HELP from mummys who have breastfed and given a bottle.

[Fatty_no_more]

HELP!!!! Mikey has suddenly over the last few days refused the bottle and will only feed from the breast! Me and my husband have planned to go out to the theatre on monday for ages and it was my birthday present from march! I cant go though if he is going to starve!!! Anyone got any advice?????

 

[MadameLaMinx]

Yes. Stop worrying. If you aren't there and he is hungry, he WILL take the bottle. He's not daft.

Edit to say, also provide whoever is looking after him with a sterilised sippy cup. He might be happier with that. He's old enough now to try one of the slow flow sorts.

Edited again to say if you can feed him just before you go, he certainly wont starve before you get back. And dont worry. And have a fab time!!

 

[mommyB]

OOh I had one like that !! does the bottle contain expressed milk or formula ? my HV told me to try formula instead of breast milk as the baby kind of know the taste of breast milk but realises its the wrong delivery system . Different milk is sometimes accepted. We had limited success with this. She also wouldnt have anything to do with the bottle if i was around-she knew i had the real thing.

The best thing we tried was to spoon feed , it was very time consuming but at least go some milk into her. However depending how long you are going to be at the theatre he's not going to starve in a few hours but i can understand your worries

Keep trying and i hope you do get to go and enjoy your birthday pressie

 

[possum]

I agree with MadameLaMinx - he probably will take a bottle if you're not around. Lots of babies will refuse if mum is nearby. They don't really see the point of taking a bottle if they can get it on tap

Presumably you've checked the milk to see that it tastes OK and that there isn't any kind of problem with it?

 

[Fatty_no_more]

thanks guys it happened to my husband first. It started thursday when i was at slimming world. up till then he had not had any trouble with bottles with my milk in. he was refusing the bottle from hubby and the min i came home he put his arms out to me and i gave him the bottle fine!

We tried it with my sister who is looking after him monday and same thing happened.

I was thinking of a doidy cup? Buy Doidy Cup online at JohnLewis.com

I really dont want to give him formula, just dont like the ingredients in them no offence to anyone at all.

going to try a cup or syringe tomorrow morning i think as well as him being really hungry. xx

 

[emmaleonie1984]

Hi hun, out of my group of nct friends two breastfed ( well one has just stopped) and they said there babie point blankly refused the bottle, one of the babies were so stubborn that she went two days with only a breastfeed in the morning. I dont know what to suggest, the lady that has give up now had to peserve with the bottle/cup for at least 6 weeks i think as she wanted to stop feeding at 6 months but actually stopped at 8 as she wouldnt have the bottle. Sorry didnt want to put a downer on it but i think breastfed babies are more stubborn as its also a comfort thing. Em x

 

[Fatty_no_more]

yea i agree.
I dont actually want to stop bfeeding altogether I am doing self weaning (hope he wants to stop by around 2 though) xx

 

[emmaleonie1984]

Do you want any more babies? Sorry im just so broody today! I think im defo going to breastfeed again maybe a bit longer but im defo going to try and express this time and let dp help with a bottle as i found it so hard at times and I think with two it will be hard work lol! x

 

[Fatty_no_more]

hell yea. i cant wait for more babies.
I will only breastfeed, its natural and best for baby. look at this link Info Centre - Reasons to be proud - NCT

We are going to try again next september.

I would love to have been able to express enough for hubby to help out but a) hubby is always working and never home and b) i would never have time to express more for help lol.

I had such an awful pregnancy people will laugh when i say i am pregnant again. lol.
xxx

 

[emmaleonie1984]

i think the whole breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding is a touchy subject :-/. I think we are put under alot of pressure to breastfeed, and yes i agree its natural and best for baby but i also think a happy mummy = happy baby. A friend developed PND becuase she was constantly bf, he would feed every hour of the day, she couldnt go out at all. If you are constantly stressed trying to get baby to latch on, lack of sleep etc then you shouldnt feel you have failed becuase you give formula. Im proud that i breastfed for nearly 3 months and that she had the best start but im not ashamed that i switched to formula, afterall i wasnt providing enough milk and it was nice to have my body back and others to also feel close to her while feeding ie my mum, sisters, MIL, FIl and partner. I am still the main carer for sophie as my partner works very long hours so the breastfeeding bond is still very much there apart from shes not attached to me. Anyways each to there own .

We are hoping to ttc again when sophie is two, id love a summer baby this time!

 

[MadameLaMinx]

I had very different feeding experiences with my three. My eldest absolutely failed to grasp the idea of latching and we had a very difficult first few days with midwives wrestling my boobs around in the hope that he would get the hang of it and making me feel terrible for not being able to get it right. Eventually I lost my rag and insisted he went on the bottle because it was patently clear he was starving!

With DD1, although I had a little bit of mastitis, we had a very good breastfeeding relationship which only ended when she was 2 and I was pregnant with her sister. It was as though I "ran out". Resources needed elsewhere and all that.

