Hi there and sorry for the long post,

DS is 8 months old (just) and fully BF. He is only just getting interested in solids over this past week, and otherwise was/is having 3-4 feeds a day and 2-3 overnight.
I am going back to work next week (Part time, sooner than planned) and so over the past month have been trying to get DS to take a bottle/cup. I have tried every approach I can think of but to no avail. I have tried going out and getting someone else to give it to him, waiting til he is really hungry, different cups, bottles, EBM, different formula, different temperatures, different times of the day/night. I've even tried putting him on the breast and then detatching him and shoving the bottle in quickly! No joy. At. All.
So, on Tuesday I decided to go cold turkey (I was desperate). He BF'd at 8am and then went to childcare (first full day). He held out all day. No milk at all, no solids. Then DH managed to get him to take 40ml of EBM from a cup at 5.30pm, and again a 8.30pm. Then nothing until 3am when he had about 80ml of formula/EBM (mixed). Then the following day he took three good feeds of EBM/Formula from a cup. I thought we'd cracked it.
Nope. From 3.30pm that day he went on another hunger strike. Did not feed until midnight when I caved in and BF'd him. I couldn't bear it any longer (the stress of him not feeding and obviously not being happy). He then slept til morning and I sent him off to childcare again without giving him a morning feed, hoping he'd be hungry enough to take a cup at childcare. Nope. Hunger strike again. Had a small amount of pureed pear for lunch, and then one of the carers managed to get him to sip around 100ml from a cup at about 3pm. I then BF'd at bedtime. He slept terribly last night but he also has teeth coming through so I think that is really bothering him. I have BFd today, although tried a cup at lunchtime but no go. He does seem to have more interest in solid food though.

So now I don't know how to move forward from here. I am tired and emotional, and am really struggling with trying to force him to take something he obviously doesn't want. However, given his lack of solid food intake I don't want him going all day (2 days per week) at childcare with no milk. I saw my MCHN today who said I should continue to offer bottle/cup during the day and breast first thing in the morning and night. She reckons he'll get the hang of it. I am not so sure and am also worried I have traumatised the poor boy with the last few days!!

Sorry, I am rambling, but am really at a loss!

Any advice would be appreciated!

Cheers,