Bottle Problems - Saint Paul,MN

I had the same problem with my second, the only bottle that she would take was the Breastflow bottle by The first Years. I know you can get it at Target.com and in some Target store.

My son was breastfed for the first 6 months. I started trying when he was 5 months to get him to take pumped milk from a bottle. He refused. We tried every kind of bottle and he kept refusing. Finally, my pediatrician said that when he got hungry enough he would take the bottle. I felt terrible just thinking about starving my baby! I nursed him in the morning and tried the bottle all day without success. I finally gave in and nursed him at night. I was using a nipple that he seems a little more partial to, the Playtex DropIn. The second day I did the same thing, and halfway through the day, he took the bottle! I was relieved and sad at the same time. Our time together nursing was over. Soon after, I regretted stopping so soon. I have a 4 month old daughter and I plan on nursing her longer than I did my son. We are trying to get her to take a bottle though so that her daddy can feed her too. She's been the same way, not wanting it. We found a nipple that she will suck a little from and chews on without all out screaming everytime it touches her mouth..lol. She just started cereal, so when she's in her high chair, I feed her the cereal from a spoon and let her suck/play with a bottle with a few ounces of breastmilk in it. She does suck on it. My pediatrician also said that you may need to try a few different positions; her sitting a reclined bouncy seat, or have someone else feed her with you completely gone or far away (I guess a baby can smell your milk even if you are in another room!), or have someone else feed her with her wrapped in a shirt that you wore so it smells like you. So far, the sitting in her high chair seems to be getting her familiar with the bottle. I figured it would be a good start since she's learning something new anyway (eating from a spoon). Hope this helped and good luck. I know it can be frustrating finding the magic formula to make it work for your baby.

Just pick one bottle and nipple that you like (or maybe looks most like you) and just keep trying. Also, heat up the milk hotter than you think. My daughter would not drink from a bottle. At three months I needed to start working PT and she went to daycare. Those women were so patient with her, and she was incredibly stubborn!! She did not drink from a bottle at daycare (6 hours a day) for four weeks! Then all of a sudden, one Monday she drank an entire bottle. Later, when we introduced cereal, she again refused the bottle. Some babies just are like this, she never took a Nuk, either, or sucked her thumb.

She is being stubborn, but she will not starve!

Like others, I think the best thing is to let her go for a long stretch, and continue offering her the bottle without having access to you. You'll probably need someone else to do this, so her dad or another adult while you stay away.

Another idea is to skip the bottle, go straight to a sippy or regular cup. Although, 3 months seems rediculously young to do that. So, what about those hybrid sippy cup/spoon systems? I found one at WalMart, no where else, but it might dribble milk into her mouth better than a bottle would.

Does she use a pacifier? If so, she probably *can* suck on the bottle, but may not want to.

You could also call your hospital and get in touch with a public health nurse, who may come to your house and coach you through a few sessions. I found that IMMENSELY helpful after returning home.

And finally, she may never take to the bottle. My cousin still breastfeeds at 14 months, and though she continues to pump at work, and send bottles to the nanny, her son only eats solids and drinks water, he won't take the bottle. He does continue to nurse a ton throughout the night. So she knows he's getting the nutrition he needs. The only downside is that my cousin doesn't get much sleep.

My oldest had the same problem when she went to daycare. The teachers there recommended the Gerber's Clearview with the rubber nipples (not the silicone). I think the rubber made a difference because she never liked the silicone. They are about the cheapest bottles out there and also fit on the Medela pump! For some reason the combination of that and constant trying eventually got her to take a bottle, though it took a couple weeks and I wasn't there.

If they don't get used to the bottle by 6 wks old they often won't get it after that. Our son kinda took one at 6 wks but we didn't keep it up often enough and he forgot how and wouldn't take one well. He'd do the same thing as your and just hold out until I got back. A friend had the same problem so she decided to one day not offer the breast just keep pumping and insisting on her taking the bottle and her baby girl held out for 12 hours refusing it and finally mom gave up. Sorry this isn't too hopeful but sucking from a bottle is very different from nursing and If they get used to nursing after a while they'll forget how to suck from a bottle and if you miss the window of opportunity it's very hard to teach them after that. You can keep trying but I can't give much advice on making it work cause I just finally gave up.

It will be messy for awhile until she gets use to it. I use to watch a small infant that was breastfed. On weekends I didnt get her. The mother will breastfeed her. So Mondays when I fed the baby she would have a hard time with the bottle and it was always messy. :)

first, if you are trying to feed her from a bottle, thats going to cause some issues because she naturally wants the real thing. she might be more accepting of it if you are not the one giving her the bottle. im unsure why you are starting the bottle, but if its to go back to work or something, then try to have someone else feed her the bottles.

if you are with her it is VERY important NOT to give her the bottle. her sucking will determine your milk supply; pumping doesnt do that nearly as well. so make sure that when you are with her, you should always nurse her first.

if you have other issues that you have to pump, thats fine. find a local or nearby la leche league group for support! they will have first hand experience and information for you to keep breastfeeding and have it be successful. ;) www.llli.org. i had to drive an hour to get to my nearest group, it is SOOO worth it, and the friendships you make will last a lifetime. ;)
good luck!

Here is what I have heard. Make sure it's not you that is feeding her a bottle. She knows you have the right equipment so she probably won't take it from you. I've also heard that they will eat out of a bottle if they're hungry enough. So, when it's been over the regular feeding time have a grandparent/boyfriend/husband/friend feed her. Make sure you're not even in the room. Remember they can smell you. Hope some of this helps. Once you get her on the bottle make sure you do it every few days. Our daughter was fine at first and then we didn't for a few weeks. When it was time to get her ready for daycare she wasn't into it. Good luck. She'll get it.