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help with bottles...going back to work

Hiya

I am due to go back to work in about 2 weeks and have been trying to get my LO to take a bottle or cup for 8 weeks.
I have tried most bottles and formula and breastmilk but she will not take any. She can drink out of a cup as she drinks water but she will only take a few mouthfuls of milk then starts spitting it out and crying.
Other relatives have tried to feed her when I am not there and it does not work either.
I am still going to breastfeed morning and night until she is 12 months but I need her to take somethign not from me when I am at work. Plus I work some nights and cannot imagine her even entertaining the thought of her night time feed in a cup.

Please help as I am getting really worried and think she will starve to death when I go back to work. ( she is 6 months old)

Amanda

Replies

  • My son was exactly the same when I first tried to give him a bottle... Have you tried the Tommee Tippee bottles that are shaped more like a breast?

    Getting Nathan to take a bottle was a long process because he has been breastfed exclusively since he was born. But here is what I did if it is any help:

    I expressed breastmilk into one of these special Tommee Tippee bottles. I then left him with his Papa (But you can leave them with your partner or any relative with patience :P ) and then I went shopping. They're not daft, my son knows - and he's only three months - that if I am in the room and he cries enough there will be something tastier offered. Anyway I came back from shopping and he had wolfed the whole bottle down. After that it was easy, he even took formula (SMA) when I didn't have the time to express before I was away. I know it sounds cruel, but I think the general rule of thumb is if they get hungry enough they'll take the bottle. That's why I think it's easier if mothers leave completely then you're not tempted to just give in and give them the breast when they cry. Even now after he's taken many bottles when I've had to go out or go shopping etc he still knows if he cries enough when I'm in the room or even in the house that I will come and he will get what he really wants. It's amazing how astute they are!

    Anyway hope that helps, I've included a link to the bottle in case you haven't seen them before!

    http://www.tommeetippee.co.uk/product/closer_to_nature_breast_feeding_kit/

    By the way - if you are strapped for cash ( I know Maternity Pay is ... ) - Boots were doing a great price on a Tommee Tippee steriliser and bottles, I paid ??14 for the whole thing and it's been a lifesaver! You can also buy the bottles individually from any boots store!

    [Modified by: Nathansmummy on August 29, 2008 11:22 AM]

  • hiya

    I have got the Tommee Tippee bottles and she will not take them. I have left the house and come back a few times and she has been screaming for ages and still will not take it. Although I have only been out for an hour. Do you think if I try it for longer she will take it?

    I am hoping if there is no option she will take it but will she?? Will she stop screaming after a few hours ( my poor husband!) and just take it??
    She is able to sip out of the Tomee Tippee cup but chooses not to....hopefully if she is really hungry she will. Maybe I just need to chill out and it will all be ok

    Amanda
  • I think maybe upping her dairy intake elsewhere would help as well so she's not completely reliant on the milk for calcium - make sure she has cheese and yoghurts during the day when you're back at work and as long as she'll take water from a cup she'll be fine until she gets used to taking milk from a cup.

    I do think that she'll give in after a couple of days and start drinking it. They're very fickle these lo's!xx
  • cheers karen that makes me feel better.
    I am being silly ...she is not going to starve....she eats food ok and loves water.
    Also the only shifts I need her to take feeds from a cup are 4 out of every 16 days so not really that bad.
    I am going to stop stressing and hopefully it will just take care of itself.
    Amanda
  • Hi hun, I went back to work when my daughter was 6 months old and she was a nightmare, she used to get herself in such a state at taking a bottle she would just sob uncontrollably until I fed her, I used to use expressed milk and continued to express when I was at work but that didnt make her want a bottle any more, when she was in nursery she would take a bit of the bottle but I think it was the bare minimum to keep her going, she did survive and she is a fine healthy 3 year old now, your lo will be fine and I know its hard but try not to worry. Isaac never took a bottle either but as i didnt go back to work it wasnt really a problem. xx
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