Baby Refusing Bottle

I know this may sound weird, but when I was breastfeeding and asked about bottles etc, the lactation specialist told me to use a sippy cup and skip the bottle altogether. I never tried it since my daughter decided NOT to breastfeed.....

I went through this same exact thing almost exactly a year ago with my daughter. She preffered to nurse over anything and wouldn't take a bottle to save her life. She finally accepted Playtex Drop In's with the Brown Nipples but it took time and me not giving it to her (if you want to have more successful nusring experience when the baby gets older have someone else give them a bottle). If that doesn't help trying giving the baby a sippy cup. They have the kind with the hard "nipples" and it's so different they might prefer it. I started my baby on them when she was 6 months old but wish I hadn't found so hard to keep up with the bottle.

Let us know how it goes!

Feel free to contact me with any other questions. I nursed for 11 months and pumped until she was 14 months old. I am almost a pro at this stuff now. LOL!

Recently went through the same thing with my 4 month old. She would take 2 or 3 ounces and then get all mad and refuse anything except my breast. I finally decided to start a practice run for when I return to work. So one Monday we began our day like we normally do on the breast but once 8:00 hit her only option was the bottle until 5:00. The first day was really hard and I thought I was going to give in. Amazingly we were still able to keep her on her nap schedule so that I had time to pump. The second day was a little better. By the third day she had it. She wasn't really happy about it but she would take a 7 ounce bottle in one sitting.

Also experiment with bottle temp. It turns out that my little girl likes her bottle really warm.

Good luck

Can you do a trial day where yor husband takes care of your son and you could take a mommy day which is probably much needed. I nursed all 4 of my children and know that when you are close they can smell you. If he can smell you he doesn't want what's not you. Also the nipples, I have found Avents nipples to the best and most like mom.
Feel free to conatct me.
Best Wishes
J.

Since you are returning to work in a short amount of time it is imperative that your baby learn to drink from a bottle. My advice is to have your husband begin bottle feeding him as much as possible. Your son has already received the maximum benefits from nursing and since you are going to be traveling for your job he must learn to rely on your husband while you are away to have his needs met. One of the problems with your son not taking a bottle of breast milk is that he has become used to enjoying the whole process of breast feeding - the closeness to you, your scent, the warmth of the breast milk, the feel of your nipple in his mouth and now you're trying to get him to drink a bottle of your breast milk without everything else that used to go with it. I was always taught that the hardest part of getting your baby to take a bottle was the mother accepting the fact that nursing must stop. For your son's sake you really need to get someone else to feed him his bottle if you can. You might even have your 6 year old daughter feed him while you watch them from another room so he doesn't smell you. He will associate your scent with breast feeding and he needs to learn at this young age that Mommy can do a lot of things for him but she cannot breast feed him anymore because Daddy will be taking over his care in a very short time. Hope this helps. R.

i had a very similar issue with my daughter, but she wouldnt take a bottle at all, it was a silicone nipple, i tried different bottles, but when back to the playtex drop in's bottle, but threw out the silicone nipple and replaced it with the playtex laytex nipples and woola, she took it, if your child is taking asilicone try a laytex nipple if its laytex, tried a silicone nipple, i bet it is the texture that your child is not liking, especially if he is chewing on the nipple. hope this helps.(just buy one nipple though in case it doesnt work this way your not wasting your money)

You should definately relax. Baby is not going to starve or become dehydrated. There are a couple of things you can do to help transition him.
Let your husband feed him the bottle. He just doesn't want it from you.
Try different nipples. Different brands, different shapes, different colors, just don't give up.
Leave the room when the feeding is taking place. Baby knows your scent, your voice, and can absolutely see you from across the room.
Don't try to bottle feed baby when he's too hungry. He will get too frustrated and just won't be interested. Wait an hour after his last feeding, then have Dad offer an ounce or two.
Don't worry if it just doesn't happen while you are home. Some babies are so tuned in to Mommy that they will refuse the bottle unless they are sure Mom is not home.
Good luck.

First I would say keep pumping and breastfeeding as long as your content to do so.
As for the bottle situation, There are so many kinds of bottles out on the market that either mimic or simulate nursing. The question is, which one feels comfortable and similar to your breast in his mouth.
So I have a few suggestions:
1) By as many bottles as you can afford (1 of various different kinds) and let him tell you which one he works with. Be patient till you find the one that works. For the record, it will be hell. Anything that doesnt transition easy can be described as Hell! When your home nurse, but
2)Another option is using your breast milk with a soft spout type of cup that flows freely. I know Avent has soft spouts that go on the top of the bottles.
3) He wont starve him self. If he is hungry enough and mad enough, he will eat. It is a battle of wills especially when it comes to weening. Even though you dont want to ween him completely, he does have to know that a bottle will give him the goods when your not around.

Just keep your head up and trust your instincts. You are the mom and loving your baby and doing whats right sometimes getts muddled up in wails and hurting boobs. But if you have to go back to work, keep pumping, trying bottles, prep the hubby for the wails and invest in earplugs.
The one thing I recall from the infant to toddler days, Things your baby goes through only last about 2-3 weeks of drama, then it is on to the next issue! So this should take a few weeks, but he will get it and then he will be doing something else. Just kiss him alot, hug him and know that this two shall pass!

Good luck!