Revise My Dilemma

Hi S.,

I knew what you're going through. With my 3rd (& Last) child, I thought I'd lost my window of opportunity for introducing the bottle to her. I got so desparate to have that bit of freedom that I just let her cry and get hungry enough. Then she gobbled it down. Sounds mean maybe, but you have to decide if you want any breaks of are fine with not. Healthy babies won't starve themselves so even though you might feel like going crazy from her crying, she'll get it. Then keep giving it to her maybe one feeding a day. Others may disagree, but I think it's totally worth it and you won't start resenting her or feeling as overwhelmed. Hang in there! Blessings and peace,
E.

No suggestions, unfortunately, but you are not alone if that helps. My oldest NEVER took a bottle, just keep trying maybe she will come back around, and GOOD LUCK!!!!

Hi S.. I wish I had some advice for you. I'm writing to tell you that I was in the same situation and we tried everything! My little one never took a bottle or pacifier. We had "bottle wars" where we tried to get her to take the bottle. I'm afraid it didn't work. She went straight to the sippy cup around 9 months, but now won't take formula. At all. So best of luck to you and hang in there!!

It sounds to me that your little one might have some tummy issues going on. The colic, spitting up and being uncomfortable in the carseat may all be related. It may be reflux (my 3rd baby had it) which may cause burning in her chest/throat when she is in the carseat. I would see a midwife or holistic Dr. to see if they can help figure this all out. Your regular pediatrician most likely won't have the time or resources to help link all this together. Breast milk is always the best and you may need to alter your diet to help her out. It is normal for babies this age to not be on a consistant schedule and nurse ths often.
I know its tough being a new mom (I've just had my third) I encourage you to find a moms group that you can get together with and get support and know that you are not alone. Remember God chose you to be this little angels mommy and you are the best choice for her. Hang in there!

S.,
Congratulations on breastfeeding your baby. I breastfed my second child 18 years ago because we didn't have the money for formula. Over the years, I've been amazed to follow the research that continues to show how much better it really, truly is than formula.
Try to see the good in this temporary situation you're in. Your daughter knows what is best for her and she knows what she likes! It sounds like she has a strong, healthy attachment to you - that might feel a little overwhelming but research shows that securely attached children grow up to be the healthiest and happily independent. When she's ready to be apart from you more, she will accept the bottle. She's very young - don't rush her. Her infancy will be over before you know and you don't want to feel that you missed out on any of it.
I know it's not popular to say so in our "me-first" culture, but I don't think it's unreasonable to put the needs of our babies first for the first few years of their lives. Do you have any books by Dr. Sears? If you're familiar with attachment parenting you'll realize that your daughter is behaving in a way that is perfectly normal and perfectly healthy.
Try the bottle (with breastmilk) once a week. She'll take it when she's ready. My 19-month-old would take a bottle (with breastmilk only) starting at 4 months, but then she would go on occasional "breast-only" strikes for anywhere from a few days to a month. I just told myself "This, too, shall pass."
Blessings,
K.

Hello, I can truly understand what you are going through. my daughter had the same problem starting at 2 weeks old she is now almost 4 months. My youngest of 3 and I felt like a new mom, I never went through this with my other two. So I started to do some research and came up with a great solution and it worked... One of my doctors recomened to put her on medication for her acid reflex, but me personally I choose not to put my young infant on medication... So here is what I did and it seems to be working for my little one. First and foremost I pruchesed a product called Collic Calm, I bought it directly from them, I couldn't find any store locally that carried it. It's all natural and had NO Acidic formulas in it, witch could iritate my daughters acid reflex. Then I would carry my daughter up right for a 1/2 after feeding that really helped, force of gravity.. She spit up alot less from that all on its own... I created a wrap that was similar to the moby wrap, it kept her upright after feeding and I was still able to do other things around the home or when I was out in public.. I also have my daughter sleep at a 45 degree angle, acid reflec would really kick in when she was sleeping having her sleep at an angel helped her sleep better and less chocking hazzards..And the key thing burping.. I burp my daughter through out the day pratcilly every time I am carring her I burb her it now has become a habit.. It helps her release all that extra gas in her tummy from the acid.. These things truly helped me out! I am happy to say now she is so much better she only gets little episodes and sleeps so peacefully. I hope this helps.
L.

