My 9 week old boy all of a sudden lost interest in the bottle. I have been breast feeding and bottle feeding since day 1 and it was going great until last week. He does not latch on to the bottle as good as he used to and he loses interest in it quite fast. He used to drink 3 to 4 ounces out of every bottle, now I can hardly make him drink 2 ounces. What is happening? Have any of you gone through something similar? My breast milk is not enough so I do need to supplement with something.
In regards to some of the answers I got: there is no one else to bottle feed my baby as I am alone the whole day with him. And I really do not produce enough milk. I've tried everything. You name it, I've tried it... It is genetic as my mom didn't even produce ANY milk. I'm lucky to be able to produce some.
Thank you ladies! I have changed the nipple. Actually, I had some Avent bottles I got as a gift and I had never used them before so I decided to give them a try. My baby loves them! He no longer fights against the nipple (I was using evenflo nipples before). It has been great. The best thing is to be able to continue with both breast and bottle. Thanks again!!!!
I think that is just what some babies do. My first loved her one bottle a day until I weaned her at a year old. The second wouldn't take the bottle after three weeks. My third has now decided after five months that he wasn't going to take his one bottle a day. Don't know why, but he won't take it and always did before.
Hi A.!
Bottlefeeding and breastfeeding require very different methods of sucking. Bottlefeeding requires more "sucking", as if one were to drink out of a straw, while breastfeeding requires a more "kneading" or "massaging" of the nipple/areola -- this type requires a whole different set of muscles for the baby, and usually more effort, too. The baby may prefer one over the other. Often babies prefer the bottle, only because it requires less energy of them. However, as in your case, breastfeeding may be providing your baby a more intimate feeding experience with you where strong bonding is sure to take place. As for the amount of milk your breast is producing, you need to TOTALLY breastfeed, even if it means feeding every hour for the first few days! Sounds crazy, I know, but breastmilk is supplied on a supply/demand basis. The more baby nurses at your breast, the more milk will be produced. Also remember to drink plenty of fluids, eat well, and try to get as much rest as you can in between feedings to guarantee good milk production. Good luck with your new baby!
Your baby probably prefers breastfeeding with you! It is likely that your breast milk supply is not enough, exactly because you have been supplementing. I agree with the other poster. Just allow him to breastfeed often and your supply will increase to meet his demand. If you want more advice or reassurance, I'd recommend checking out La Leche League (the #1 source on breastfeeding) at www.llli.org. They have message boards or I'd contact a leader directly. Good luck!
How is the breastfeeding going? It may be that he's becoming more interested in his surroundings (which are a bit easier to see when having a bottle than the breast). My daughter was very distractable from a young age. Whether bottle- or breast-feeding her, we needed to be in a dark quiet room in order to get her to eat. Also, feeding her right after she woke up from a nap seemed to work well, too.
Get your self to a la leche league meeting! You can make enough breastmilk! Your baby is still little enough to get a full supply. First you need to let him nurse leisurely for a few days. Just one day of snuggling with your baby skin to skin and leting him nurse as he wants to will dramatically increase your supply. I'm not sure why you say your breastmilk is not enough, but many doctors often say that and it is not true! Look up LLL on line and you can even call in to the 800 number. It will make a difference! Enjoy your sweet baby!
try a different nipple. playtex natural action, for 3 months and up. it's shaped just like mommys
who told you your breastmilk is not enough? You are still developing your supply and it will increase with your sons increasing need. He probably prefers the breast. I would stick with nursing and let him nurse as often as he wants. I have a 7 month old baby who is quite plump on just breastmilk. I also nursed my son ...who was a chunky baby too. And I am a small chested mom.
I agree it could be the nipple. It could also be your scent. One thing to try is switching bottle/nipple types. I use Playtex nursers with the disposable liners and my daugheter really prefers them over the Playtex Vent-aire bottles we have. She prefers the latex (brown) ones over the silicon (clear/white). Also, try sleeping with a small blanket and then have whoever feeds the baby put that near so he can smell it. Or you might have to do the opposite, you never give the bottle. Sometimes my daughter would, and still does, refuse to drink from the bottle if I am feeding it to her because she knows she can get it directly from me instead.
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I'm a mom for 35 years. The last baby I nursed was in 2001.I nursed all three of my children successfully.All for at least 1 year each.It's been my experience that whatever your baby needs, your breasts will provide.It might take a couple of days for your milk production to pick up,but it will.It usually is our own insecurities that make us feel,"this just isn't working." Give it time,your baby will get what he needs. It is actually harder for them to breast-feed than bottle-feed,so it sounds like he has a preference. P.S. Who told you your breast milk was not enough? Not a Dr. I'm sure. Congratulations,on your new baby boy!
It is pretty normal for a baby to not want a bottle when mom is there. I would nurse him more so that the supply increases. Drink lots of water, eat some oatmeal, maybe try some of those supplements that increase milk supply and then only use the bottle with someone else doing the feeding. When my milk supply went down, I started nursing more (like every hour) until it came back and it is amazing how the supply and demand works. I agree with the other poster that using a fast flow nipple is probably not a great solution as it will cut off the nursing early. Also have you tried pumping to see if it is the bottle or the milk that he is objecting to? Good luck.
Lots of nursing babies aren't really thrilled with bottles. I think the easiest thing is to give your baby to someone else to bottle-feed. Why settle for a bottle when the real goods are right in sight? Second thing you can do is nurse him more often to get your milk supply up a bit. If you offer him your breast before ever feeding it should build pretty quickly, especially if you're eating and drinking plenty. Your baby won't starve himself, I promise. It could be that he's getting more milk when you nurse him, and taking less from the bottle, which is fine. Either way, I guess I would have someone else bottle feed him and you just worry about nursing him. As long as he continues to gain weight he's doing just fine.
I would NOT put a faster flow nipple on the bottles if it were me, unless you plan on giving up on nursing altogether. Fast-flow nipples make babies lazy (because the milk comes so easily) and can lead to nursing problems. After all, your breasts don't suddenly become "fast flow" when your baby gets older, right?
Hi A.,
Your breast milk is enough. If you stop bottle feeding & only give him the breast, then your milk supply will increase. It only takes a couple of days for your production to catch up to his needs.
He may be ready for a sippy at this point. Nuby brand (can be found at Wal-Mart) is a good transitional sippy... at least it worked for us.
