9 week old difficulty taking bottle

whodafunk

Hi. Any tips at all? The baby won't take expressed milk from a bottle. We bought the Tommy Tippee closer to nature as we had Philips Avent. The baby will eventually take it but the whole process is very distressing and only ever takes less than 1ml. This process could take up to half an hour.

Would love to hear if anybody had any similar experiences/success stories?

Thank You

pwurple

whodafunk wrote: »

Hi. Any tips at all? The baby won't take expressed milk from a bottle. We bought the Tommy Tippee closer to nature as we had Philips Avent. The baby will eventually take it but the whole process is very distressing and only ever takes less than 1ml. This process could take up to half an hour.

Would love to hear if anybody had any similar experiences/success stories?

Thank You

I know a girl who had the same problem. She got it to work by getting someone else to give the bottle. She couldn't even be in the room.

After the baby was settled a while with that she was able to do it.

whodafunk

pwurple wrote: »

I know a girl who had the same problem. She got it to work by getting someone else to give the bottle. She couldn't even be in the room.

After the baby was settled a while with that she was able to do it.

Thanks for the reply - my husband has actually tried it with me out of the room. Still no joy.

I'm very much tied to the baby and would like to be able to give a bottle to free myself up a little.

Gadfly Girl

Well done on feeding yourself this far. First of all expressed human milk is not the same as synthetic milk powder so try not to worry too much about quantities once baby is satisfied.

Some breastfed babies never accept a bottle but they can be spoon-fed expressed milk or cup fed from about 4 months. Baby is unlikely to accept these methods from mum if used to being fed at the breast, but will accept these methods from someone else if mum is not around. The first 12 weeks of breastfeeding are most demanding and I would like to reassure you things will get a lot easier in time it will become so hassle-free and convenient.

Feeding at the breast gives baby lots of comfort too, so feeding from the bottle may not be babies preference at all
Hang in there.

There are good support groups for breastfeeding mums on facebook with lots of real and practical advice. Also www.kellymom.com is an excellent resource for breastfeeders/ babies on expressed milk.

I have personal experience of a child never accepting a bottle despite trying so many brands etc etc. In the end baby accepted expressed milk from a cup at 4mths to enable my return to work, and fed from the breast in a cluster on my return to compensate a little.

Feel free to pm if you've any further questions.

whodafunk

Gadfly Girl wrote: »

Well done on feeding yourself this far. First of all expressed human milk is not the same as synthetic milk powder so try not to worry too much about quantities once baby is satisfied.

Some breastfed babies never accept a bottle but they can be spoon-fed expressed milk or cup fed from about 4 months. Baby is unlikely to accept these methods from mum if used to being fed at the breast, but will accept these methods from someone else if mum is not around. The first 12 weeks of breastfeeding are most demanding and I would like to reassure you things will get a lot easier in time it will become so hassle-free and convenient.

Feeding at the breast gives baby lots of comfort too, so feeding from the bottle may not be babies preference at all
Hang in there.

There are good support groups for breastfeeding mums on facebook with lots of real and practical advice. Also www.kellymom.com is an excellent resource for breastfeeders/ babies on expressed milk.

I have personal experience of a child never accepting a bottle despite trying so many brands etc etc. In the end baby accepted expressed milk from a cup at 4mths to enable my return to work, and fed from the breast in a cluster on my return to compensate a little.

Feel free to pm if you've any further questions.

Thanks so much for the helpful reply.

Unfortunately I've got mastitis twice (currently have it) which is making things more difficult. I'm at a stage where I have to express using a pump to ensure it clears. The baby is getting frustrated as my milk supply is low at night.

tinkerbell

whodafunk wrote: »

Thanks so much for the helpful reply.

Unfortunately I've got mastitis twice (currently have it) which is making things more difficult. I'm at a stage where I have to express using a pump to ensure it clears. The baby is getting frustrated as my milk supply is low at night.

If you have mastitis keep on feeding, just feed all the time. Get into bed with your baby and stay there and feed. Can you feed lying down on your side? It's the best way!! Were you pumping before you got mastitis? Who told you to pump? A GP? Pump after feed. I would get a second opinion from an LC if you can. Also because you've had it twice in 9 weeks, you need to find out what's causing it so I would highly recommend getting a visit from an LC.

Baby getting frustrated because of supply being low will fix itself if you allow unlimited access to the breast - it'll stimulate more milk production so in a day or two it'll be up again.

Good info here:
http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/mastitis/

Just feed all the time. And stay in bed. You need to rest and figure out what's causing the infection.

FurBabyMomma

I'm currently going through the same issue and at 14 weeks I'm still in that predicament. Another poster advised me to read this thread and it's been very helpful:

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057216333/5/#post93718488

Gadfly Girl

whodafunk wrote: »

Thanks so much for the helpful reply.