Hi S.,

It sounds to me like you are doing just about everything that CAN be done. I don't know how often you are offering the bottle or the pacifier, so maybe it's a matter of being EVEN MORE persistent.

With the pacifier, you might try offering it to her at a point during her feeding where you feel she might be full rather than wait until she stops on her own. (I don't think this should hurt her in anyway, since it seems she doen't know how to stop when she's full on her own.) My 5-month-old doesn't particularly care for her pacifier, but I continue to offer it to her. She also has 3 or 4 different styles that I keep rotating every time she decides she doesn't like her current style.

As far as bottle feeding, you might try actually LEAVING HER in the care of Dad or Grandma. She'll cry and it'll be upsetting to all of you, but if she's hungry enough, she'll eat. (At such a time, they might try offering her first one, then the other of breastmilk or formula in the bottle if she refuses the first one.)

I know it might sound mean, but if you don't do something now, you'll be attached at the hip for the next several years.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you!

A little about me:
I have 4 girls: 17, 13, 11 and a 5-month old. Luckily, my little one is easy and since I'm able to stay home with her, I'm having a ball getting to know her and experiencing her daily leaps and bounds. I don't remember motherhood being THIS JOYOUS!!

S.,
So many awesome responses to this problem! See, you are not alone! I would recommend that you do a google search and looke for the "Adiri" bottle. It looks just like a breast and many babies respond well to it. It's quite costly, but many say, worth it. However, follow the advice of many of these intelligent women and make sure that you are not the one feeding her the bottle, and don't give up after just one or two tries. Don't be far away from the home when you've left someone to work on this (i.e. daddy, grandma). I went to the mall to buy panty hose the first time! Don't start it in the middle of the night (no one's in a happy mood, then!) I do not think it's a good idea to introduce solids, of any source, at three months. Especially if she may be having digestion issues. Also, keep in mind that when a baby spits up, the breastmilk (or formula), mixes with all of the acids and fluids in the stomach - so that when it comes back up, it looks like a lot more than it actually is.
As a lactation educator, we usually recommend that women introduce a bottle between 2-6 weeks. After that, they become quite attached (appropriately) to the breast. However, you stated that she used to take the bottle so it could be positioning. Try sitting her up a bit more than you normally do when nursing. Also, it's quite unusual, but sometimes, expressed breastmilk tastes different when it's been frozen or allowed to sit in the fridge for a few days. She is also going through, or getting ready to, a big growth spurt - so be patient.
Good luck. J.

I had the same thing with my daughter. I put her on solid food at 3 months, which she gulped down. Seems breast milk wasn't satisfying her and she refused formula! I did keep nursing an entire year, and always seemed to have plenty of milk ... this girl was just ready for food. at 3 months, on her very first solid food feeing, she ate 2 jrs. She still does everything way earlier than "by the books". my son is strictly by the book. haha, enjoy!

My daughter was the same way. Some days she would go 3 hours, some days it was as if she was nursing every hour. The good news is that it didn't last very long. I know the site of what they are spitting up looks like a lot but it's usually a lot less than you think it is. My daughter would only do this if I overfed her. Basically it was her little overflow tank. You figure their stomachs are about the size of their fists. If you try to force more than what they can hold in, it's got to go somewhere. Unlatching her between feedings and burping her more often will also make more room for more milk.
If you don't have to get her on a bottle for reasons like having to go back to work, I say be patient and stick it out.
It doesn't last forever and once she starts on solids you will be nursing her less. I chose to go with the safest starting age (allergy wise) of 6 months for solids. I still nurse at 17 months old but now it's primarily once in the morning, once after lunch (and before her nap) and just before bedtime but I do remember feeling as though I was only food to her, now I realize that she and I both need that special closeness that only we can share. I'm already going to miss it.
I can say my only experience with having to use the bottle is we supplemented a little in the second month until she perfected her latch. She took it well. Then at about 3-4 months, after not being on any bottle for a while, I decided I was going to go out with some friends and we drank. I expressed milk for my husband and we still had a little formula left over from supplementing. Her last nursing session was at 8pm. I came home at 3am to find my daughter upset beyond belief, my husband drenched in my precious expressed milk... a baby bottle with formula in it and the cap off. She had not and would not take it. I still had some alcohol in my system so I couldn't nurse her. I got her to take a little of the formula from a straw (holding the straw with my finger and putting the other end in her mouth) at about 5am I felt ok to nurse her and the ordeal was over. That was the last time we attempted to bottle feed her anything.
Most definitely by a year, she will likely be sleeping through the night and not nursing that often anymore. Probably just 3 times a day (maybe more while teething) with an extra one here and there and no more night feedings.
It really does go by faster than you think...

