Trying to Introduce Bottle to Breastfed Baby

I'd go see a pediatrician about htis one. SHe may be allergic. I've treid lots of pediatricians before finding Dr. Plank & Dr. Kate Wiggin. f you want their numbers, just let me know. Good luck.

You could try different bottles/nipples. It may be that she's swallowing too much air or that she drinks too much too fast because the milk flow is too high for her. Just try and experiment a little.

Keep breastfeeding. I think this is what you baby is telling you. A great book for this is "My Child Won't Eat!" by Carlos Gonzalez. You can find it at www.llli.org/public. Unless there is some reason you need to introdute the bottle then I would suggest just sticking with the breast. Also, she might just be spitting up because she is getting to much from the bottle and maybe you should feed her smaller increments at shorter intervals. GOOD LUCK!

If you want to continue breastfeeding, talk to a lactation consultant or your local La Leche League. If for some reason you want to use a bottle, talk to your pediatrician. Babies often eat for comfort and end up over eating, hence the large amounts of spit up. The majority of the time, they are still getting the nutrition they need... Good luck!

Nipple confusion...... Have Dad be the one to use the bottle not you. Your daughter associates your touch, your smell with the breast and prefers the contact and the familiarity of you. So Dad will have to take over a few of the feedings, do it when she's hungry, very hungry. Don't be surprised if after awhile she prefers the bottle to the breast as it's easier to nurse from a bottle, not as much work for her mouth. If you're going back to work, make sure that you'll be pumping during the day and nurse as soon as you get home. The daycare provider or your husband should be equated with the bottle, Mom=breast. This worked best for me and my three kids did just fine. To persist is to achieve. Dad was able establish an awesome, closer bond with the kids as well.

Hi Charlene,

I would try different nipples. Always go with the lowest flow-size for breastmilk. I have had good luck with latex NUK nipples, the latex is softer and "warmer". I had to try about different nipples before I found out what works. Breastfeeding works differently than sucking from a bottle and your baby may swallow too much air or too much milk at once. Keep the meals small in the beginning (only an ounce or so at a time) and if she refuses the artificial nipple, try to have dad offer the bottle - I could never get my daughter to take a bottle from me, but is was not problem if others fed her.

It might work to try Dad (or another person) instead of mom for the bottle for now. I think it is pretty common for a child who is breastfed to not take a bottle from mom. Also, make sure the nipple is the slowest flow you can get. The spit up is probably from overeating. That easily happens with a bottle. So, maybe offer less breastmilk in the bottle for now and see if that helps. If not, check with the pediatrician that your daughter isn't experience acid reflux/GERD.

Oh, my gosh, we had this same problem! It was so frusterating!!!! My son is now 3 months, almost 4, and almost no spitting up at all.

People told me he could have reflux, but my doctor wasnt big on that. He said lots of burping, holding him upright after eating. It has gotten so much better. I think its also a maturity thing for his digestive tract.

we introduced the bottle right away, like at about 2 weeks. Our lactation consultant said its best to introduce it at 3-5 weeks. They can learn then easier, and you hopefully will have a good milk supply established. There were some tips about introducing it:

have someone other than mom do it, and hold them in a different position than they are used to

try when they are not super hungry or they may be too upset
be patient and keep trying!

Good luck.

I remember we were so frusterated about the milk being spit up, and then he was always feeding. We kind of made it through I think! I does get better.

Spitting up is fairly common. Check with your pediatrician if you're having concerns about your daughter getting enough nutrition. Besides normal baby spitting up behavior, GERD could be an issue. Also, if it is projectile vomit, your doctor may wish to have an ultrasound done to rule out pyloric stenosis. Here's a link to explain what that is: http://tinyurl.com/lh3cy. My son vomited a lot, too. (And he was breastfed.) As long as he was gaining weight well, his doctor wasn't too concerned about doing anything drastic like having me change my own diet or switching to formula, etc.

She is spitting it up because she is getting tons of air. You need to switch bottles or at least nipples. Probably, the milk is coming out to fast and she can't figure out how to latch onto it. Burp her more often and better.
I got my nursing babies to accept a bottle by using a breastbottle.

http://www.onestepahead.com/product/osa/686.html

It looks really silly since it is shaped like a breast, but it touches baby's cheeks while feeding just like your breast, and it is warm, soft, and shaped similar. My son held onto it like he would hold onto my breast. They are more expensive than regular bottles, but you really only need one.