Unfortunately I've got mastitis twice (currently have it) which is making things more difficult. I'm at a stage where I have to express using a pump to ensure it clears. The baby is getting frustrated as my milk supply is low at night.

You poor thing! Feeding through while painful is probably the best option, I agree with Tinkerbell's advice there.

If you like to take a bath, you can bring baby with you and feed there too. It sounds like you've had a rough start but don't be disheartened you're doing fantastically. Get some professional advice from someone experienced with BF to help address the reoccurring mastitis. Make sure you're getting enough nutrients and fluids to aid your body recovering from pregnancy and the demands of feeding a newborn. Try to find ways to relax e.g the bubble bath with baby feeding away.

While it is possible to express and feed baby that way, at this early stage in bf relationship it might be too stressful for the three of you and only add to the difficulties of being sore etc. There should be some practical solutions for treating the discomfort of mastitis on kellymon site, as well as seeking professional advice.

Keep up the great work! You won't know yourself in another 4-6 weeks, it will be less demanding and you'll be able to get out and about without fussing over bottles etc. Main thing is to address the infection asap and get yourself well and if you want, to work on the expresses milk feeding under less pressured circumstances.

http://www.cuidiu-ict.ie/

https://www.lalecheleagueireland.com/

http://www.friendsofbreastfeeding.ie/wp/

http://www.alcireland.ie/find-a-consultant/

http://forums.llli.org/showthread.php?104444-Mastitis-and-Poor-Milk-Supply

These Irish sites should help guide you or others reading in the future to good sources of help and support for various issues, and or breastfeeding professionals. It can be hard to get correct advice and there's lots of misinformation out there. Also a well known Irish parenting website has a forum specifically for chat with BF mothers, not sure if allowed to post here.

Very best wishes, I remember those days well and it can be very overwhelming, physically demanding and tiring but also so very precious and so very short in the grand scheme of things.

p.s. The more baby feeds at the breast the more milk your body will produce, equally the less baby feeds, the less milk your body will produce.

Sligo1

Just to add to the above great information. Regarding the mastitis. If you feel it is not getting better or you are running temperatures be sure to visit your GP and get an antibiotic. Let your baby feed off you as much as possible as it is more effective than the pumping. Hope you are feeling better soon.

Soooky

Great advise here from the other ladies OP if I was in your shoes I would give the pumping, bottles etc a break for a while and just allow your body (& mind) time to heal I know at times it feels as if you never get a break but very soon it will all slot into place and become so much easier! Breastfeeding offers so much flexibility - you can go out with just a nappy and some wipes in your handbag without worrying whether you have enough food for baby and allows you to change your plans at the drop of a hat:D:D

My LO wouldn't take a bottle, we tried lots of brands and in the end just gave up :rolleyes: However, we tried again later when she was about 7.5 months and she did start to take the bottle then - you would think that after 7 months of being breastfed that she would refuse but she didn't so don't panic thinking that your baby will never take a bottle! We started out with 2 oz and then transferred to the boob until gradually she was taking 8 oz and no boob at that feed (only did it for 1 feed a day and continued bfeeding and she was happy to alternate between both).

If you do decide to continue trying bottles make sure the milk is nice and warm as I read somewhere that is one of the reasons bfed babies refuse bottle and also that the teat is nice and warm.

Wishing you the best of luck

The One Doctor

The only way I can see of getting a newborn to take a bottle easily is to start very early. We were told to start supplementing with formula at 3 days as her weight was low and she took to bottles without an issue. Now at 18 days she'll take either, but I only give her the bottles and my girlfriend does the breastfeeding.

bovril

The One Doctor wrote:

The only way I can see of getting a newborn to take a bottle easily is to start very early. We were told to start supplementing with formula at 3 days as her weight was low and she took to bottles without an issue. Now at 18 days she'll take either, but I only give her the bottles and my girlfriend does the breastfeeding.

The OP is giving a bottle of expressed milk not formula and it's generally not recommended to express milk earlier than 6 weeks in case it affects supply. It might not be as easy to start early with an exclusively bf baby.

OP have you used the medela calma teat? It's very expensive but it came with the pump I bought. Tried it on Sunday night with our almost 9 week old for the first time and after a bit of complaining she took the 2oz that was in the bottle. The calma teat is supposed to mimick bfing and allow the baby to pause when feeding. Maybe we were just very lucky though with our baby.

The One Doctor

bovril wrote: »

The OP is giving a bottle of expressed milk not formula and it's generally not recommended to express milk earlier than 6 weeks in case it affects supply. It might not be as easy to start early with an exclusively bf baby.

There are so many different opinions on when to start expressing that it's really up to the mother to decide.

Gadfly Girl

The One Doctor wrote: »

There are so many different opinions on when to start expressing that it's really up to the mother to decide.

It is absolutely up to the mother to decide, it's her body after all.