Hi, S.. I am a mom to 2 kids...the first is 3 yrs. old and the other, 5 months. Both of them do not like the bottle. My first one was so tiny when I gave birth to her that I needed to breastfeed her along with a bottle of formula which she takes in from a thin tube, something like the IV. I tried different bottles with her and she just didn't feed from them - whatever kind of nipple I used. My youngest is the same. She started out wanting to feed from the bottle, as I pumped my milk. But when she reached 3 months, till now, she refuses to take anything from the bottle - even if it is my own expressed milk. There was a time when I couldn't really stay with her for her to breastfeed and I left her with my husband. He tried giving the bottle, but she would just put it in her mouth and spit out the milk. I think this is just a phase the kids go through. Try making her really hungry and then ask someone to give her the bottle...it might work! I know how tiring it is to feed our babies, but just remember that this is the best time for bonding between us and our babies. I get exhausted so many days as well, but I just stop and think that this time will not last forever. This will go so fast that soon, I will miss a small mouth on my breasts, getting nourishment from me. Hope my experience helps you a little. Take care.

well my daughter was the same way when she was a baby the only bottles that she would take is the playtex ones that you put the bags in and they worked just fine and they are very simular to nursing her so as a suggestion you might want to try the playtex bottles. if you have anymore qusetions you can e-mail me at ____@____.com Thank you, R. Leitzen

It sounds like your are doing just fine. Babies that age sometimes eat that often. My daughter only ate for 10 minutes at a time also. That was all she needed. Your daughter has a little tummy right now so she may not be able to handle too much. Also, it's not so much about the amount of time as how much milk they are getting. Some people let the milk down faster than others and some babies just eat faster. Anyway, if she's gaining weight, and peeing and pooping, your doing just fine. Regarding the bottle issue, I had the same problem. My daughter stopped taking it right before I went back to work at 6 weeks. My doctor recommended giving her a bottle for one feeding a day and if she didn't take it, then she missed a meal. I had a really hard time doing that so I didn't. I ended up just offering it to her regularly, trying different nipples to see what she tolerated best, and eventually she started taking it again. There are aggressive approaches to this and less aggressive. It just depends on what you are comfortable with. Also, you could try mixing your breast milk with a little bit of formula and then gradually increase the amount of formula so she gets used to the taste.

Good luck to you on this. I know it can be hard to not get a break for more than an hour at a time. hang in there. It gets easier!

She's at a great age to introduce the bottle. Have someone else introduce it to her and do it frequently and consistantly, with you no where in sight (I hid behind the couch the 1st few times my husband gave the bottle to the baby's). She'll get it in a few days doing it this way.

I had the same problems with my son spitting up and no longer wanting to take a bottle. It turned out that my son has food allergies (he's allergic to foods I'm eating, transferred to him through breast milk) and GERD (a reflux disease). I worked with my pediatrician to figure out what I should avoid eating (dairy, soy, egg and tomatoes in my case) and got my son on some medicine for his GERD. Now things are much better (although the restricted diet can be a real drag). So you might want to let your pediatrician know about the spitting up since it could indicate that your child is sick.
As far as the bottle feeding goes, my only suggestion is that you have someone other than yourself do it and you need to be out of the house. I know a mom who had her husband help her. She said they picked one feeding a day and her husband worked with the baby for about three days (in which there was much crying and screaming), but finally the baby began taking the bottle without a fuss. Good luck!

Hi Stacy, I know how you feel. My son would only nurse for 10 minutes at a time and within an hour want to eat again! He also wouldn't take a bottle. What I found out was he was having a problem with gas and would feel full too quickly. I started to nurse him only about 5 minutes at first and then I'd burp him. Then he'd nurse another 5-10 minutes and I'd burp him again. Then nurse again for another 10 minutes. Burping him so much during a feeding sounds maybe a little odd but it worked and he was able to go longer between feedings. I never did get him on a bottle, but it may be because using a bottle causes more gas in the babies stomach.

