Bottle problems *sigh*

[[email protected]]

Well, I'm going back to work in 4 weeks. I'm pumping like a champ, but DS
won't take a bottle. We started introducing it a couple times a week at 4
weeks. He did drink almost 2 ounces from a bottle once, but he seems to
totally reject it now. He'll play with the nipple in his mouth, but won't
actually drink anything. If we try to offer it when he's hungry, it just
makes him irate. In desperation, I tried the Avent sippy spout that says
it's for 3 months and up (he's 8 weeks). He seems to suck on it a little
better, but still isn't really swallowing. It just rolls back out. It
gives me hope though that it might work if a nipple won't. Is there any
problem with starting him on the sippy cup a little early?

I'm just terrified that he absolutely won't take a bottle. I'll be away
from him for nearly 11 hours while I'm at work, so I don't think he can
possibly go that long without taking a bottle. The only way I could be
there to feed him during the day would be to quit my job and that isn't
financially possibly (or possible for the sake of my mental well-being)
as my income pays the mortgage. Right now, the only thing that is keeping
me from totally freaking out is that during my 1st week back to work, his
Grandmas are going to be taking care of him. My Mom bottle-fed us so she
should know what she is doing and the Grandmas will probably be more
patient (and emotionally invested) at trying to get him to eat. I just
don't want my little baby to starve!

Manda

[Shannon]

I hope it's not *you* giving him the bottle - most nursing babies won't
accept bottles from their own moms.

Try:
1. Different nipples. We started with Avent, but my DS ended up liking Nuk
orthodontic
2. Different milk temperatures. Some kids like it warm, others like it cold
3. Different holds. Some like to be held, and believe it or not, some like
to be in a baby bucket to get a bottle. I think that some babies associate
being held and cuddled with nursing and that's why they may reject a bottle
in that position. Who knows?
4. Giving him the bottle before he's really hungry. When he's really hungry
he'll just get mad that it's not you.
5. Cup feeding with a tiny medicine cup.
6. Practice.

Good luck!

-Shannon
> wrote in message ...
> Well, I'm going back to work in 4 weeks. I'm pumping like a champ, but DS
> won't take a bottle. We started introducing it a couple times a week at 4
> weeks. He did drink almost 2 ounces from a bottle once, but he seems to
> totally reject it now. He'll play with the nipple in his mouth, but won't
> actually drink anything. If we try to offer it when he's hungry, it just
> makes him irate. In desperation, I tried the Avent sippy spout that says
> it's for 3 months and up (he's 8 weeks). He seems to suck on it a little
> better, but still isn't really swallowing. It just rolls back out. It
> gives me hope though that it might work if a nipple won't. Is there any
> problem with starting him on the sippy cup a little early?
>
> I'm just terrified that he absolutely won't take a bottle. I'll be away
> from him for nearly 11 hours while I'm at work, so I don't think he can
> possibly go that long without taking a bottle. The only way I could be
> there to feed him during the day would be to quit my job and that isn't
> financially possibly (or possible for the sake of my mental well-being)
> as my income pays the mortgage. Right now, the only thing that is keeping
> me from totally freaking out is that during my 1st week back to work, his
> Grandmas are going to be taking care of him. My Mom bottle-fed us so she
> should know what she is doing and the Grandmas will probably be more
> patient (and emotionally invested) at trying to get him to eat. I just
> don't want my little baby to starve!
>
> Manda

[Mary W.]

wrote:

> Well, I'm going back to work in 4 weeks. I'm pumping like a champ, but DS
> won't take a bottle. We started introducing it a couple times a week at 4
> weeks. He did drink almost 2 ounces from a bottle once, but he seems to
> totally reject it now. He'll play with the nipple in his mouth, but won't
> actually drink anything. If we try to offer it when he's hungry, it just
> makes him irate. In desperation, I tried the Avent sippy spout that says
> it's for 3 months and up (he's 8 weeks). He seems to suck on it a little
> better, but still isn't really swallowing. It just rolls back out. It
> gives me hope though that it might work if a nipple won't. Is there any
> problem with starting him on the sippy cup a little early?