But then with DD2, I just couldnt keep up with her, she was so hungry all the time that I spent the first three months of her life just constantly feeding her. I dont think I had really recovered from the last stint, and eventually I did switch to bottle simply because neither she nor I were coping with the level of demand very well. I shed a few tears over that decision, but then I shed quite a lot of tears over that time because I had a massive dose of PND to go with it, which probably didnt help in the bigger scheme of things.

You cant do these things to order, you have to just (pardon the pun) go with the flow.

 

[Fatty_no_more]

tried him with a doidy cup (waste of £3.50) and also syringe.... NOTHING WORKS!

 

[*Cupcake*]

EDIT: Deleted message as I was unsure if my reply had caused unintentional upset.

 

[*Cupcake*]

EDIT: Deleted message as I was unsure if my reply had caused unintentional upset.

 

[MadameLaMinx]

tried him with a doidy cup (waste of £3.50) and also syringe.... NOTHING WORKS!

It might not be working for you, because you have the boobs and he knows quite rightly that you have a better supply available than that stuff you are trying to give him. Babies know this stuff.

That isnt to say that when there isnt you as an alternative, he wont cope perfectly fine.

Feed him as close as possible to the moment you have to leave, and leave a bottle of expressed in the fridge for the babysitter to give. He may sleep through you being out, he may wake up and submit to the bottle because you arent there, but while you ARE there, he knows exactly what he wants and you arent giving him it, which is why he is refusing.

Please dont panic. He will come to no harm while you are out. The problem is now that you wont relax and enjoy yourself because you will be constantly worried about how he is doing. This is perfectly natural and normal and will get easier the more often you do it.

Apart from anything else, you and your OH need some couple time. To take a tiny break from being parents and just enjoy each others company again. This is a rarity when they are so little, but in all seriousness, you should really take advantage of those moments and put yourself and OH back in the "number 1 priority seat" for a couple of hours.

NOTHING terrible will happen in the time you are away. Your babysitter will cope, and the baby will cope too. You are the one least likely to, so take a deep breath, and relax, and go and enjoy yourself as much as you can.

 

[Fatty_no_more]

that reply made me cry!

I am desperate to see my husband just the two of us. He works so so hard too,

my sister tried the doidy cup whilst i was upstairs so I wasnt around. I tried him with a bit of weetabix and my expressed milk and after a few icky looking faces lol he took some. so she has that to fall back on and he also likes mashed banana on toast but its not a good source as he sucks on it lol.

We wanted to go out for a nice meal together so we could have a bit of us time before the theatre but i couldnt leave him that long without a feed.
xxx

 

[*Cupcake*]

I'm not sure which reply you are refering to making you cry, if it was mine I apologise.

 

[MadameLaMinx]

Oh! I am sorry lovely! I didnt mean to upset you!

I know exactly how you are feeling, and how difficult it is to balance being a wife and a mummy, particularly in the early months when being a mummy is so utterly all consuming and you barely have time to think, let alone plan something special!

He will be fine, and so will you. Babies are VERY good at making sure they get what they need. He might not like the method of delivery, but he will get what he needs.


(((sorry again!!)))

 

[emmaleonie1984]

oh hun, big hugs! Youve just got to perserve with it, i know you are going to worry but he will be fine! Worst case scenario you have to come home. I went out for a meal a couple of weeks ago and i panciked she wouldnt settle for OH becuase he nevers puts her to bed but guess what she didnt wake up one. Ok i know its different as its food, has he got a routine as in he has a feed at this time then his next and so on? Just thinking if you can work round that? Em x

 

[Fatty_no_more]

It might not be working for you, because you have the boobs and he knows quite rightly that you have a better supply available than that stuff you are trying to give him. Babies know this stuff.

That isnt to say that when there isnt you as an alternative, he wont cope perfectly fine.

Feed him as close as possible to the moment you have to leave, and leave a bottle of expressed in the fridge for the babysitter to give. He may sleep through you being out, he may wake up and submit to the bottle because you arent there, but while you ARE there, he knows exactly what he wants and you arent giving him it, which is why he is refusing.

Please dont panic. He will come to no harm while you are out. The problem is now that you wont relax and enjoy yourself because you will be constantly worried about how he is doing. This is perfectly natural and normal and will get easier the more often you do it.

Apart from anything else, you and your OH need some couple time. To take a tiny break from being parents and just enjoy each others company again. This is a rarity when they are so little, but in all seriousness, you should really take advantage of those moments and put yourself and OH back in the "number 1 priority seat" for a couple of hours.

NOTHING terrible will happen in the time you are away. Your babysitter will cope, and the baby will cope too. You are the one least likely to, so take a deep breath, and relax, and go and enjoy yourself as much as you can.

this was the one that made me cry not in a bad way i just want some time with hubby and am so scared i wont be able to now!
xx