Hi There
I feel for you. I am a first time mom and going through the same situation. My daughter is 3 1/2 months old and breastfed. I had to go back to work at 12 weeks and so I started the process of trying to introduce a bottle (of breastmilk) back around four weeks. She flat out refused. I also have tried everything...bottles, nipples, positions, dad etc.. Nothing worked. We do not have family here and so I resorted to waiting until the nanny started and I could leave for a couple hours for her to work with our daughter. Well, that also didn't work. Lyla would hold out for nine hours. It was horrible. I have been a wreck out work. It has been three weeks of full-time and no bottle. We finally decided to switch modes and try a spoon. We mix about 2 ounces of milk with one teaspoon of rice cereal and feed it to her that way. She loves it. The nanny does that all day until I get home. It is not ideal, but it works. She doesn't scream like she did with the bottle. She will feed her that way three times throughout the day. Not always with rice cereal, but maybe once or twice to give it a little more consistency.

It is tough, but I had to go back and am happy knowing that she is not suffering or hungry. She seems to really like to be fed that way. I guess I will just go straight to a cup and skip the bottle phase.

Try the spoon and heat the milk up a bit. I bet she will like it. Make sure the spoon isn't metal either. Your daughter will get full and it allows you to be gone for periods of time. I can even give her the spoon now and she'll take it from me... I am still breastfeeding in the morning and in the evenings. I pump while I am away from her during the day and the nanny uses that the next day.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.
K.

My sister-in-law had very similar problems with both of her children. DO NOT let your doctor give you the lame excuse of "she'll out grow it". There are several acid reflux medicines that are safe for babies as young as 6 weeks old & might very well make everything better. There is no reason why your baby should suffer & why you should suffer. Insist on seeing a specialist if your general doctor won't do anything for you.

Acid reflux must be treated or else it will damage the esophagus and possibly cause othe developmental delays. Do not let your doctor tell you that nothing can be done and she will grow out of it. Imagine how you would feel with constant acid boiling up your throat and not being able to do anything about it. Ask for zantac for the baby. I have known moms who have had their babies on it.
It will help you get some sleep too!

I wouldn't push the pacifier if you can help it. I would suggest having someone else feed her when you are not around. They tend to take to changes when mommy is not there. Believe me, if she is hungry enough....she'll eat!!!!I wouldn't keep switching bottles. Stick to one (Dr. Browns are great for reducing air in the tummy!)She will get used to it eventually, I promise. But, remember, stay out of the room when someone else feeds her.That's important!
Babies feedings are so unpredictable. Sometimes my little one will drink a bottle and then 2 hours later, wants another one. Oh, she is 10 months old and her bottles should be lasting her at least 4 hours. So, you never know!
Good luck!

Hi S.,

My 4 month old did the same thing. We introduced a bottle around 4 weeks of age so she would get the hang of it, then continued to give her one bottle every 2 weeks or so. All of a sudden she decided she would only take the breast and would scream when given a bottle (and refused to eat). So, the best advice I can give is stick with one bottle you like. Remember NO bottle is just like the breast, so let her get used to one bottle. Introducing new bottles will only confuse and frustrate her more. Then be persistent and make sure someone OTHER than you gives her the bottle. She knows you have a breast so she will fight you even more. It may be a good idea to leave the house for a while so you don't feel bad/guilty and give in by giving her the breast she wants.

If it makes you feel any better, I've been there. But don't give up. My baby finally gave in and she now lets me give her a bottle from time to time without fighting. There's hope!

-M.

Hi S.,

My OB/GYN once told me that a baby can hold enough food/milk in it's stomach when it hits about 13.5 lbs. to be satisfied for 5-6 hours of sleep. This weight connection tends to be more important than actual months. For example: My last child was almost 10 lbs. So at 3 months she was 13.5 lbs and like a magic wand she was able to go down for 5-6 hours at a time. This helped me alot especially since I had to rise early to take my 2 other daughters to school everymorning.
This added time gives mom a little bit more of a break and helps the nerves relax a bit more. Thus usually helping other things as well. And can help you with your planning.
All of my children would not consider any nipple or bottle or pumped or formula until around the age of 5 months. ( newborn excluded ) Around this time. Food was introduced and all my babies seemed to want the breast but less stuborn due to the new sensations. Which allowed them to take the bottle.

