STILL won't take a bottle/sippy cup..I'm tired of dumping EMB and expressing...

This is a bit of a vent so be warned.

Izzy still won't take a bottle or a sippy cup. It's been a good 2 weeks now and other than the weekends I try to give her the bottle or sippy cup at most feeds plus while I'm giving her solids. She just refuses to suck...she will chew the teat, and drink the milk that drizzles into her mouth, but absolutely will not suck on it.

The pressure of money too is starting to get to me(and DH) as I'm quite ready to do one day of emergency teaching a week, mum would be here with Iz and it's a fairly short day - (830-4) but I can't do it with her refusing the bottle. I've already knocked back work because of it and the extra money would really ease the pressure off DH right now.

I just don't know what to do anymore and am starting to wonder what I will do at the end of Jan when I HAVE to go back, although Nurse Dan's thread has made me realise I have lots of options there- plus she will be much older and not b'fing as much.

I'm tired of expressing too and then having to dump the milk - even though its a little at a time, and I'm not getting let-down when I express now-I think because I'm stressing about it so it's harder to even get 20 Mls, when I used to get about 60-80 in a few minutes flat. :(

I know there is not much I can do other than persist but needed to get all of this off my chest, pun unintended. :P

Have you tried a few different teats to see if it's a texture or shape that she is objecting to?
You could also try a sippy cup that doesn't have the spill proof valve so that you can just tip it in.

Is it just you trying or have you left her alone with someone else to try? She could be holding out for you but could drink if you're not about. The little monkeys know you have the boobies!

Caleb flat out refused to take a bottle or a dummy and has only now started to drink from a sippy cup. I couldn't even get it in his mouth.

I've left Caleb with an expressed bottle and he's not touched it at all and he's been fine. He attacked me for a drink when I got home though ;) If she has her morning feed and then one when you come home at 4 then she's really only missing one if she's on 4 hourly b/f IYKWIM. It's not ideal but it's not the end of the world and it is only for one day a week. If it was every day I'd be more worried.

have you tried a cup with a straw???? just a thought may be worth a try

Sammi - I've tried all different teats, non spill sippy cups (they need lots of milk too though to get into the rubbery bit :( )Just re-read - might have to try a non-valved one. Ive tried mum giving it to her with me not here, DH at times although he isnt here alot of the time. Her limit is 3 hourly at the moment with feeds - so I guess I could maybe get mum to come up at lunch and I could feed her at school and see how we go - I would be pretty distracted wondering how she is if I left her. Might have a trial run and see how we go.

Could try a straw I guess - arrrgghhhhhhhh so frustrating! Thanks for the advice ladies!

What brand do bottle do you use Tan? I tried all sorts with Mackenzie then I tried avent and it worked a trick because it mimics the breast .. you might have already tried this I'm not sure but it worked for me.

I had issues like this with Charlie. I wanted him to be able to take a bottle of EBM for our wedding. (He was 3 months.)

It took a week of persistence and tears from all of us.

I tried so many different combinations of teats, bottles, temperatures. Different people giving the bottle, different times of day etc.

In thh end, what worked was this:

~ Every day, I tried, with a happy smiley relaxed approach.
~ After the arvo nap seemed to work best: rested but hungry.
~ I sang to distract him so that he was concentrating on my singing not the rubber teat
~ Hotter than I would have expected temp of EBM
~ The teat that eventually was his hands down preference was the Pigeon Peristaltic

Of course, I am not suggesting that this will work for you, but having the persistence, a plan, an a "relaxed happy" but very determined approach might.........?

Good luck!

Tan, I agree with the suggestion to try a straw cup. The other thing to bear in mind, is that all babies apparently can drink from a cup from birth (ie a normal cup like us), it's just much harder work for us as we have to hold the cup for them and make sure it doesn't spill (and it probably will a bit so it's messy). But in an emergency that could be a way to get fluid into her.

Also have you tried giving her water in the cup or bottle instead of EBM?

Hi,
It can feel a bit like you are trapped, can't it. I wonder, what are the real chances of you getting emergency teaching before the next school year anyway? If you are a secondary teacher - I'd say none. If primary, maybe it would be a bit easier.
You know, most schools are happy to employ emergency teachers for just 2 or 4 hrs at a time. This might suit you perfectly. A teacher I was speaking to recently was doing just this. And the primary school my kids went to was happy for me to just come in for the literacy block.
You are at the toughest part now. By January it will be another kettle of fish altogether. Your baby will be on solids, and will be able to cope with less breastmilk.
Give yourself a break. Go out to the hairdresser's for .....6 hours (OK, take in some shopping as well) Tell your mum and your dh not to ring unless it's dire, and look like you mean it. I bet you Izzy and grandma sort it out between themselves! They'll have a great time. It's not all about food. I bet there are some days she will cry with you, too, and you HAVE the boobies.
For info on working and breastfeeding go to www. breastfeedingfriendly. com.au
(Take out the spaces - I'm trying to stooge Belly Belly - the link reverted to ABA;s when I tried yesterday
Barb

Great suggestions!
We have tried the Avent, the Baby CLub (just one we got with the steriliser, and the Tommee Tippee which cost a fortune :(
Melanie - havent thought about water - the other day she grabbed my sisters pump bottle and we were laughing and realised that the top was popped off and she drank the water! Do youthink to try boiled water first and then go to EBM? We fed her from a cup at birth - when she was starving and all I could express was 5 mL of colostrum so she had some formula at 3 days in hospital from a cup. Might be a last resort.
Lucy - I like the idea of warmer EBM maybe I havent been warming it up as much as I could be. Also I try to stay calm and relaxed - I like the song thing too - might have to try that too.

