Won't Take Bottle - Surprise,AZ

Have you checked your breastmilk to make sure it doesn't smell sour? I recently started having a problem with my son taking the bottle and noticed that my milk that had been in the freezer for a couple of months smelled sour....if you notice that then you can try scalding your milk before freezing it. If you don't have that issue then just keep trying the bottle. My son is better about taking it now. He actually prefers to do it himself over having me hold it...we also discovered that he prefers his milk cold instead of warmed up! Seems weird to me, but whatever! She knows that if she doesn't drink the bottle then she can just hold out for the breast so I would try having someone (your husband?) watch her and give her a bottle while you go to a movie or go grocery shopping or something a couple of days a week...that way she realizes that if she's hungry, that's what she gets. It took my son a couple of weeks (and getting a bottle 3 times a week) to finally decide he'd give in and drink the bottled milk. Good luck!

congrats for still nursing! that is awesome. it is a big, WRONG misconception that once nurslings get teeth, it hurts nursing (I am nursing a two year old with all her teeth and no problems). To find out more about nursing and teething, please go to www.mothering.com and click on the "discuss" tab - there you will find a lot of different forums, including at least three dedicated to breastfeeding. lots of great advice.

Instead of a bottle, have you simply tried to have your baby drink from a cup? That is what I used to do and it worked great!

Here are some thoughts in no particular order:
1. teeth do not make nursing more painful. If it did, no one would nurse very long at all (I'm nursing a two year old once a day still). If you are bitten, pull away, make a grouchy face and say NO. They want to nurse more than they want to bite you!
2. Try the adiri nipple, which is breast shaped.
3. Poke holes in a nipple to better simulate how milk leaves your breast. Your milk does not flow out of one hole, but from several ducts.
4. It is normal for a baby to want YOU and not an inferior substitute (the bottle AND the formula). And you're right: pumping and storing are much more effort than just nursing.
5. This stage of her life is VERY short lived. Before long she'll be running away from you! Go ahead and nurse her now and accept you won't be leaving her for long periods. Mothers are not meant to leave their babes for long periods when they are this age. You WAH, so you can make it work! In a few months, she'll be eating some foods and can be without you for longer. SEe how fast your baby boy grew up? Wasn't it just yesterday he was your daughter's age? Hold her now and nurse her now as nature intended and soon this won't even be an issue anymore.
Good luck!

I know it's tough!! I nuresed for a long time!!! I know that going from the breast to the bottle is sometimes difficult, but just remember....it's ok for your baby to cry. From one mom to another, we don't want our babies to be upset, but when she's hungry, she'll eat. I had to do that myself. When I went back to work, I had to leave her with the bottle and I knew that she was miserable, but when she got hungry....she ate. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I know it's hard, but believe me, it's ok!!! And take it from someone who's been bit by baby teeth....IT HURTS : ) Stay strong....good luck...Oh, have someone else feed her from the bottle...that way, you won't give in..... : )

get some of those clear silicon type nipples at the store (the very pliable ones) and cut just the very tip off of one and put it over your breast when you breast feed. Then use that kind of nipple on the bottles that you use when you bottle feed. That should work.

I breast fed my daughter for 7 mos. I could never get her to take a bottle with or without breast milk or formula. We tried poking holes in the nipples, etc. I did have to leave her once with someone with a bottle, and she never did take it. We switched her to a free-flowing cup with a lid and gave her cereal in it at first. It took a while to get her used to the cup, but she got the hang of it. The up side is that we never had to wean her off of a bottle,

I'm sorry about the situation. When my youngest was a baby, he did the same thing. If it didn't come straight from the tap, he didn't want anything to do with it! I had friends try, my husband, I tried, nothing worked. I tried b-milk, formula, a mixture of both, etc. I couldn't even go to the gym because he'd be screaming by the time I got home. I'd literally walk in the door and he'd latch on. Unfortunately I was never sucessful with the bottle until he weaned around a year old. He refused cow's milk too, the ONLY way I could get him to take a bottle was to give him Rice Milk, which has little nutrients and wouldn't be good for your babies age. After a few months of this, he finally started drinking cows milk out of sippy cups. Good luck. I'd like to read the other posts to see what others did too.

I'm not sure if this the same thing but i started feeding rice ceral to my 7 months old son and he refuses the bottle! But when I stop feed him the rice ceral he would drink the bottle with no problem. They will get over it! Also check the b milk if it's sour, the baby will not drink it. They are very smart. :)

Hi T. - This is so frustrating, I really feel your pain! My daughter went thru the same thing at this age. I'd really be suprised if it's anything other than her just wanting her Mommy. My daughter is now a very strong willed spunky toddler :0) Here's my suggestions.

- Keep trying the bottle everyday! I tried it at least twice a day.
- Try different nipples, if you can find one that looks most like your nipple she may take it.
- Don't wait until she's too hungry, try when she's in a good mood.
- Keep at it, eventually she'll take it....we Mom's need a break sometime!!!

Good luck!

My six month old never would take a bottle either. I'm not working right now, so I've given up the fight...It gets hard sometimes because no one else can take her for very long, but I figure she's be grown and drinking from a cup soon, Hang in there mama and remember that breast fed babies are prooven to have higher IQs :)

My son did the same thing - he stopped liking the bottles after my husband stopped giving him one every day. Luckily, I am home most of the time. The few occassions we have gone out, Grandma has had to deal with the bottle aversion issues. The first time was tough and he ended up not taking the bottle at all. He survived. The second time, he played with it for a while, then drank. The third, he decided to take it pretty quickly.

I can tell you two things: she will drink from a bottle if she is hungry enough and since you are worrying about the "what if", stop - you are putting more pressure on yourself than you need! Speaking from experience!! :) My son now has 5 teeth, three on top and two on bottom. I never feel the bottoms and have gotten used to the ones on top. It's not as bad as I thought! Keep it up if you can - breastfeeding is so worth it!!

I would talk to her pediatrician. Have you tried making thick Rice cereal and spoon feeding her? My son when he was 2 months we were doing that mixed with veggies. (he is now almost 9 months and is a great eater) Her gums maybe hurting and the nipple hurts them....(usually it helps...but all babies are different)

I am in the same boat. My son is the same age as your daughter and won't take a bottle either. I have started a sippy cup with water so he can practice that and so far so good. Also, when I drink water from a glass I offer some to him and he takes a sip or three. So, if I leave him with someone else I know he does have a way to take milk.

good luck

T.,
I am the mom of 5 the youngest is now 13. The time you get to nurse is so short. Your daughter will take a bottle or a cup in time but she is still so young. Enjoy the time you have. My son went from the breast to a cup. Each child is different. I breast fed all my children until they were at least a year and they all had teeth. The only time it will hurt will be if she bites down. If she does poke her cheek and say don't bite me. Your finger will cause her to open her jaw and stop feeding her for a while. I hope this helps ease your mind.