Amazingly babies that go to sitters learn to take the bottle if they are hungry enough.

Hope this is useful info.

Hi S..

My daughter completely refused bottle and pacifier. She would gag, make faces, cry. I had to return to work (part-time) and I was stressed about her not taking the bottle. The Pump Station recommended the Adiri nurser. My daughter was about 3 months old when we tried it. She took it right away, a miracle right? But then the next day, she wouldn't take it at all. Fool me once... Anyway, my husband was to be with her during the day while I went to work. He had to bring her to me for a feeding a couple of times because she wouldn't take the bottle. He started feeding her with a medicine spoon. That worked, but it waisted a lot of milk. He was really patient with her and kept trying the bottle. Eventually she took it. He puts her in a bouncer chair, holds the bottle in one hand and a toy to distract her in another. It works. I cannot be home or she won't take the bottle. I say, try the Adiri nurser, leave the house and let the most patient soul in your family give it a go, and just keep at it. I had to be completely uninvolved in the process.

And at 5 months old my daughter now takes a pacifier. No more gagging and crying. I only thought to try it after a friend mentioned that her 5 month old just now took the paci. Bizarre.

Best of luck to you.
I was told that these I only want the real deal babies are just smart and more evolved. But I know that is little consolation when you are super tired!

Hi S.! I had the same problem with my youngest son who is now seven. I nursed him and he never did use a bottle. I work full time and was worried about him getting enough fluid while I was gone for the day. I did get him to use a sippy cup early on and that seemed to satisfy him. I tried several brands before I found one that he liked. They make some with soft tops and that is what he ended up liking. Hope this helps!

This is where you got to get tough. You need to leave the house for about 4 or 5 hours. Leave her with someone who can handle the crying. Even if it is putting her in the crib and walking away. (If you can hear her she is fine) The thing is if she is hungry enough she'll take a bottle. (Remember she will not starve to death in 4 or 5 hours.) But she will be mad. Everyday at the same time you leave (weather it's to your room, for a walk, outside to do yard work)she will but this together and start to take the bottle. Once she takes the bottle from someone else keep this bottle time up and add another time if needed.

You yourself can also do this, but don't do this on an emotional day because you will give in. The problem with you doing this is your milk will come in more with the crying so be prepared to be wet and milky. You can't feed her breast milk until she takes the bottle (a whole feeding of the bottle)This could be an all day thing but don't give in and breast feed until she takes the bottle. Once she is done with the bottle go bump your breast. You don't want to make your milk dry up. But once you start this you need to be consistant with it everyday. (be prepared for her to take the bottle completely though, Because it's easier for them to suck milk from a bottle and many babies give up on the mommy. Good Luck!

Hi, I'm in the same boat...have no advice but want to read what responses you get...might help me!

I have a 3 month old baby but she is not colicky. I just got her on the bottle with in the last 2 weeks. I wanted my husband to help me because i was returning to work..today was my first day back. Anyway, he had to work a lot and my parents were on vacation so i had no one to try to feed her. I had no choice but to do it myself. I used the medela bottles because it was convenient....i have the pump. I would start to breast feed her then when she was relaxed i would slip a bottle in her mouth and talk to her saying "good girl" every second and smiling at her very close. She would look at me like"how could you?" but i just kept talking to her. If she cried too much then i would give her my boob again. I also would try to feed her before she got hungry or fussy that way she wouldn't fight me as much. Good luck.

She is more likely to be accepting of a bottle from someone other than yourself. Her sense of smell at that age is amazing, so you need to actually leave the house for a little while so she will eat.

Have you tried a bottle called breastflow? It's a special bottle that acts like the breast nipple. The key is there are two nipples to this bottle and it actually makes the baby work like he/she has to on your breast. I'm currently breastfeeding and using a bottle and there has been no n ipple confusion at all and he takes the bottle great.
Hope this helps - good luck
p.s. they have these bottles at babies-r-us

My sons never took a paci and the 2nd one never took a bottle. I figure he wouldn't nurse forever, so I really tried to enjoy the 16 months of breastfeeding with both of them.

