[busymomma2013]

Hey everyone! My husbands sister had her 2nd little girl in April. She has been breastfed up until the just recently when my sister in law returned to work. She started to introduce a bottle a few weeks before her return to work, but baby girl will not take the bottle. We have tried everything. Finger feeder, all kinds a nipples, syringes, medicine droppers. You name it we have tried it. Any advice?? Thanks

[DoulaLC]

A few things to try:

Try it when baby is sleepy.

Offer when she is just quietly awake and not very hungry.

Offer it with a soft spoon... again, don't wait until she is very hungry.

(Watch for hunger cues so that things can be tried before she gets very upset)

You could try a soft sippy cup... holding her more upright.

Try a small medicine cup... holding her a little more upright and offering small amounts.

Look for a wide base on the nipple so she will still have a fairly wide latch.

Some babies will go for it if you mimic nursing skin to skin and using a nursing position.

Try walking around while trying to feed her... or standing and swaying.

Mom can satisfy initial hunger first, then switch to bottle in a smooth transition using same position.

Try different temperatures of the fluid and you can slightly warm nipple before a feed.

Is your sister-in-law still nursing when she is home or is she going just to bottles? Is she using breastmilk or formula?

[busymomma2013]

Thank you for all of the great tips! I will be trying all of them and let her know about the tips as well! Hopefully something works...

Yes, she is still breastfeeding when she is home. But she is also still trying to get her to take a bottle at least once a day, on her days off.

She has been trying both breastmilk and formula.

I babysitting for her while she is working. It gets pretty loud in here to say the least. But I have had a little success with the brown latex nipple and a medicine dropper.

Today her mom got done beastfeeding her right before she left for work at 6:30am. Baby girl has only taken 4oz of breastmilk throughout the rest of the day. Her mom doesn't get home until 5:30ish. :(

[DoulaLC]

Keep trying different things, although not all at once of course. Definitely try offering before she gets too hungry and isn't crying. Some babies don't care where they get their meal and will happily go back and forth from the start, while many others take some time to get the hang of it.

Many babies never take a bottle and will go pretty much from breast to sippy cup. Some will transition first with spoon feeds, medicine cup feeds, syringe feeds, etc. If she is getting her fill when mom is home, then small amounts during the day are not too much of an issue. If she is pretty content, still having plenty of wet diapers, and an occasional bm now and then of the usual consistency, she is likely getting what she needs.

Some babies will do what's called reverse cycling... inwhich one situation is that baby eats only a little throughout the day, and fills up with several feedings in the evening, perhaps at night, and first thing in the morning. It can work well for many women and their baby.

Your sister-in-law may want to just stick with breastmilk as she is getting her used to a bottle. It will be what baby is used to and it will allow for more nutrition. She can likely build quite a supply of expressed breastmilk if she is interested simply by pumping a bit after a couple of feedings a day. First thing in the morning can be good if she has the time. Breastmilk is often more abundant in the morning, and if she is able to find time for two regular sessions a day, one in the morning and one in the evening for example, her body will respond by producing more at those times.

Once baby will take a bottle, sippy cup, etc. some mothers will combine breastfeeding when home and formula when out, or just breastmilk all the time... directly from mom and expressed.

[J_9]

Along with what Doula has mentioned, there is a great bottle on the market that mimics the breast. Not sure if you have it in your area.

LATCH Baby Bottle Nipples Mimic How a Breast Moves, Stretches, and Pumps | Inhabitots

[busymomma2013]

UPDATE:

So, I found that feeding her with the spoon is definitely the easiest way. Also, feeding her when she first wakes is helping.
I have successfully fed her 6oz through out yesterday! Hopefully today we will make more progress!

Thanks to all!!

[DoulaLC]

That's great news! Thank you for letting us know!

[Donutlover101]

Is she not taking it because she's sleepy? Then undress her and make her angry and then try the bottle. When you do this make sure your using the nipple that looks like an actual nipple for breast fed babies. If she still won't take it make her want it by dripping some of the breast milk onto her lips and smoothing it on her lips. This will make her realize that it's still her mommy's breast milk and the nipple is just like the actual one so it will trick her