won't take a bottle - help!

[saraf]

My ten-week old, Ana, has been a great nurser since day one. I work outside the home one day a week, and we introduced the bottle at 4 weeks in anticipation of me going back to work. She took the bottle (Medela) with no problem and I kind of checked that off my list and got busy with life with a 2-year old and a newborn. Just before I had my first day back to work when she was 6 weeks old, we tried again and she couldn't figure out the bottle. Since then, I've spent a fortune on every nipple available in our area and dh has tried just about every conceivable position, time, etc. to try to get her to take the bottle. She seems interested and tries to take it, but she just cannot seem to figure out how to latch on. She mouths the nipple, but does not latch. She also gags frequently. We have been trying every day or every other day for about four weeks now, when she is hungry but not ravenous, and with me out of the room, and at different times of the day. We have had VERY limited success (she latched on briefly and took about an ounce on two occasions with a nuk nipple, but both of those were over two weeks ago and she has not latched on since).

We have tried: Medela, Avent, Dr. Brown's, Playtex, Gerber, Nuk, and a fancy breast-shaped bottle from adiri.com (lent to us by a friend), both fast and slow flows. I have pretty flat, rectangular-shaped nipples and the Nuk nipple seems the closest to my shape, but she still doesn't seem to be able to get it.

She is otherwise a happy and content baby and both she and dh get frustrated with the failed sessions. She also swallows a lot of air and gets gassy and upset. I'm not sure if we should just throw in the towel and try to figure out something else (although I'm not sure what), or if we should keep trying, or what exactly we should do.

I'm sorry for the novel. We're all getting frustrated and I'm getting stressed out about our financial situation if I'm not able to work (I work a few hours a week at home in addition to my one day a week away from home, but the one day away from home is pretty essential). Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[Melanie]

I've got a few suggestions, the first of which would be to run up to Wal-mart or Kroger's and get the cheapest plastic 3-for-$2.99 bottles and try those. They're all Anna would take. If that fails, try a syringe (the big kind you can get from the pharmacist for meds, no needles) or a small cup. Good luck!

[megbender]

What about a sippy cup? I know she seems really young for that but it might work.

[justrose]

I've got a few suggestions, the first of which would be to run up to Wal-mart or Kroger's and get the cheapest plastic 3-for-$2.99 bottles and try those. They're all Anna would take.

Same thing with my Anna - cheap Gerber bottles with those brown latex nipples :lol:

[Gemela]

Dd wouldn't take a bottle when I went back to work. She would maybe take an ounce or two and that was it. Sometimes nothing. She would just wait for me to come home. If your dh doesn't try to feed her (or push the issue so there isn't gas problems, etc.) is she fussy, mad, etc. or ok? My thinking would be that if she isn't upset while you are gone that maybe she just is waiting for you to come home? Can your dh bring her to you for a lunch time feeding? That way if she is striking until she gets you, she doens't have to go all day without eating? Dd could go 1/2 a day without eating a thing until I got home but if I was home, she would eat every 2 hours. :hug: So sorry it has been so frustrating!

[Melanie]

Seems like a sure thing, then. Babies named Anna only want cheap bottles, and Ana is pretty close. :D

[CodeNameMom]

It is definately worth trying the cheap bottles as that is all my two kids finally ended up taking. We did buy a gerber set as when he was first born that is all he would take but like you I got busy and forgot to offer the bottle every few days so when I suddenly needed him to take one he refused. He was interested but just didn't like the silicone nips. I finally got the cheap latex nipples and he will take those but it has to be a med flow. Before ds really started taking the latex though we had a little success with sippy cups.