With baby #1, I pumped milk and I had to get him good and hungry. When my husband came home from work, I handed him the baby and the bottle wtih breastmilk. I had to leave the room and within 5 minutes my son was latched on and done.

My 2nd son - no luck there. Totally different personalities from birth.

Also, everyone I know who has had a baby with colic has benefitted by taking potassium gluconate, as well as PB8. In fact, I took 10 potassium gluconate and in 12 hours the colic was GONE. It was like a light swtich. Potassium is standardized 99mg, so I took 10 of those for a few days and then decreased the dosage....not saying that you want to take that much, but I was desperate. I don't know why more medical doctors don't know about it???

If you would like to give me a call I think that we would have alot to talk about. It sounds like your daughter and my daughter are/were a lot a like. My daughter was a quick nuser and frequent. She never took a bottle but did the pacifer. My number is ###-###-####. I got through it by resting when she did and know that it would get easier the older she got and the longer I was a mom. My next one was the opposite. He was a long infrequent nurser who would not take the pacifer. So I guess there is always some kind of balance with these things. I hope that you give me a call and get a little rest. It will get better I promise. Take care.

With my son, I had to just leave the house. If I wasn't there, he'd take a bottle with no problems. As soon as he knew I was there, he only wanted me. It's going to be hard at first. Go to the grocery store and leave baby home with Daddy and a bottle. Eventually it will work. Good luck.

S.--Per your nursing/bottle refusal/huge spit-uphis happened to me when my daughter (now adult) was a newborn. My sister was a neonatal R.N. and she had the strangest trick they used in the nursery, but it worked. She took a baby bottle nipple, stuffed it with cotton, put it in its bottle ring, then taped over the back side of it so the baby wouldn't get air. There wasn't a pacifier made that my daughter would take, but I was afraid she was going to take this contraption to college with her. She DID, however, take a bottle, so the bottle nipple worked. The huge spit up was, I'm quite sure, from over nursing--but she would howl if I stopped. Hope this helps! (Of course, you need to have a store of clean nipples and cotton to use.) Lynne

I am going through the same thing with my five month old. I have tried different bottles, nipples, formula, pumped breast milk, nothing worked so far.I started rice ceral and pear/apple baby food and this is helping. My doc told me not to start solids until after six months but I had to help out at my sons preschool so I had to be able to leave her for a few hours.She loves the food and it holds her over and gives my breasts a bit of a break. I also found these tiny little sippy cups with a very slow flow and I bought some gerber baby apple juice and she seems to take a couple ounces just fine.So hang in there...once you start even a bit of rice cereal you will begin to get a break.

Since she does spit up, chances are that formula would not work for her. It takes longer for the stomach to digest it and could make her spit up more.

You are very fortunate that your baby is determined to get what is what her body needs. And you are not alone in being overwhelmed.

Remember, breastfeeding is a relationship. You might feel that you're doing all the giving and she's doing all the taking. Talk to a pediatrician that is willing to work with you breastfeeding and see if there is anything physiological going on with her. By 3 months, she should be able to handle 4 ounces a feeding and be feeding less frequently (but every baby is different).

Sometimes when a baby doesn't nurse long enough, she doesn't get the "hindmilk." That means she's only getting the appetizer and not the fulfilling entree. When she seems done for her feeding, try burping her really well and then see if she'll finish the same breast.

As far as the bottle. Only give expressed breastmilk--that way when you take her in to the doctor, there won't be too many things to trouble shoot from.

Remember that babies tongue thrust when sucking from a bottle. You still need to stimulate the "comfort zone" on the soft palate. To find the soft palate, touch the roof or your mouth with your tongue behind your teeth. Then slide your tongue back. You'll feel ridges first (the hard palate) then if you continue on back, it becomes smooth (the soft palate), this is where the comfort zone is.

You want to stimulate the comfort zone with the nipple. Continue to hold the bottle nipple there until she gets her suck coordinated. Often parents think that their baby didn't like any of the other nipples until the last one they tried. It probably is that the baby ended giving up.