However there is a huge difference between 'opinions' and incorrect advice. Unfortunately where breastfeeding is concerned there is frequently incorrect advice even from medical professionals such as Maternity staff, GPs and Public Health Nurses.

While combining breast milk and synthetic milk is possible and can be successful for some, it can often be unnecessary advice to supplement that starts the beginning of the end of a mother's choice to breastfeed.

The more baby feeds at the breast, the more milk the body produces for feeds, and so if baby does not feed at the breast or mother does not express in lieu of feed, the milk supply gradually decreases.

It can become a self fulfilling prophecy of 'baby not getting enough'. In most cases health professionals are used to non-breastfed babies who tend to be more bloated/chubby in general.

Once baby is growing, has plenty of wet nappies and nice bright eyes there is usually no reason to 'supplement' at all.

Parents just do their best with the information they can access but it's so frustrating to see a mother feel inadequate because of bad advice. This happens far too often.

Many people are afraid to interfere with correct factual advice too for fear of the breast vs bottle rows than can occur. If a mum chooses to breastfeed or even chooses to combine feed types both can be done successfully with the correct factual information and a good support system in place.

best wishes

bovril

The One Doctor wrote:

There are so many different opinions on when to start expressing that it's really up to the mother to decide.

Lots of people had have different opinions but qualified Lactation Consultants that I ask for advice at my bf support group advise to wait until after 6 weeks. Of course it's up to the woman whether to use this advice but from all the reading I have done I think the easiest way to establish supply is to refrain from pumping for the first 6 weeks. I know that for various reasons some women have to pump earlier and that is why I said it's generally recommend not to pump in my earlier post.

This part of the discussion is OT and at this stage (9 weeks after birth) is of no help to the OP.

FurBabyMomma

We've tried the Calma teat, Tommee Tippee and now MAM teat and at 15 weeks she still screams blue murder when you try to bottle feed her. She just seems so offended at the mode of delivery, as any bit of milk that gets in her mouth is unceremoniously spit up. It's soul destroying to have no success and hear her so unhappy. But we have no choice, I simply will not have be there on Jan 25th so it will be a case of she drinks it or she goes hungry. Her poor daddy

bovril

So it turns out we were lucky the first night. Little madam wasn't having any of the bottle tonight on our second attempt to feed her. We fooled her once but not again!

Gadfly Girl

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

We've tried the Calma teat, Tommee Tippee and now MAM teat and at 15 weeks she still screams blue murder when you try to bottle feed her. She just seems so offended at the mode of delivery, as any bit of milk that gets in her mouth is unceremoniously spit up. It's soul destroying to have no success and hear her so unhappy. But we have no choice, I simply will not have be there on Jan 25th so it will be a case of she drinks it or she goes hungry. Her poor daddy

Don't despair, have you considered spoon feeding the expressed milk? Baby loves the comfort of feeds as well as the milk itself so it's totally normal for them to be unimpressed at the delivery method. How long must you be away from baby for, and how old is your baby?

FurBabyMomma

Gadfly Girl wrote: »

Don't despair, have you considered spoon feeding the expressed milk? Baby loves the comfort of feeds as well as the milk itself so it's totally normal for them to be unimpressed at the delivery method. How long must you be away from baby for, and how old is your baby?

We've tried that too Gadfly Girl, it seems that she is insulted that we would dare giving her milk from anything other than a boob lol. We'll just have to keep plugging away. She'll be just under 17 weeks and I'll be gone for maybe 12 hours. I know she won't starve but my poor hubby just gets so upset, he feels like he's being cruel to her. She's not a crier by nature so having to listen to her scream for a full day will be a shock to the system for him and so distressing for her

Gadfly Girl

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

We've tried that too Gadfly Girl, it seems that she is insulted that we would dare giving her milk from anything other than a boob lol. We'll just have to keep plugging away. She'll be just under 17 weeks and I'll be gone for maybe 12 hours. I know she won't starve but my poor hubby just gets so upset, he feels like he's being cruel to her. She's not a crier by nature so having to listen to her scream for a full day will be a shock to the system for him and so distressing for her

Yeh it's really distressing to witness - I remember well. Ok well if worst comes to worst 12 hrs is not too bad even if baby would sip some water. I'd say baby will likely feed non stop for a while on your return to compensate. They can smell you/your milk too so it might be a little less stressful for your partner when you're not there. Do a big feed before you go too.

It's difficult isn't it. Very best wishes.

FurBabyMomma

Gadfly Girl wrote: »

...

It's difficult isn't it. Very best wishes.

Thanks for your support and kind words Gadfly, it's nice to know I'm not alone as I'm feeling that way atm. Tried her again earlier and she roared as usual. I feel awful as it's the only time she cries and it feels like we're deliberately inflicting it on her. I do hope things improve ; we're going to make sure we don't miss a day for the next ten days and hope that at some stage she just accepts it.

