My Daughter Will Not Take a Bottle!

One quick suggestion for pumping breast milk.... I found that if I pumped one breast while feeding my child on the other that the milk just ran into the bottle. Mostly because you are relaxed already for the baby to feed. It helped quite a bit to build up my milk supply and have some in the freezer too!
Good luck and best of wishes!

Try giving her abottle when she is sleeping.

Just go in her room scoop her out of bed and put a bottle in her mouth. It might work.

You can take Fenugreek herb to increase milk supply.. It really works..

I found it upset my stomach so take 1 or 2 capsules thefirst day to see how you react.

Hi A.,

First, pumping is NOT an indication of how much milk you have. Many times women have a hard time with let down when pumping. Also, it just isn't the same kind of suction as baby.... unless you have an industrial hospital grade pump.

Second, this is about the time that your body and baby are really in sync so... you will feel 'softer' much of the time and not feel so full. But that doesn't mean you don't have milk.

Third, baby could be going through a growth spurt and just requiring more food. It could also be nursing for comfort. One way to find that out is have dad get up in the middle of the night... if baby will calm down and go back to sleep without milk....then it is comfort feeding. If baby will NOT settle down (and it may take a night or two to figure this out) then baby needs food. Baby will instinctively know that daddy has no milk....which is why DAD needs to get up to try this.

You could also have dad give the bottle if she is truly hungry. Often times baby will not take a bottle from mom because they know mom has 'the good stuff'. ;-) Also, if you try this and you do NOT feel super full by the end of the night... then baby was just comfort sucking and not really taking any milk at all.

Some doctors will say baby will not wake from teething... plllttth! to that! When my daughter was getting teeth it really bothered her and she would wake from the pain. Dampen a cloth and put it in the fridge and give it to her to 'chew' on. Should help relieve some pain.

Good luck!

Hi A.,

Your concern of feeling you don't have enough breastmilk is a universal concern of breastfeeding mothers. How often she is waking up to nurse isn't a good indicator of how much milk you're producing. Babies wake up at night for so many reasons. Around 4 months many babies begin to realize that mom and baby aren't one person. So they wake at night fearful of where you are. They want mama near, if not touching them.

A better way of knowing how much milk you're producing is how much your baby is gaining when she goes for her baby check ups. For the first 3 months or so, you're looking for the baby to gain about 7 ounces a week (an ounce a day). From 3 to 5 months, you're looking for the baby to put on 3-5+ ounces a week.

Pumps are notoriously poor ways to decide if you're making enough milk. Yet moms are always using it to decide. Especially if you don't have a hospital grade electric breast pump. These are only available for rental, not for sale.

If she's keeping up with her regular pattern of wets and bowel movements (6-8 wets, but with disposable diapers it's more like 5 wets).

You might want to attend a local LLL meeting. You can find one near you by going to www.llli.org
They can also give you info on ways to encourage the baby to try a bottle too.

Good luck,

S., LLLL, IBCLC, RLC

You could try and take phenugreek to produce more milk. I took that for a while but you have to take 3 pills 3 times a day and can only get it at a vitamin or health food store like GNC. With the bottle you could try and have someone else give her the bottle. I know that my daughter would not take a bottle for me but would take one from my husband or anyone else. She related food with me and nursing and refused the bottle from me. Good luck and hang in there.

the amount of milk you pump is not how much your baby gets when she nurses, don't let that be your way of measuring how much milk she is getting. she nurses all the time now to get your milk supply up it takes about a week. my daughter didn't take a bottle either and she went straight to a sippy cup (i had to try a few differnt kinds before i found one she liked)
i would still nurse during the day even though you have a 2 year old it isn't fair to the baby and it only takes what 15 min of time your 2 year old can find something to do during that time.

Hi A., Your daughter is at a tough age to wean from the breast. She is so used to nursing that any rubber nipple that you put in her mouth naturally she will reject. Why don't you try increasing your milk supply and offering her a little rice cereal at night. Increase your fluid intake, add some brewers yeast to your diet should help to get your milk supply up to when she was a month or 2 old. If you wait to introduce a bottle at 6 months you can offer your daughter juice which she maybe more receptive to drinking from a bottle. Good luck with your decision

Hello A.,

to increase your milk production: increase your liquid intake. at wholefoods or natural products store try "mother's milk". also aniseseed tea and/or star anise tea. you can buy it and make your own tea -- just strain it. if you find "japanese sweet potatoes" that also helps increasing your milk production. Good luck and keep trying! ~Carmen~

A.,
If you are worried about your milk supply try Fenugreek and Mother's Milk herbal supplements to increase your supply. Drink a lot of water and eat a good balanced diet during the day also to assist with you milk supply. Also you did not mention how often you are feeding her during the day. She should be eating every 3-4 hours during the day. She may not be getting enough daytimes feedings in. If you are feeding her every 3-4 hours during the day increase the frequency of her feeding to 2 1/2 -3 hour schedule for a couple of day and see what happens. She may be going through a growth spurt and requires more food during the day. I hope this helps. J.

