Baby Not Fond of a Bottle (Or Pacifier)

I had the same issue with my son. We ended up using the avent bottles. I couldn't feed him, but anyone else could with a bottle.

You may have to experiment with other types or shapes of nipples. Not all babies take well to the same nipple -- they seem to develop preferences to one thing or another. Perhaps the ones shaped more like a human nipple with the disposible linings might work. Also, the bottle seems to be easier than the breast,(using different facial muscles). Perhaps she is getting too much milk too fast or just needs more time to adjust to the changes in feel.

Let your husband help in other ways, diapering, bathing, cuddling.....you stick to feeding. She obviously knows what's best! :)

Beata, I know what you're going through, my son has always been supertough to feed! We had special newborn bottles at first (nurse recommended) but found that switching to an older-baby bottle helped. The newborn teat seemed a little too bendy for him; he actually preferred the stiffer one. Once we found a bottle he liked, he actually tasted it and found out it was mommy's milk! So my advice to you is to experiment with bottles.....hope it helps!!

R.

We went through this same thing. Everyone told me that my husband would need to give her the bottle with me no where to be seen. If the baby senses you she will hold out for the breast. My husband couldn't stand to hear her scream though so we never pushed the issue. The dr said that if she was hungry enough she would take the bottle. I just wasn't willing to chance it and leave the house without her being fed.

My daughter is 11 months now and we are counting down the days until we can switch her to whole milk from a sippy. She has never had a bottle. I know for next time to introduce the bottle from the beginning, even if I plan to breastfeed again. It sure would have freed me up to do more and would have allowed me to leave my daughter for more than just a few hours at a time.

Hi Beata Congratulations on your little one. I think that you should try a different nipple, a harder one. My little girl hated the dr. browns because they would colapse on her ans she couldn't get anything out. My guess is that my little Eva just sucked too hard. I used evenflo bottles and nipples. I hope this helps. Good luck
M.

I have similar advice. Sometimes you have to go through several bottles before you can find on they like. My son took to the playtex drop in liners with no problem. I friend of mine bought and sterilized about 20 Advent bottles and her child refused them. She tried several and ended up with some cheap target ones with animals on them. He went for those right away! So, only buy one or two as you try them! Good luck, your child taking a bottle is a BIG help! One more thing I just thought of. Try leaving the house and have your husband try. A baby's sense of smell is AMAZING! If she can smell that you are around and lactating, she could refuse because of that too. I have even read the suggestion of sleeping in one of your husbands shirts and having him wear it when he tries to feed her, you never know!

Hi Beata,
Although I did not have this problem, just the opposite really, I do have a suggestion. Trying changing bottles and pacifiers till you find one that she likes. There are several different style bottle nipples out there so try them all. If not, you may just have to wait it out. As for a pacifier, a lot of babies don't like the nook pacifier shape, my daughter included. The hosptial gave her a green rubbery one that was big and bulky (more like a bottle nipple) and she loved it. As she got older she would use the whole thing-flipping it around in her mouth and everything. They can be found just about anywhere (Walmart/Target).

Good Luck!

A little about me! I'm 35, a writer and a mother to beautiful four year old girl.

just relax and try not to push her. i have a 10 month old that i tried since she was 4 months old to give her the bottle or a pacifier. bought every bottle on the market. it was just to early for her. she took bottles when she turned 6 months and a pacifier at 8 months suddenly. my advice if you don"t have to don"t even try right now. at 6 months i had to bottlefeed her and it took us about a day and a half with me not feeding her or even beeing there in the beginning. good luck1

I little boy would not take any bottle but Advent. The nipple is more 'square' like the breast. He was a premiee and didn't have a problem in the hospital will the bottle until we got home and I was nursing him more. As for the pacifier, I'm never took one. At time I wish he would but all in all I'm glad him doesn't take one.

try changing the nipple. i was haveing the same type of problem with my daughter when i went back to work. my mom went and bought the platex (sp?) cheap-y type of bottle with the old brown really rubbery nipple and it work perfectly. (i guess they feel closer to the real thing?) then once she got used to those we went back and tried the bottles we orginially bought and she had no problem with them. i hope it works!