This is exactly the same problem i had with my 2yr old and with my now 3 month old. I started a bottle and breast asap with the youngest one. The best advice i can give you is to keep trying, pump instead of breast if your really serious about her getting used to the bottle. I am doing both breast and formula feeding now with mine and try to only bottle feed at night so he wont spit up and choke. Another idea is to breast feed and top her off with the formula bottle. Formula is thicker and thats why it stays down better. Also trying different nipples until you find one they like might help. For instance if they use a pacifier use a nipple the same shape as it. One downside to breast feeding can be the excess spit up because it is so much thinner. But know in time it does get better they learn how to keep it down better as there stomach muscles get stronger. Good luck,looks like you and i are in the same boat a 2 yr old and a newborn.

How does the milk smell? Some people have milk high in lipase. It would smell bad if this is the case. But you can scald the milk just after pumping and then store it normally.

You may want to try storing the milk in another container, such as a glass bottle or stainless steel.

So, does she take the bottle easily? Other than trying other nipples,
•try different positions
You can also feed her with a cup, spoon or eyedropper.

Also feel free to call the Nursing Mothers Counsel of Oregon
www.nursingmotherscounsel.org

My son was like this to, and he eventually out grew it. Until then just make sure you stop after each ounce or two to burp.

Don't let people try to make you feel bad for trying to use a bottle! Some people can be very judgmental! All the baby is telling you with all the spit up is that the milk is flowing a little to fast and he is swallowing too much air! A better bottle and a lot of burping will help. Both my boys got both breast milk and formula from a bottle from birth and took both with no problem. I never felt comfortable breast feeding in public, so bottles worked great for me when I was out and about, and I still got to experience breast feeding when we were home. It was a great solution.

Charlene - I am a little confused about the two responses I see below. Did you ask a different question about your son who wasn't eating enough, just junk? I agree with the two that posted below, offer ONLY good food, he'll eat when he gets hungry.
OKAY, on to what you asked about. I too breastfed my babies, and the first time I introduced the bottle to my first he drank it down and proptly barfed it back up. I fed him again later, same thing. So, I asked around and it turns out that the nipple that I had on his bottle had a "larger" hole where the milk was coming out. Breastfed babies have to work a bit when they are nursing, they suck harder. When you give them a bottle it comes out much more easy so they gulp the milk down and get too full too fast, hence the barfing. I would go to babies r us and see if you can find some newborn nipples or ask someone who works there, they will point you in the right direction. The other thing I would do is have dad do all bottle feeding, if possible. Your baby would rather nurse with her mommy and feel the closeness of you and your skin. If you offer she will probably not take from you right away. You may have better luck if you are out of the room and dad is doing the feedings.
Good Luck, L.

It's true, you are only making him more unhealthy by letting him eat only sugars and fatty foods. He will not starve. If he is hungary he will eat. You have the control here and if he won't eat healthy at the time he should eat then just save it for the next time he asks to eat. If he likes ice cream, give him frozen yogurt instead. Make his french fries by baking them instead of giving him fried stuff. Make it fun to eat and let him feed himself. Make a face on his tray out of finger foods and tell him to eat the smile first, and so on. If he is not eating much you have to make sure it is nourishing. Have your husband or a friend show you some cooking tips. If you give him pinto beans a lot, embellish one day by putting cheese on it or some rice in it. You my not have given him enough nourishment through nursing. My friend's newborn was so small that he was considered malnurished and the doctor made her put him on formula. Try adding Pedia Sure for his drink.

I didn't read your first request. But I'm assuming she doesn't spit up after breastfeeding then? If she does after both it may be something you're eating (dairy, wheat, etc...). The problem we had was that my daughter rejected breast milk from the bottle but would take formula from a bottle. Strange I thought, but it seems she was making the connection that breast milk shouldn't come from a latex nipple, just mama's. =)

Try a slower flow nipple. Maybe she's just gulping too much too quickly? Also, are you freezing the breastmilk? My sister can't freeze her milk because it spoils. She has to cook it before freezing to keep it tasting right. The easiest way to know is probably to taste your milk and see if the bottle is spoiled milk or sweet.

