couple of times at like 2 wks old, but then I didn't have my husband try for awhile again. Then she wouldn't take it for NOTHING. Scream and didn't want anything to do with it. Even if I tried to give it to her, she pushed it away and tried going for my breast. But I stayed with the same bottle that was closes to her nuk of choice and they say to only do the bottle luke warm. Well our milk is body temp., so the milk is not as warm as what they would get from our breast if you do it just luke warm. (My sister in law helped with this one, from her doctor.) She told me to warm it up alittle more to warm, not where it is going to burn her but just a little warmer then you are now. Then have your husband give it to her. Worked like a charm, my daughter finally start taking the breast milk from the bottle agin. And I could go grocey shopping again without my husband calling saying you have to come home, she is hungery and screaming. I always warmed my bottle under the faucet, you can control the heat the best I think. But it is the temp. of the bottle and you even might try giving him something that has your scent on to feed her with. Like sleep with a blanket or that, so she smells you as he is feeding her. Just a thought to try and help too. Hope it works for you too, it worked right away for me. So not just luke warm, warm and hopefully she will drink it down like nothing. She is use too your milk temp. now. She knows what she likes.....

I had a difficult time transitioning my daughter to take a bottle. She WOULD NOT take it. I tried several different bottles...no success. Then I bought the Adiri nurser (found at Babies R Us.) If you choose to purchase the bottle, do not purchase according to the month yor baby is. Purchase the white one (0-3m) which has a slower flow. I tried the 3-6 month bottle, and the flow was too fast and she sort of choked on the milk. It is VERY similar to the breast. I've recommended it to a couple other people and it has worked for them, as well! Give it a try! Best of luck to you; I know what a stressful time this can be for both of you!

a friend of mine exclusively breastfed until returning to work at 5 months. her baby had never had a bottle & didn't eat a whole day "in protest". finally after about 10 hours (maybe he was hungry enough to figure it out) he took the bottle from his dad. are you using the newborn..1st stage nipples that deliver the milk slowly?