This is totally normal for a breastfed baby. My daughter didn't take or like a bottle until almost 5 months old. I would definitely recommend a different bottle. Lacation consultants do not recommend Dr. Brown b/c the nipples are too narrow. My daughter likes Avent bottle/nipples.

My daughter would get VERY upset with daddy trying to give her a bottle at a young age - we tried at eight weeks. I would say don't force it - it will just make things worse.

There are alternatives to bottles also. You can try a medicine dropper, shot glass (put it to her lips & she will suck the milk out), or medicine cup (the kind that comes with kid's cough syrup).

By the way, you say five WEEKS old in your message, but your "about me" says five MONTHS. I am sure one is a typo but it makes a big difference in people's responses, as far as taking a bottle.

Mom to 10 month old Kate

Hi, Beata! My experience with breastfeeding has not been very good so I tried to find as much information on it as possible. From what I know, breasfeeding is not just a simple process of feeding. Your body provides confort and calms the baby. I'm not surprised that she reacts that way. She just wants to be next to you. Even though she is very small, she can tell the difference and knows that you are her mother. I would keep on offering the bottle. Eventually she will take it. But maybe she is just not ready to give up her zone of confort.
Good luck!

D. T.

My twins are not big on the pacifier either, but they have absolutely no problmes with the bottle. I would suggest trying different bottles to see if she'll like another one better. I use the Avent bottles and love them. My sis also used them with both of her kids and they took them with no problmes.

Good luck!
N.
www.discoverytoyslink.com/N.

I can relate, but I have no solutions for you. I have 3 kids, and none of them took pacifiers, my first two would take the bottle when they got a little older, but the youngest wanted nothing to do with the bottle.

The Ped said to use ortho nipples cause they are supposedly more like mom. Made no difference to Savannah though.
Sorry not much help, my mom said I was the same way.

Have you tried a nipple that is designed like your breast?

What my mom did with my brother, who was just like your daughter, is pumped and then put a little of the breast milk on the nipple of the bottle. Sometimes it just takes time though. Good luck on that!
H.

some babies just don't care for the fake stuff when they have the real thing!!! like everyone else said, just keep trying different nipples and bottles and see if you find one hte baby will take. and if not...don't push the issue. there is always the chance she will go from one extreme to the next, you'll find a nipple she likes and then she won't take the the breast....so you may want to prepare yourself for that idea. part of the problem may be that nursing from the breast takes much more work on a babies part...so once she realizes how much easier she can get it form a nipple, she may not go back. just soemthing to think about.
good luck!

I dont want to be a downer but i know exactly what you are going through. all prev advice is good, and i tried all of it. she never took a bottle or formula or pacifier. we spent well over 100 on bottles, nipples, pacifiers, formula, you name. We tried me leavint the house and she just screamed the whole time if she was hungry, poor daddy couldnt take it. Broke his heart. she knew what she wanted and that was that. I am glad she didnt want the pacifier, even if it would have given me a break then. one less fight in this next year. lol She went to a sippy cup with a mix of Silk Enhanced and milk, since no formula and i had to go back to work at 9 months. She will also only use the nuby sippies with the soft straw. will not under any circumstance drink from regular sippy. I am sorry i dont have any useful advice to give you here, since none worked for me, but i wanted you to know you are not alone and as all else, this too shall pass. Best wishes.

You might want to try introducing the bottle after you have allowed her to breastfeed. That way, she's not as hungry and might be more willing to give it a try. You might also try switching the nipple to the Stage 2 one. I used Dr. Brown bottles with my daughter as soon as she came home from the hospital, but she was not a big drinker so we used the Stage 1 nipples until she was about 4 months old. The Stage 2 nipple is faster flowing, so the liquid comes out easier. Last but not least, make sure you try to stay calm because babies can sense any tension or stress you may be feeling and it will only make things worse. Just keep trying and she will eventually take the bottle -- especially if it is easier for her!! Good luck! Oh, and the pacifier that someone else was referring to (the one from the hospital) is called a Soothie. The hospital gave us one of those and my daughter liked it pretty good in the beginning. Now, she prefers her thumb.