Pumping is not indicative of how much milk you have. Some women have a vary hard time letting down for the pump. She could be waking up 3-4 times at night for comfort. Maybe she is teething early, or she is just starting to reach the age where is more aware during the day and she is not taking enough food in during the day. Try nursing her in a dark quiet room during the day. For my daughter it had to be pitch black in there for her to get down to business. Tanking her up during the day should help and then when she does wake up at night, try nursing her only every other time she wakes up and use an alternative form of nursing to get her to go back to sleep, like shushing, patting, rocking, etc. If she is getting more food during the day and not as much at night it should help with the night wakings.

only getting an ounce of milk pumping is not a big deal. As long as your daughter is pooping and peeing she is getting enough milk...breasts respond better to baby mouths than hard plastic.

It's really normal for a 4month old to wake that often during the night as well. Have you tried laying down with her so you can snooze while she nurses? That is the only way I can do it and still function the next day LOL.

I never breastfed - but it could be the bottle you are using. I have also heard that babies don't like a bottle from mom since mom is the one who breastfeeds them. Try having someone else feed her a bottle and see if she takes it.

Dear A. S.,

First of all, pray and ask God what would be the best thing to do about this situation. Second of all,mix plain baby dry rice cereal with warm water. Make it very very runny and she will make a mess and waste a lot, but she may get enough inside of her to fill her tummy and help her sleep longer. After several times of eating this runny cereal, she will learn how to swallow more and get better at eating off of the spoon.

Everyone I know of who fed the baby cereal got some rest because it takes longer to digest and process and that helps the baby usually sleep longer.

If the cereal does not work and you have insurance to pay for it or can afford it anyway, take her to a chiropractor. I live near Holland, MI and if you live close I can recommend an excellent one. He even adjusts dogs and they are not as cranky. I knew a lady whose baby cried nearly all the time so she finally took him to the chiropractor and he was much better after that adjustment; he went in regularly after that.

L. C.

i would try getting the baby eaither dr. brown bottles or ventair and see how she does on them get the small nipples though.they sell them at walmarts. for around 25.00

Hi A.,

I have nursed all three of my children and I know what you are going through. I learned with my first, who refused a bottle up until 12 months old and then took a sippy cup. My best advice would be to make someone else do the bottle feedings. I spoke with the a nusing consultant that advised to not even be home or available to your baby when you are trying the bottle. It will be very hard and at times very sad, because you will want to jump in and just give up, but your husband or whoever else has to have the patience for this. Your baby is smart and knows if your around she can get the breast. She may scream and cry and might even skip a feeding or two, but when she is hungry enough, she will take the bottle. For my second and third children, I was a little smarter, and introduced the bottle the day they were born. They always got one bottle a day, which gave me a nice break and gave dad a chance to bond. Good Luck and just remeber to try to keep calm.

K. W: Sahm of 3, ages 7, 5, and 4.

My daughter didn't want to take a bottle either. We made the mistake of not giving it frequently enough in the beginning. Anyway, my pediatrician says "if she's hungry enough, she'll take it." It may be a little difficult at first, but maybe she just has to get used to it. Also, you may have to try several bottle/nipple combinations. It's very frustrating! If she uses a pacifier, maybe you could find a nipple that is similar. Good luck!

A.,

I have a 4 month old baby and a 2 year old as well, so I know who hard it it to not get your sleep at night. Your baby Enza is gaining weight and healthy, right?

The best way to increase your milk supply is to NOT give your baby a bottle. When you nurse less often, then your body will slow down milk production. It sounds like your baby is going through a growth spurt and is hungier than normal, so you need to feed her more during the day... even if just for a bit.

You should make sure that you are getting enough nourishment in healthy foods and drink LOTS of water.

If you call your doctor's office, there should be a lactation consultant who can work with you on nursing.

Hang in there! You'll be adding rice cereal, veges and fruits soon too.

If I know my daughter has eaten well duing the day and she wakes up at night, I just give her a nuk to suck on and she'll fall back asleep until morning. You shouldn't have to nurse at night anymore! You need a good night's sleep!

Good luck!

First of all I have a son named Kellen also except he is 7 and I spell it Kellan. I don't hear of too many others having the name :) If you want to produce more milk you have to pump more or feed her more. Are you putting formula in the bottle? Because it may be that she doesn't like the formula and prefers breastmilk. Also my youngest son is 9 months and he will not take a bottle from me. He will take it from my DH when I go to work but he refuses to take it when I am with him and wants breastmilk. I suggest that your husband feed her from a bottle and see if that helps.

Try letting your husband give it to her. When she feels and senses you, she'll want your breast. This may also help break her of night feedings.

FYI, at around the same age with my now 6-month-old daughter, I felt the same way (like I was drying up). I think she was going through a growth spurt. I starting drinking a tea from Health Foods Store called Mother's Milk, ate lots of salads and oatmeal, and drank a ton of water. All "home remedies" from other mommies. That seemed to work to increase my supply, plus mid-night nursings at three am in our bed, and since she went to bed before me at 8, I'd get her out of bed at 10 (when I was ready for bed) and nurse her until she fell off my breast. She's outgrown those for the most part. And I pumped anytime she got a bottle (with rice) or anytime I was in the car away from her. Hang in there and good luck.

Great advice so far. If it's only been a day or 2 I'd defintely say it's a growth spurt and she's uping your milk production. To help I used to pump after she had fed on both sides. Seemed to make me produce more milk faster. Sometimes I didn't get anything, but it still helped increase production.

Does she take a pacifier at all? My daughter didn't, but she chewed on the side of the soothie ones. So I tried Soothie brand bottles and it was smooth sailing from there on out (once I was ready to wean).

There's another big growth spurt at 6 months. Good luck