I realize this isn't exactly an answer to your question the way you asked it - but it sounds to me like your baby is telling you very clearly that she wants the real thing. And your son was very smart too to refuse the bottle. I would strongly encourage you to just breastfeed her, unless there is some reason that you absolutely have to go back to work or something. It's so much simpler and way better for everyone. I do applaud you for wanting to give her breastmilk, even if it comes through a bottle, but there is much more to breastfeeding than just the nutritious milk. The close connection and warmth, the bonding, the hormones that are released, the supply-and-demand system, the way that the breast milk composition changes depending on what the baby needs right at that moment, the foremilk and hindmilk supply - all of these very important things don't happen if you use a bottle. If you're feeling pressured by someone else to give her a bottle, I'd encourage you to get support from La Leche League or other breastfeeding advocates. If your reason for wanting to use a bottle is so your husband and/or other people can help in the feeding - again, I applaud you for thinking of them - but there are many many much better ways that they can connect with your baby (which will increase as she gets older), allowing you to still be the mom, the main nurturer. If the reason is so that you can go out and leave your baby, I'd encourage you to rethink that idea and take your baby with you. They grow up so fast, you will have plenty of time later to do things on your own. I'd suggest that you really listen to your baby, she knows what is best!

First does she spit this up after breast feeding, if not good no problem there what may be wrong if she drinks but then spits it all up may be due to the fact she, is getting to much air to fast which you do not get from the breast. try more often stopping to burp her like every ounce just sit her up and rub her back, do not lay or hold her stomach close, so the air can go through, also just a touch of sugar on the nipple to start the feeding will take away the taste of the nipple to begin with yes it if ok to do so just a taste on the wet nipple will not hurt, as I have used a touch of peanut butter for mine twenty nine years ago he took to the switch very easy, S. L. Vancouver Wa

i feel your pain. niether one of my little ones took the bottle once they had the real thing!! so i really don't have much advice in that area except maybe to have someone else try and give it to her when you are not there. you may want to speak with her dr about spitting up. they are finding that an alarming amount of babies suffer from reflux. it is completely treatable with an oral antibiotic and they slowly out grow it. just a thought. my son had it from the time he was born. good luck.
C.

I always was able to successfully combine breast and bottle feeding 3 times! Go buy the Playtex bottles with the milk bags. Then make sure you get the funny looking nipples that imitate Mommy's nipples. The bags prevent too much air getting into baby's tummy and the nipples are more appealing to a breast-fed baby.

Then pump. I used a Medela breast pump and could pump from both sides, so even though I worked I could breastfeed up to 3 years! Baby would get Mommy's expressed milk when Mommy was working.

It's great that you are continuing to try to feed Mommy's milk even from a bottle. As you know, mother's milk is best. It helps brain development up to 2 years of age! A lot of formulas have NO vitamins for brain development. Finally some got smart and started adding DHA which is essential for brains.

I would try different bottles, with different nipples.

Well in all honesty I would advise you to wean your son and get him on solid foods only ( this is just my opinion though) Furthermore I would give your son food if he doesnt eat it o well, he wont starve, it seems it is harder on you than on him, he will get hungry and will eat, you said he is almost 2 and 1/2 , he knows when he is hungry and when he is not, feeding him junk foods is worse than letting him skip a meal, the foods that contain so much processed items and corn suryup are so bad for your son's teeth, his blood sugar and digestive tract. If your concearns are really worriesome I would say to talk to your child's peditrition and or a nutritionist. The best of luck to you ;)

Hi Charlene... Is she drinking the bottle then spitting up after? If that is what is happening then maybe she is just getting too much air with the bottle you are using. What type of bottle are you using? I like the playtex drop-ins with the slow flow nipples because with the drop-ins you can squeeze out the extra air.

But, if she is just not liking the whole bottle thing you may want to use a type that mimick the breast a lot. When I was at Babies R Us the other day I saw some new bottles that were designed to be just like the breast (they are really new on the market). I can't recall the name of them but there were kind of weird looking and all clear and kind of looked like a boob. I think they were like $12 each. But, they may be something to try as they mimick the breast more than any of the others. So, if you are just having issues because the bottle isn't your breast then maybe they would be something to try.

I'm not sure if your issue is that she just doesn't want the milk out of the bottle or if she is getting too much air. But trying a different kind of bottle may just do the trick. Good luck!

You might try the newer Gerber Breast-Flow bottles. It's the only kind my now 25mo old would take. I used to use the Playtex wide mouth ones with my almost 5yr old when he was a baby but my second wouldn't take them. Sometimes you just have to keep trying different nipples until you find the one that is comfortable for your baby, sort of like pacifiers. The nice thing about the breast-flows are that they are double nippled to keep air out and minimize how much milk your baby gets just like your breast and they were made with the help of a lactation consultant.
She might be getting too much air or just eating too much at one time for her little stomach to hold. Our problem after going through this was that my 2 boys had reflux and it was bad enough that they got put on 2 different meds for it. My second son still has it but is slowly growing out of it and sees a specialist for his, so you can't rule that out. Most babies spit up but you need to find out what is causing it.
Good Luck!
T.