Trouble with Bottle Feeding - Champaign,IL

What type of bottle are you using, because sometimes that makes a difference. i know with my son in order for him to take the bottle we had to give him one everyday even if it was only a couple of ounces and he aslo would only take certain bottles.
B.

I had the same problem with my daughter. She would actually take a bottle from me, but no one else. All food comes from mama! I just started taking her with me and putting her in a sling so I was more mobile. I bought a Hooter Hider and nursed her wherever we were, although as I got better at nursing, I didn't use it much. I tried all sorts of bottles, even one shaped like a breast. Nothing doing. Remember that your daughter can go 3-5 hours without eating, so if you keep your outing short, even if she refuses the bottle, she'll be fine. My husband eventually got her to take a bottle, but it took me being gone, and hours of fussing and trying over many weeks of trying. It wasn't easy on him, but eventually, they worked it out. When she first started daycare at 6 months, she did the same thing--refused to take a bottle from them. For breastfed babies, it's not just about the milk. It's about the person too.

try a sippy cup. The Nubby brand is great and cheap.

Here's my advice...stop bottle feeding him and when you want to leave the house, take him with!

I know it's hard and you'd love to get out more than anything. I am breast feeding my little girl. She is almost 11 months now. Mine wouldn't take a bottle either. Have you tried other bottle brands or different types of nipples? It will get easier. Just keep trying. In a few weeks your son will probably be able to go a little longer before his next feeding. When he's 4 months you may want to try cereal mixed with breast milk (not in a bottle though, with a spoon). The heavy food will keep him satisfied longer. My doctor said it was totally fine to introduce cereal that early.

Definitely experiment with different nipples and bottles, as already stated. The slower flow worked with my son's gagging problem. Also, positioning of baby could make a difference. We used to have to lay my son on a body pillow and feed him while not holding him, until he got over the aversion to the bottle feedings. A friend of mine had this problem with her daughter, too-and they eventually beat it by her husband holding the baby in a similar position as that of the M. holding her to nurse. He actually held the bottle under his arm, tucked between his arm and upper body, and held the baby on her side, facing his chest, in that the position was very similar to nursing with mommy. Sounds crazy, but it worked for them! Good luck, I remember those days and it can be so frustrating. It will eventually work out!

Dear J.,
I agree with K.B. & Brandy. Mabe try different bottle brands. Each one of my four kids like a different type of bottle. I knew of a little one when my youngest was in the hospital. This little guy was sick in the hospital. The nurses were trying to get him to take a bottle & they couldn't get them to take much at all. I knew one of the nurses & suggested to try a NUK nipple. He took 1 1/2 bottles with it. Before he was only take a couple of ounces. Good Luck!! I hope that you can find a good kind for your little one. Congratulations on the new baby too.
L. W.
A SAHM of 4. 3 girls ages 10 1/2, 9 & 3. One boy age 5. Part-time sitter of 2 boys ages 7 & almost 3.

J.- I know the joys nursing brings, but I also know the joy of being able to actually leave the house for a few hours too. I nurse my twin sons exclusively & tried to bottle fed them around a couple months of age when I wanted to be able to go out for a couple hours with my husband for dinner, but had no luck with bottle feeding attempts. At 11 weeks, hopefully you can have other people try to fed him & get use to the bottle. My sister nursed exclusively until she had to go back at 12 weeks & it was hard at first. Her little one refused to take the bottle, but with continued attempts with someone else doing it, she ended up taking it & my sister did nurse her up to 1 year, doing bottles while she was at work with the sitter. I'd also like to add, it has been a great joy nursing my twin sons. It wasn't that bad once they got a little older, I could leave for a couple hours during the day & at night. It'll get easier once they get a little older & then you can get more time to yourself once their bellies are more full, especially when you introduce cereal & solids. Your little one is only 11 weeks old, so it may be a little while until you can go away for a few hours. But you will be able to leave the house soon. Don't sweat it if she doesn't end up taking a bottle.

If you are not already, try using expressed breast milk in the bottle and not formula. Also, I know there are different sizes of nipples for some bottles and maybe he is getting too much or not fast enough flow from the bottle nipple. Maybe try to switch that out. Another suggestion would be for you to give him the bottle and then as he feels more comfortable with that, others can feed him.

You are going to think this is crazy, but it worked for me when I had to get my daughter off breast feeding so I could take a class for my Master's. First make sure he's not starving when you do this. Then, take a medicine dropper and fill it with formula (don't use breast milk - he'll be pissed he's not getting that from you). Put it in the side of his cheek and slowly push it out. As you do this, over time, bring the dropper to the front of his mouth. You are trying to get him to suck on the dropper as if it were a bottle. After a few minutes introduce the bottle (slip it in there instead of the dropper). It took me three days of this twice a day to get her to take a bottle. I told a friend about it and it only took her one day. The care giver that told me about this said the longest it's ever taken her is two weeks on a REALLY stubborn kid. This was a lifesaver for me and I am so grateful to my brother's sitter for letting me know about it! Best of luck....I hope it works! btw - she told me this works on any age child...mine was 6 months old and my friend's kid was 3 months old.

I haven't encountered this problem myself, but both the "Nursing Mother's Companion" and the "Working Mother, Nursing Mother" books that I read mentioned that some babies will simply shift their eating habits, so that they sleep while Mommy's gone and eat a little more frequently while she's home. As long as your baby continues to grow properly, and you're willing to nurse a little more frequently, I can't see the harm in it. I've also heard of babies who won't take a bottle with Mom in the house because they can smell her (and her milk) but when she's truly gone, they're fine. Or - try a sippy cup. I've seen that work for other mothers too.

Eck - my first advice would be to ignore the advice that says you have to take your child with you everywhere. If that works for you, great, but in all honesty, it's just great that you're working so hard to give your son your own milk, and you shouldn't be made to feel like you're doing anything wrong by wanting to leave the house occasionally.

Secondly, like everyone else has suggested, try out some different bottles & nipples. The ones that worked for my son were the Nuk bottles with stage one nipples. The flow was slow enough to be similar to mommy's, and the shape worked for him as well. I tried the fancy ones that are supposed to be just like real nipples, but those didn't work for us. Have you tried giving him a bottle yourself? Maybe he just wants to be close to you, rather than your hubby or MIL. If that's the case, once he's used to using a bottle with you, it may be easier to transition to having him fed by someone else again.

Good luck! And congrats on sticking with mommy-milk as much as you have.

My son had trouble with the nipples on the bottles. He wanted a flow that was closer to mine. Try different nipples, and don't be afraid to try one that is designed for newborns. The flow isn't as strong as the other nipples, and it might just be a too-strong flow that is causing your son's gagging.

Good luck!

My oldest daughter did the exact same thing, only I was returning to week when she was 11 weeks old and was going to be away about 8 hours a day. Her solution? Sleep while mommy was gone and eat the every hour while mommy was home. Unfortunately, my husband and I tried everything and it wasn't until she had started eating real baby food and solids that she started slowing down and giving me a break. The night time feedings slowed, but she is 3 and still wakes during the night about 3 or 4 times a week. Sometimes it is just the kid. The only advice I have it is too late for - introduce the bottle at the 2/3 week mark. That's what we did for my other two children and they both took/take a bottle with out a second look. Just know you are not alone, it will end and do your best to enjoy it while it is going on - it goes away and she will grow all too soon!!

the gagging might mean that the bottle's nipple holes are too large. Since he has a big appetite, he is always sucking very hard on you to increase your milk production. He continues this strong sucking with the bottles amd gags. When he was younger, he probably was not sucking so hard and the nipples were fine then.