My son would happily drink pumped breastmilk from bottles until he was about two months old. Since then he has been refusing the bottle. We have continued trying to feed him with a bottle atleast once a day and it has become discouraging because as each day passes he becomes more offended by our attempts. Has anyone overcome this obstacle? I would love to know how because my husband and our parents would love to be involved with feeding him more often since he only has his ceral twice a day during the hours they are at work.
Why not try changing his bottle brand…like the breastflow bottles…I personally don’t know how well they work…but I have heard great reviews online about these bottles. With our baby we bought the evenflow bottles and she was very comfortable with those nipples.
My youngest never took to the bottle. I breastfed though. She had multiple allergy problems though and I had to put her on a specialized formula. We could never get her to take a bottle for the longest time. I literally got to a point that I had to thicken her formula (with a specialized thickener) and feed her with a syringe. That was no fun.
She started taking to the bottle at the age of 1 and took to the Advent and Playtex bottles.
If anything there are parents who if their child refuses the bottle go straight to a sippy cup.
We have bought every brand of bottles we can find and none have worked so far. Were her allergy problems related to food? I hope your daughter is doing better now with her allergies. I guess my husband and the grandparents will just have to remember the times they were able to feed him until he starts eating foods later in the evenings. Since he had an allergic reaction to the first food we gave him I have been feeding him early in the day so I can monitor his reaction while he is awake.
Am facing the same issue with my daughther who is now just over four months. On day four she was hospitalized due to poor feeding and was immediately put on formula, which she happily took till she was about two months. Post that she has been refusing bottle and wants to feed only on the breast. We have tried different bottles, teats, milks but all in vain. She at four months has gained less weight then what she should have. I am trying to feed her now through spoon and cup but she hardly takes 5ml. I have also increased the no of feeding so that she gains weight. I was also planning to wean her, any advice. When did you wean your son?
My son actually did not like any brand of breastflow bottles. He would cry as soon as they were about an inch away from his face and of course they were the most expensive. I have not even started to think how I will wean. He enjoys nursing so much. When we took him to pediatrician for his first visit he had not gained enough weight and they had us come back in the following week. I was so distraught and worried I searched online for natural remedies I found the product mothers milk tea which promotes healthy lactation. You can also find them at GNC or Harris Teeters. The best price is at Harris Teeter. http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Mothers-Milk-Tea-Bags/dp/B0009Y8AGI
I now only drink the tea every other day or so and since your daughter only wants to feed from you it might be worth a try to give your milk supply a boost if she hasnt been gaining enough weight. You can also take fenugreek vitamins to help. I take them every now and then also. I hope everything works out for you and your daughter please feel free to ask me any questions.
Vibes, hope everything will go well for you with feeding. Seeing that your daughter only 4 months and prefers breastfeeding ( which is great, you will just need to work on increasing her intake and calories for weight gain), I would suggest to concentrate firstly on increasing your milk supply, and breastfeeding her more often and for longer if possible. You can get great ideas on that at http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html Another thing is if your daughter has good feedings, sufficient rest and activity periods and no health problems ( like heart defects, etc.), even if she is on the lower side of the scale for her age, it can still be normal. Each baby is different and they do not grow and develop om some universal schedule. Look at the people around us, – some are big, some are small, some are short, some are tall I would not worry much about it, and will just continue with good solid breastfeeding sessions. Supplementing can cause your milk supply to go down, and overall your baby can get more nutrition and healthy calories from your milk. You can also try to up your personal intake or healthy foods, – try supplementing your diet with coconut oil ( its excellent for you!), do not extreme diet till you are finished with BF. These are just some ideas. And remember, your baby is unique, and many things would not happen on schedule or on chart, just do your best and provide baby’s needs. Hope it helps and good lack.
Oh, and on weaning, World Health Organization guidelines, is breastfeeding till 12 months is very important, and till 24 is good. My first one stopped at 11 months though, since I was pregnant again and she did not like the taste of the milk at that point Self weaning in my opinion is much gentle way to do it… Planning to do that with my # 2.
Weaning at 4 month is pretty early, it can be traumatic emotionally and also not so good for the immune system, so I would suggest weighing out pros and cons, doing your research, and following the baby’s lead. Hope it helps! Good lack to you.
I spoke with my cousin who has a 14 month old son who weighs 20lbs and her son is as healthy as can be. Im sure your daughter knows her tummy’s limit and doesnt overeat. I wish you all the best.
My son would not take a bottle until after he was 6 months old. Every time my husband tried, it ended with screaming (mostly from my son, LOL!). It got really fun when I decided to take an evening class, and my husband and son were alone for 4 hours by themselves. I did pump, but my son wouldn’t even take that! We tried offering breast milk, formula, even watered down juice. After 6 months old, he did finally start taking a bottle, but at first he would only take it from my husband, my father, or my father-in-law. We had to try 4 different brands of bottles in the process. Now he’ll take a bottle from everyone, no matter what is in it. I would suggest that you just keep offering it to your child on a regular basis, and when he’s ready, he’ll take it. You may want to have someone else give it to him though, like your husband, in-laws or parents, since he associates mommy with nursing.
My first baby took the bottle from the age of 1 week (I had to pump brestmilk and feed her because of infection) a we were able to feed her this way from that time. It was very convenient for time I could not be with my baby. I thought it would be the same for the second baby girl. But we waited until her age of about two months old and so far (4 months) she refuses the bottle completely. I would like to change that as well. lol
My son is now almost 7mths and never took a bottle. I tried every brand on the market and he just wouldn’t take one! I just weaned him at 4.5mths and now only feed him twice a day and express some milk and use that in his solids. I know it is draining when they won’t take a bottle but just know that it will get easier in the next few months
I would not worry much about it, and will just continue with good solid breastfeeding sessions. Supplementing can cause your milk supply to go down, and overall your baby can get more nutrition and healthy calories from your milk. You can also try to up your personal intake or healthy foods, – try supplementing your diet with coconut oil ( its excellent for you!), do not extreme diet till you are finished with BF. These are just some ideas. And remember, your baby is unique, and many things would not happen on schedule or on chart, just do your best and provide baby’s needs. Hope it helps and good lack.
I would like to change that as well. lol