Things that also helpped me, ds was 4mos old when I really had to start leaving him 2 times a week. He had a hard time transitioning but we found help by mixing a tiny bit of cereal in the EBM so that what little food he would drink would last longer in his stomach. It seemed to strech the ounce and a half a little longer. It was something I was reluctant to try, but I am so glad I did. He also started just waiting as much as he can. I am gone for 4-5hrs 6 at the most. He will sometimes only take 2-3oz in that time. And on more than one occasion he has completely refused to eat till I come home. Now that he is 8mos old he takes solids and juice and EBM. He still tends to refuse the bottle when it is getting close to the time I come home. He simply wants mom. And dh says that there are nights when ds just glares at him while he takes the bottle or ds will chew on the bottle as much as he sucks like he really doesn't want it.

hth. sorry for the novel but I do have kids that have really not taken to a bottle easily.

[saraf]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! We tried the cheap brown nipples once without success, but I will definitely give them another try. I'll try a sippy cup, too.

[ebmomma]

I returned to work when my DD was 3 months old and she refused a bottle from everyone involved in the situation. She simply would not take it. I nursed her at the sitter's house right before I left, came back on my lunch break 4 1/2 hours later and then fed her at their house again before I headed home 5 hours after the lunch feeding. She was never cranky other than about 30 minutes before I was scheduled to arrive. The sitter said she was happier not taking a bottle and waiting for me than trying to take a bottle.

We started cereal at 4 months because we still felt sorry for her. They mixed it very runny, mostly bm, very little cereal. One day when they had her in the bouncy seat for her cereal one of the girls offered the bottle and she took it! We were all shocked! For three months after that the only way she would take a bottle was if she was in the bouncer.

I understand your stress and it can feel very overwhelming in the moment. Try to relax and remember that you will eventually find a solution, even if it is that she will take 1-2 ounces while you are gone and then nurse like crazy when you are back together! :hug:

[lunchbox]

My Anna took EBM from a syringe and a small med cup. :-)

[saraf]

Well, we tried the cheap bottles with the brown rubber nipples three nights ago and dh and I were both totally shocked when she took it right away with no complaints! We were so excited! However, the next night she didn't want it, but dh kept trying periodically through the evening and she did eventually latch on and drink two ounces. So we were still feeling encouraged. Last night however, she wanted nothing to do with it and cried whenever she saw the bottle. So, now I don't know what to think! I think we will give it a rest for a couple of days and try again. I think we'll also try the syringe. Thanks to everyone for all of your great suggestions!

[Melanie]

I bet she'll be more likely to take it if you're not there.

[bugsmom]

Meredith NEVER took a bottle past 8 weeks. SHe took a soft Avent Sippy cup when I was gone.

[shortcake]

That's so hard. DH found some success w/ the playtex nurser (w/ the little drop-in bags). He shopped for bottles as he was the one giving them during the short time I was back teaching before summer and I quit to stay home. :) (He said he tried to pick out something that resembled my nipples! LOL ) Anyway -- for the longest neither of my kids would take a bottle at all and even after they did, they'd do it only sometimes. There were MANY days I would get home (when he left for work) and there was thawed EBM that just SAT there and had to be dumped b/c they'd just waited for me to come home rather than take from the bottle. Even when they did drink some (a couple of ounces at the most) he said they were obviously NOT happy w/ it and only drinking b/c they were starving and exhausted and he was rocking w/ bottle to try to get them to go to sleep.

I really hope some of the other moms' suggestions work!

[saraf]

update:

We decided to just take a break for awhile since I haven't needed to travel for the past couple weeks. However, yesterday I did need to travel and dh and our neighbor who helped dh discovered that she will take a little bit after she falls asleep. It sounds strange, but right after she falls asleep, they but the bottle in her mouth and she didn't fight it, eventually latched on, and took about an ounce each time. She drank about 4 ounces during the 7 hours I was gone, which seemed to keep both her and dh from being too miserable. Hopefully it will continue working! Thanks again to everyone for all their help.

[fuzzy]

Just a thought, but my dd would only take EBM from a bottle if it was a certain temp - she wanted it warm just like from mom. She was so picky, in fact, that if a bottle cooled before she was done drinking it, she would flat out refuse to continue, but if it was warmed again, she would finish it off. Maybe try experimenting with the temp?