There have been lots of threads on this, so if you can, use google and
you'll get some ideas of things to try.

In summary:
-try different bottles/nipples (DD would only use the playtex nurser)
-try different temperatures- room, cool, warm, very very warm
-you should be out of the house while someone else gives a bottle. If baby
knows you are there, he may hold out for the good stuff
-have the bottle giver hold DS in the nursing position
-have the bottle giver hold DS upright facing out
-cover baby's eyes while giving the bottle

The only way my nanny could get DD to take anything from the bottle
was to prop her up in her carseat (semi-upright), turn on baby mozart so she
was very distracted, and then offer the bottle. It never went well, but Hilda
was able to get her to take enough to keep her from screaming in hunger. She
ended up waiting until I got home and nursed like crazy all night. Things
improved when we started solids (6 months), then DD would snack on solids
during the day and nurse all night long. She completely gave up the bottle at
10 months and never did like EBM in a sippy cup.

Good luck!

Mary

[Michelle Podnar]

DS may also be resistant to you giving him a bottle. Has anyone beside you
tried. The way he is thinking is why is this isn't where my milk comes from
???





--
Michelle P
Ava Marie July 14, 2002
> wrote in message ...
> Well, I'm going back to work in 4 weeks. I'm pumping like a champ, but DS
> won't take a bottle. We started introducing it a couple times a week at 4
> weeks. He did drink almost 2 ounces from a bottle once, but he seems to
> totally reject it now. He'll play with the nipple in his mouth, but won't
> actually drink anything. If we try to offer it when he's hungry, it just
> makes him irate. In desperation, I tried the Avent sippy spout that says
> it's for 3 months and up (he's 8 weeks). He seems to suck on it a little
> better, but still isn't really swallowing. It just rolls back out. It
> gives me hope though that it might work if a nipple won't. Is there any
> problem with starting him on the sippy cup a little early?
>
> I'm just terrified that he absolutely won't take a bottle. I'll be away
> from him for nearly 11 hours while I'm at work, so I don't think he can
> possibly go that long without taking a bottle. The only way I could be
> there to feed him during the day would be to quit my job and that isn't
> financially possibly (or possible for the sake of my mental well-being)
> as my income pays the mortgage. Right now, the only thing that is keeping
> me from totally freaking out is that during my 1st week back to work, his
> Grandmas are going to be taking care of him. My Mom bottle-fed us so she
> should know what she is doing and the Grandmas will probably be more
> patient (and emotionally invested) at trying to get him to eat. I just
> don't want my little baby to starve!
>
> Manda

[[email protected]]

Shannon > wrote:
> I hope it's not *you* giving him the bottle - most nursing babies won't
> accept bottles from their own moms.

DH had made almost all the attempts previously. Grandma tried once. I made
an attempt a couple days ago and didn't do any worse than DH did. He
actually seemed to reject it a little less. He, at least, didn't act like
I was trying to choke him to death. ;)

> Try:
> 1. Different nipples. We started with Avent, but my DS ended up liking Nuk
> orthodontic

We've tried Avent, Playtex nurser, and Gerber transitions. He also won't
take a pacifier and never has. I've tried since he was 5 days old to get
him to take a pacifier because he sucks his thumb and his Grandma is
convinced that it'll screw up his teeth forever if I let him suck his
thumb.

> 2. Different milk temperatures. Some kids like it warm, others like it cold

We've tried it freshly pumped (so breast temperature, I guess) and cold.

> 3. Different holds. Some like to be held, and believe it or not, some like
> to be in a baby bucket to get a bottle. I think that some babies associate
> being held and cuddled with nursing and that's why they may reject a bottle
> in that position. Who knows?
> 4. Giving him the bottle before he's really hungry. When he's really hungry
> he'll just get mad that it's not you.
> 5. Cup feeding with a tiny medicine cup.
> 6. Practice.

> Good luck!

