Wont Take Formula!

Why do you want her to take formula? Mama's milk is better for her anyway and she knows it.

I would not try to force it. If she wants breastmilk, then I would continue to give it to her. Our son would not take formula. When he took 3 oz finally he threw it all up. He is still breastfeeding at 10 months and is happy and healthy. So, I would say that your baby knows that is best for her. Just my thoughts.

Maybe it's the type of formula talk to your doctor about soy formula .. mix 3/4 breast milk with 1/4 then work your way .. not half and half. But I would see if Soy would work too, if you are on WIC you will need a doc note anyway for them to allow the change. I know my daughter wouldn't take the regular kind at first .. first 3 months was soy.

I have never had this issue because I have started out with formula and never breast fed. Breast feeding is not for everyone. But I would go talk to the doctor for advice. They are pretty good at knowing what to do. If you have pedi's there just talk to them. For us we only have primary care doctors. Good luck.

Hi D.,
I know you've already gotten a lot of replies, but I thought I'd give one too since I just went through this a couple of weeks ago. My son is almost 5 months now and I just didn't have enough milk since he's pretty big. He kept crying cause he was still hungry when I was empty, anyway. I read that a baby can smell their mother's milk 20 ft away, so I physically had to leave the room when my husband first fed him. It of course worked best when he was pretty hungry. So I guess the "leaving the baby at someone else's house overnight" advice would work, but if that is not doable then at least leaving the room might do the trick. He drank just a couple of oz the first time and after a couple of times he would then take a bottle from me also.
I love how people give out guilt trips about nursing. We all know that breast milk is better, but it's a personal choice and not everyone finds it the best choice for 12-18 months. I nursed my first one for 11 months and am planning to cut this guy out at 6. The first 6 months are the most important anyway for their immune system. Hope it works out for you, it was very frustrating for me.

Hey D., where in Germany are you? I'm in Grafenwhoer, also waiting for DH to get home from Iraq.

As for your DC, I've talked to many people who have had this problem. My suggestion, as I have seen it work with several, is to have a friend keep you DC over night, or at least through 2 feedings. Your DC will be hungry enough they will take anything. Your friend will need to be extrodrinarily patient, but it works. With you feeding her, she knows that you can produce what she really wants. Again, I have at least 3 friends who have done this and it works.

Good Luck!

Hi, have you tried different formulas? I had a friend who found out that her daughter was allergic to soy based formulas and she acted the same way. Every time you gave her a bottle she'd drink a little then start spitting it out, screaming, and would eventually throw-up the what she had swallowed. Once they got a formula that wasn't soy based she did fine. When we switched my own daughter to formula we tried three different kinds before she would eat well and finally the "Good Start" formula (the commissary usually carries this brand too and its not soy based)worked the best. Best of luck!

ABOUT ME: I'm an active duty mom stationed in Japan with the Navy. I have a 4 week old little boy and a 21 month old daughter.

Is it the formula or the bottle that she won't take (or both?) Breastmilk is MUCH sweeter! If you need her to take a bottle, how about pumping? Do you have an electric pump? There is a way to do it one handed. I pumped all my milk for my 1st son after many breastfeeding issues and was able to do it every 3 hrs for 10 min and got 4-5 oz total each time. Not everyone is so lucky but I didn't want to give him formula!

Hi there, just wanted to suggest something different from everyone else's response. Have you tried warming up your formula before feeding? My daughter had heart surgery when she was 10days old and when she was finally allowed to eat I tried breastfeeding her, but my milk supply was low so she still needed some formula. She wouldnt drink it at all. I was so deppresed coz Dr.'s said they wouldnt let me take her home unless she starts eating on her own. We kept trying even if she spilled my breastmilk and formula. Then one of the nurses suggested to warm up her milk and voila...she started drinking it. Hope this one would work...;)

My first baby wouldn't take formula at first and everytime I tried she would cry and cry. Come to find out she needed soy based formula. The regular formula gave her terrible stomach pains. After about six months of soy - we slowly got her on regular formula and eventually milk by age one. She can drink anything now and has no problems - she is three. Check with your Pediatrician, but for me it just took using a little soy based formula to get her on a bottle.

I couldn't nurse the full time, becaue I worked part of the day and besides - both my kids became biters. I stopped completely nursing by 8 months with both kids.

Is there a reason for you to switch to formula? I worked for a year after my first son was born and I was able to nurse the whole. With my second, I was a stay at home Mom and was able to nurse the whole ear. I nursed my thrid son for 18 months because he was our last. I enjoyed the closnesses and the bond that developed because of the experience. There are a lot of benefits for nursing a year -- higher intelligence, less ear infections, less allergies, less money, etc. I felt comfortable nursing in public, but then again I had made a special wrap that covered me and the baby. If you are not making enough milk make sure you drink all the water you are supposed to. For me I had to stay a certain weight, if I dropped below then I wouldn't make has much. When I first got pregnate with my first I thought I would never nurse. My mom bottled fed and my sister had bottled fed her kids.
If you are still wanting to try formula, wait another month. She may be more willing to take it.

Hello D., Although my children are well past the age of taking formula. I remember this stage very much. We had a dificult time with it, with both of our children. Here's why. Depending on what type of formula your feeding the baby (full iron or low iron) could be the problem. See most of the time a parent feeds there child the regular iron formula. Well our children just happpened to be allergic to the iron in the FULL iron formula even when it was watered down to have strength. BUT, when we switched (per the Doctor) to "low iron" formula, our daughter turned out to be fine. Our son happened to have this even watered down to half strength. After that he too was fine. Most of the time it's something they will grow out of just so you know too. So please do not fret about it too much. But on the off chance that they don't outgrow it, there is no need to fret over this either. It just means they're allergic to iron is all, (they can't have it in large quantities), as was with our son. Well, I hope this advice helps you. Good luck. N.

You are in Germany, take advantage of the Kaufland. It may be that she doesn't like the bottle you are using. I use the Nuk bottles with the wide based nipple. It's the only bottle my 2 month old will take. We've started giving her pumped breast milk with Bauchwohl Tee mixed. The Bauchwohl Tee is for newborns and up. If the formula is giving her gas, like my love of brocoli is doing to my baby, then you might want to mix in some of the tea. It has worked wonders.

So, my advice is to check out the bottle and how she takes the bottle with just plain breast milk. If it's with some dificulty you may need to switch over. (The American style bottles didn't work well for either of my kids.) If she's gassy, then try out the Bauchwohl Tee, it works so much better than the gas drops you can buy at the BX and there's no fear of an overdose. Lastly, you may be trying to switch her at the wrong time... for instance, if she's begining to have teething pains or her teeth are already comming in. If she's trying to get her teeth early I'd try brushing her gums with a finger brush first and then offer the warmed bottle. And you can always try one of HIPP's formulas rather than the ones they sell on Post. A lot of German baby products that I've tried tend to be a bit more gentle and often are more logical, so maybe the formula is as well.

Best of Luck to you :)