Sligo1

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

Thanks for your support and kind words Gadfly, it's nice to know I'm not alone as I'm feeling that way atm. Tried her again earlier and she roared as usual. I feel awful as it's the only time she cries and it feels like we're deliberately inflicting it on her. I do hope things improve ; we're going to make sure we don't miss a day for the next ten days and hope that at some stage she just accepts it.

furbaby, has your OH tried to give her a bottle first thing when she wakes up in the morning? Perhaps you have already. if himself goes into little miss in the morning and takes her out of cot and tries bottle before you go near her? And if she won't take it straight away, let Oh play with her a hit and try her 20min later. All this before you get up in the morning to have your morning hello and cuddle.

bovril

@FurBabyMomma - Sorry if you've answered this before but do you or your OH heat the bottle before giving it? Out little one took a bottle tonight but my OH had to heat the milk warmer after she refused it the first time. He said it was quite warm.

Marz66

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

Thanks for your support and kind words Gadfly, it's nice to know I'm not alone as I'm feeling that way atm. Tried her again earlier and she roared as usual. I feel awful as it's the only time she cries and it feels like we're deliberately inflicting it on her. I do hope things improve ; we're going to make sure we don't miss a day for the next ten days and hope that at some stage she just accepts it.

Try not to feel bad. She will survive the 12 hours if she has to. I know what you feel like as I had to wean my lo off nipple shields. Nothing worked so I went cold turkey with him and it was hard but eventually he latched without them. I tried at 6.30 am one day and he didn't latch until 10.30 am so was without food all that time. Had to do the same the next day and then we were flying it. Not suggesting cold turkey for the bottle just that I know what you're going through and you have your lo's interest at heart.

Any chance your oh or someone else can take day off to go with you and you feed on your lunch break?

Gadfly Girl

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

Thanks for your support and kind words Gadfly, it's nice to know I'm not alone as I'm feeling that way atm. Tried her again earlier and she roared as usual. I feel awful as it's the only time she cries and it feels like we're deliberately inflicting it on her. I do hope things improve ; we're going to make sure we don't miss a day for the next ten days and hope that at some stage she just accepts it.

You're most definitely not alone. I'm reluctant to give too much hope in case it just doesn't work out and you guys feel even worse, but it may well be that it goes all right. She can eventually have some milk mixed with solids too. You guys are doing great so don't let this tough experience put you off.

Main thing is another few weeks and you will notice big differences and you will be able to get some 'freedom' (my first freedom was doing some grocery shopping alone) or feel better about needing to be away from baby.

FurBabyMomma

Baby is now 17 weeks old and still won't take the bottle, despite us trying every day. Unfortunately the issue is she won't suck, she just screams with the teat in her mouth. We looked up paced feeding videos but they only work if the baby is actually swallowing. The one time we got 1oz into her was only because we switched to a variflow teat which just caused the milk to flow back her throat. She was flailing her little arms like she was drowning and threw up straight after.

Since then we have tried sippy cups, the MAM teats, etc. A week ago someone gave us a Nuk bottle for one last shot. It's progress in that if you put it in her mouth once she's in the bouncer she doesn't scream. She kind of bites the teat and I withdraw it when the milk comes out but she has perfected the art of using her tongue to push the milk out of her mouth. She refuses to swallow one bit so it all ends up down her front. I'm at my wits end at this point.

I had an all-day course in Dublin at the weekend and hubby had to come and bring the baby as the only option was that or stay at home listening to her scream. When I came out to feed her on my break she was roaring with hunger but still wouldn't take the bottle!!! She's one determined baby.

Sligo1

O how awful for you guys . I only know how stressful it can be! Has your OH tried giving her the first feed of the morning with bottle? Before she can even see or smell you? If she doesn't take it straight away, he could play with her for a half hour and try again? Again before she's seen you. You stay in bed.

Doodlesq

I had the same problem a few years ago with my dd & tried lots of different brands/teats.We did have success with NUK bottles with latex teats (size S teats).I also have a 9 week old ds & he has taken bottles of expressed milk from 5 weeks.Again I used NUK bottles with latex teats & he took it straight away with no issues.

FurBabyMomma

Just a quick update. We tried every suggestion made, from Nuk teats to daddy feeding in the morning but any time she got milk in her mouth she would use her tongue to push it right back out. At 22 weeks we decided to try the sippy cup again... And a miracle happened!!! We had her in her bouncer so she was a bit reclined. She ended up taking the sippy cup out of my hands and was able to put it in and our of her mouth by herself and drink from it. She was delighted with it! So it seems the problem has been with us giving her the bottle, little miss stubborn wanted to wait til she could do it herself!!! I don't care, I am just so relieved, I'll finally be able to leave her with her dad for a few hours Thanks so much for all your help and advice xxx