Getting her to take the bottle may be easier to achieve if someone other than you gives it to her. If this is not possible, I found that getting my baby to take a bottle was easier if I fed her in a different position than when breastfeeding. She can smell the breastmilk in your breast as well as your scent. I fed my baby with her back against my chest keeping her chin slightly tilted up. I am right handed, so she sat on my left arm that was bent across my rib cage.

Good luck, hope this helps.

Go get her checked for pyloric stenosys. My niece did the exact same thing and ended up having surgery for her little tummy and everything is fine now!

Definitely see the doctor about the spitting up problem, and try cutting out all possible "fuss foods" in your diet, such as wheat, dairy, nuts, potatoes, corn and gassy foods. My daughter was similar, had colic and spit up a lot, and cutting out those foods made a huge difference.

My daughter also wouldn't take a bottle (at first) at three months. We tried every bottle on the market, and the ONLY one she would even entertain taking a few sips from was Second Nature bottles, that work like a real breast. They look strange, but the nipple has a bunch of tiny holes instead of one, and if the baby doesn't suck, nothing comes out, like a real breast. At first she would only take an ounce or so, but basically we just kept practicing. I had to go back to work, so we had no choice. It helps if someone else besides mom gives the bottle to her. After being hungry all day, my daughter started to take the bottle more and more, until now at 5 months she has no issues taking the bottle at all. Be patient, it can take weeks before they get used to it. You can also feed her using a medicine dropper, which is a great temporary solution, but it takes FOREVER and it doesn't solve the issue of not taking the bottle. Sooner or later she's going to have to get used to a bottle, for your sanity's sake, and it is easier when they are younger to get them used to something. Once they get older, they are even more opinionated and set in their ways. Good luck!

I have a colicky 3 month old as well. I wasn't breastfeeding anymore, so I had her on Enfamil Nutramingen. It's approximately $26.00 for a 13oz can. CRAZY I know. But it minimized her colick symptoms with in 24 -36 hrs. I also used the Dr. Browne bottles, to reduce bubbles in the bottle. But I must say the best thing is the GRIPE WATER!!! I've used a couple types, the best is Gentle Naturals at Target. Gentle Naturals calls is Colic Soother. It is a combination of Ginger, Fennel and Chamomile. It instantly soothes their bellies. This works better than mylicon because mylicon only works on upper air bubbles. Where the Colic Soother helps the baby relax, and best of all it's natural..

Hope some of that helps.

Hi Stacy,

I had a similiar problem when my son was an infant. I took him to the pediatrician who explained to me that the muscle (I forget what it was called) that controls what comes up is sometimes weak. This normally corrects itself in time. I believe my son was about 16 months old or so when he stopped spitting up every 10 minutes.

Hope this helps...

M.

I had a very 'possety' baby (one who spits up a lot). It got a lot better when someone gently pointed out that I needed to burp her much more thoroughly, preferably after that first 10-20 minute gulp. I could then finish a full feed, burp her again, and she would be happy for at least 3 or 4 hours, instead of 1 or 2 or even less.

To be specific, a little burp or two wasn't enough. I learned to keep patting her until she came up with a belch to make a truck driver proud. :)

Talk to your pediatrician about food allergy testing. What you eat can affect her digestion and her throwing up. If there is a food allergy you can adjust your diet so that she is getting the nutrition she needs. As far as the bottle feeding goes you may just need to keep introducing the nipple but she obviously knows the difference. You should not use formula as dairy is a common food allergy.

I had the same problem with my 2nd baby. It makes things very difficult, doesn't it? I eventually (by the time she was around 5 months old) left her with a sippy cup of breastmilk. Sometimes she would drink it, sometimes she wouldn't. Because I never left for more than a few hours, I tried not to worry too much about her starving to death or anything. Hang in there! It gets easier!

I'm a new mom too but here's the experience I had. My Abbie (7 months 1 week) really didn't like the first type bottle I bought (Second Nature). We tried the First Years Breastflow bottle and she took to that one really well and would not use the other one anymore. I bought mine online but you can find it at Babies R US and I think Target.com. It's available in a single bottle pack so you don't have a bunch of extra bottles in case she doesn't like it. Abigail ate all the time when she was a few months old and I felt like we were attached at the boob! *smile* We used the Enfamil AR as a supplement and it really helped with her spitting up as well as burping approx every 5 mins (an ER ped told us to do that). Ask your pediatrician about nursing time because some babies will fill up and use it as a pacifier (hence the throw up from being full). Abigail did that so I nursed her for about 10-15 mins each breast and she was fine. Have a great day!