ETA - Barb - great suggestion of going out for 6 hours! I might just have to do that. Im a primary teacher and at this time of year lots of teachers take leave to do reports and just because they are sick and tired of the whole year :cyringlaugh: I know I took more time off later in the year from pure exhaustion! So my chances are pretty good right now- having said that we are lucky that we aren't in desperate need - it would just help hugely with xmas and my mental state! Great link - thank you!

Tan- Izzy is sounding just like how Ashleigh used to be. I went thru all that an and off for months, tried everything, eventually she just started doing it. It wasn't til she was bout 9 months though, hopefully you'll get success sooner.

As mentioned try going out for 6 hours and see how she goes. She may surprise you. If she is on solids maybe slip in a little extra while you're not there if she is refusing the milk.
And the cup might be good idea or you could even try a syringe? Just to get what you need into her while not there.

Good luck with it all, I totally understand how you feel, I used to feel trapped at times, there'd be times when I just needed time out but was so hard cause Ash was feeding like 2.5 hourly up til 6 months.

Tan, just a little thought, I think in most of the non-spill cups you can just pull the valve out. That saves you buying a whole new cup, especially if it doesn't work! And the non non-spill (LOL) cups are hard to find! Nicholas loves his though, to drink water from. He thinks it's a bit of a game.

And I agree with the others, stressful as it will be for you, just GO OUT! Seriously, if she's hungry enough, she'll take it however it comes, and if she's not that hungry she'll wait til you come home. Like Barb said, Izzy and Grandma will sort it out!

I hope you sort something out soon hun :hug:

PS let me know how you went tonight!

ETA If you can bear to try another bottle teat, give the Pigeon peristaltic a go. It is our much preferred teat, and I think it's the one Lucy said Charlie preferred in the end. You can get it in wide and narrow neck sizes, and you could try the 'Y' which is a variable flow teat.

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you could try the 'Y' which is a variable flow teat.

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It is variable, and in my experience with Charlie and Lexie it is still a VERY slow teat, which makes them have to suck quite hard. (I was keen on this as I comped with EBM for 6 months with lexie one bottle of EBM a day, so I found it reassurring to know that the bottle would not be "an easy ride".

As such I managed to exclusively BF Lexie for 6 months, in conjunction with a bottle of EBM daily. (Kept me sane, LOL!)

Oh gawd, I feel for you! My DS never took a bottle (or dummy for that matter)... I kept trying and trying for MONTHS... In the end I started giving him his formula (he was fully breastfed to about 11 months because of the non bottle thing) in a sippy cup...it was messy and took a long time but slowly he started taking more and more. Now I use the Avent bottles with their sippy end on them (with the valve taken out because he still won't suck)...

I wished that I'd given him a bottle each day (or at least every couple of days) from birth...I did actually start until he was about 2.5 months old and we went to Perth for a visit...then we stopped so we didn't have to take the bottles with us...it was the biggest mistake I'd made with him...he never took a bottle again.

Anyway, good luck! If your little angel won't take a bottle perhaps there's a way around it like we found. :)

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I wished that I'd given him a bottle each day (or at least every couple of days) from birth

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The jury seems to be really out on this one. Some say this will lead to "nipple confusion" and the decline of breastfeeding. Others say it works like a charm to give a fully bf'ing Mummy a "freedom". I guess,a s usual, it depends on the baby and the circumstances!

For me it worked like a charm with Lexie. She was fully BF'd from birth and came home with me at 4 days old. On day 5 DH gave her a bottle of EBM. I expressed daily after her morning BF, so that either I or DH could give her a bottle of EBM each afternoon or evening or night.

For me & DH and Lexie this was liberating. I was totally committed to exclusively BF for 6 months, knowing that I had the peace of mind that anyone else could give her a bottle of EBM at any time.

That said, she was my 3rd baby, so I had the "confidence" in my decision. I would never have felt that confidence with my 1st, and was too disorganised with my second!

Hi,

But, what I've noticed is, even when mothers have carefully given their baby a bottle every day/week whatever, they are still just as likely to refuse the bottle. So you are no better off anyway. And the hassle of expressing, coupled with the risk of premature weaning - I think it's just easier and safer to breastfeed.

Barb

I guess it depends on the circumstances. I was getting VERY little (like 2 hours maximum) sleep at the time and DS had/has severe reflux which caused many problems. If I had the freedom to have even more than 30 minutes sleep at a time without having to feed him then it would have made a huge difference to our lives (all 3 of us - me, DH & DS)... Just my opinion anyway. :)

i tried a bottle with hannah at 3 weeks old cause i was exhausted and needed a break.. she refused then and has refused every single attempt since. she is 15 months now and i am still breast feeding. she does take water from a straw cup and can go a whole day at child care without milk, (since about 10 months old). so i dont have any suggestions, nothing worked for me. but it does get better and you do get some freedom back eventually.

Hey Tan ... How is the bottle feeding going? Any luck?