We had some success today! I had put him down to nap and I heard him wake
up and start sucking his thumb, so I just walked in there and pulled his
thumb out and put the bottle in. I just held it in his mouth and he laid
in his crib and drank (sort of). He didn't really do a very effective job,
but he didn't fight it at all. He ended up taking about an ounce in 10
minutes or so. He spent a lot of the time trying to smile and suck at
the same time, so that was part of the problem. ;) That seems like
progress at least!

Manda

[[email protected]]

Mary W. > wrote:

> There have been lots of threads on this, so if you can, use google and
> you'll get some ideas of things to try.

I did google it and read the suggestions before I posted, but I needed to
whine a little bit for myself...

> Good luck!

Thanks!

> Mary

[[email protected]]

Michelle Podnar > wrote:

> DS may also be resistant to you giving him a bottle. Has anyone beside you
> tried. The way he is thinking is why is this isn't where my milk comes from
> ???

DH was making most of the attempts, but I've tried a couple times in the
last couple days. He doesn't seem any more disturbed by me offering it
instead of DH. Since DH wasn't having great success, we decided to see
what happened when I tried.

Manda




> --
> Michelle P
> Ava Marie July 14, 2002
> > wrote in message ...
>> Well, I'm going back to work in 4 weeks. I'm pumping like a champ, but DS
>> won't take a bottle. We started introducing it a couple times a week at 4
>> weeks. He did drink almost 2 ounces from a bottle once, but he seems to
>> totally reject it now. He'll play with the nipple in his mouth, but won't
>> actually drink anything. If we try to offer it when he's hungry, it just
>> makes him irate. In desperation, I tried the Avent sippy spout that says
>> it's for 3 months and up (he's 8 weeks). He seems to suck on it a little
>> better, but still isn't really swallowing. It just rolls back out. It
>> gives me hope though that it might work if a nipple won't. Is there any
>> problem with starting him on the sippy cup a little early?
>>
>> I'm just terrified that he absolutely won't take a bottle. I'll be away
>> from him for nearly 11 hours while I'm at work, so I don't think he can
>> possibly go that long without taking a bottle. The only way I could be
>> there to feed him during the day would be to quit my job and that isn't
>> financially possibly (or possible for the sake of my mental well-being)
>> as my income pays the mortgage. Right now, the only thing that is keeping
>> me from totally freaking out is that during my 1st week back to work, his
>> Grandmas are going to be taking care of him. My Mom bottle-fed us so she
>> should know what she is doing and the Grandmas will probably be more
>> patient (and emotionally invested) at trying to get him to eat. I just
>> don't want my little baby to starve!
>>
>> Manda

[[email protected]]

wrote:

> I'm just terrified that he absolutely won't take a bottle.

Update! About 2 days ago, I got him to suck on the bottle nipple while
lying in his crib staring at his mobile. He didn't really eat anything,
but he didn't push the nipple away either. Yesterday, using the same
process, he ate about 1/2 oz. in about 20 minutes before he got tired of
that little game. It didn't appear that he did a lot of sucking, so that
might have just been the drip rate of the nipple. =) Today, he ate 1/2 oz.
in about 10 minutes and appeared to actually suck on the nipple a bit!
Maybe at this rate, we'll get up to a couple of ounces before I go back to
work!

Manda

[teapot]

wrote in message >...
> wrote:
>
> > I'm just terrified that he absolutely won't take a bottle.
>
> Update! About 2 days ago, I got him to suck on the bottle nipple while
> lying in his crib staring at his mobile. He didn't really eat anything,
> but he didn't push the nipple away either. Yesterday, using the same
> process, he ate about 1/2 oz. in about 20 minutes before he got tired of
> that little game. It didn't appear that he did a lot of sucking, so that
> might have just been the drip rate of the nipple. =) Today, he ate 1/2 oz.
> in about 10 minutes and appeared to actually suck on the nipple a bit!
> Maybe at this rate, we'll get up to a couple of ounces before I go back to
> work!
>
well done! I have just about given up on bottles as he just wont
entertain the thought. I have tried a variety of nipples but the best
I get is that he wont scream at the sight of them.

I go to work for 3 hours every monday and just come home ot a hungry
boy.

teapot