I so wish I could help, I am having nearly the exact same problem, and my daughter is also 3 months old. If you receive any good advise and would be willing to share, I would be grateful!

Wishing much luck!
A. Beheshti - my email is ____@____.com

I had the same thing happen to me. Our Dr. recommended that we have Dad give the bottle, with formula or breast milk (or both) at the evening feedings so that I could rest. Then we made sure that she nursed during the day, every 2 hours for a total of no more than 20 minutes each time (ten minutes on each side). She refused the bottle several tmes (which made it frustrating for dad too) but then eased into it. It takes time, but if the baby is that hungry, eventually she'll eat. Once she started with foods, the nursing started to spread to every three/four hours until you are down to a few feedings a day instead of 8-12. Good luck. Lots of things change the baby's nursing pattern later on too (starting daycare, teething, illness) which also disrupts taking a bottle. So hang in there.

My son was doing this. So what I did was I made him take one bottle a day if it took him 3-5 hours then so be it. He eventully started taking it. Still won't take formula but that is fine I don't mind pumping as long as I can leave him. He is now 5 months and takes bottle fine when needed.

Hi S.:

The spitting up may also be allergy related. Poor baby and poor mommy!! I hope you look into at least consulting with an naet certified doctor. Let me know if you want the name and phone number of mine.

M.

Look up the symptoms of GERD. If the symptoms match, then discuss with your pediatrician. My daughter had it for the first 6 months of her life and we were miserable for the first 6 weeks until we got her diagnosed. She would do the same thing. But the doctor did not suggest the diagnosis, we had to ask. The medication made a tremendous improvement in her ability to keep her food down. She was on Zantac and Reglan. They grow out of it by 6 months.

I had the same problem with my daughter. She is now 5. I ended up talking to her doctor and come to find out she had acid refluxe. because of the spitting up all the time she never got full so she had to eat more often.

Hmmmm.... well breastfeeding is an arduous task. It DOES take a lot of time. It is one of the most demanding parts of being a Mommy. You are not alone... especially if you nurse on demand. And during growth spurts, they feed more. But this is what breastfeeding is. Some babies nurse every hour or two. You want to make sure you know what the "rooting" reflexes is in a baby which indicates hunger as well.

Are you wanting to switch to a bottle because you "have to" or because you just "want to?" Remember, that if you switch to bottle feeding.... and pump or use formula... it can alter your milk supply...decreasing it. Keep that in mind. Since your baby is only 3 months old, I'd assume, that you'd want to keep your milk supply up instead of "weaning" her from breast already.

Remember... nursing from a nipple and nursing from a bottle nipple are 2 completely DIFFERENT things... it requires the baby to use 2 different muscles and coordination reflexes in the mouth. Some babies cannot just "switch" or they don't know how to nurse from both. Bottles use gravity to suck the milk... breastfeeding requires the baby to use their mouth & tongue to get the milk flowing and to trigger the "let down." You may want to see a lactation specialist to address these issues. I really recommend this.

Your baby spits up a lot you say and "spits up the entire contents of her stomach." That would be a red-flag to me.. ..and I would ask my Pediatrician about it just to rule out anything. Spit-up is usually about a tablespoon or so of stuff.... if its more than that... well, I'd check it out. Make sure it is just spitting up and not anything like "reflux" problems. Also, make sure she is suckling properly. Also keep her upright perhaps during and after feedings.

As far as bottles/nipples, I love the "MAM" brand baby bottles. You can get it at Amazon.com AND these bottles do not have the BPA's in it, which are poisonous plastics that can leach into the baby's body and cause biological problems. Just go to Amazon and type in "MAM baby bottle" to see it. It also does not cause gas or produce bubbles in the milk as they are drinking.

Good luck, I hope this helps,
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

I would ask the doctor about the spitting up if I were you. She may have reflux. My twins used to spit up a lot. They have reflux. The doctor put them on zantac and now we aren't having many problems at all and the few that we do have are minor in comparison.