How to introduce bottle

C

charade

Registered User
With 20 days before I go back to work, I need to get my till now breastfed baby onto the bottle. Unlike my son who took the bottle fairly easily, my baby girl is having none of it and screams like a banshee when we try to bottle feed her. I've tried to have other people than me feed her - it's slightly better but she still drinks very little and gulps a lot of air crying, adding to her already bad gas problem.

So looking for tips on introducing the bottle:
1. Any nipples that worked well. I've tried Dr. Brown's, Pigeon (the clear ones) and Pigeon the softer brown ones.
2. I'm currently trying one feed per day of the bottle. Thinking to increasing to two...should I be making her go cold turkey and doing all bottle feeds?
3. How long did it take your baby to accept the bottle?

Anything else I could try? I am panicking a bit because I need to be away from her for more than eight hours and coming back home for feeds is not an option.
 
I had the same problem with my daughter and the advice I was given that helped me was use the Nuk nipples (my daughter did end up liking those ones after trying many, many others) and don't hold her in a feeding position. We ended up sitting her in her little bouncy chair and giving her the bottle. This helped a lot. I of course couldn't give her the bottle but my helper and husband were able to. Having said that she was a skinny little thing for awhile, I think because she wasn't that keen on the bottle. I did lots of feeding after work and at night to try to make up for this.

Now she's 1 and I'm trying to ditch the bottles, which she is having none of :)
 
Here are some tips that can be used if baby is reluctant to take the bottle:

  • Try offering the bottle before the baby is likely to be too hungry,
  • Wrap the baby in a piece of the mother?s clothing (blouse or nightgown, for example) while offering the bottle,
  • Instead of pushing the bottle nipple into the baby?s mouth, try laying it near his mouth and allowing him to pull it in himself,
  • Try running warm water over the bottle nipple to bring it up to body temperature,
  • Try different types of bottle nipples to find a shape, a substance (rubber or silicone), and a hole size the baby will accept,
  • Try different feeding positions. Some babies like to sit propped against the caregiver?s raised legs; others prefer not to look at the caregiver and will take a bottle better if they are held facing out, with their back against the caregiver?s chest,
  • Try to feed the baby while moving rhythmically ? rocking, walking or swaying from side to side ? because this may be calming to him,
  • Insert the bottle nipple into the baby?s mouth when he?s sleeping,
  • Keep trying, but remember that the baby can be fed the mother?s milk with a cup, spoon or eyedropper if the baby continues to refuse the bottle.

If the baby is three or four months or older I find that trying to make the bottlefeeding as different to breastfeeding as possible helps. Especially with the position of the baby. You could try feeding the baby in an out facing baby carrier with the bottle coming around the front.

Good luck,
SARAH

www.lotuslactation.com
 
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