HELP! She's refusing the bottle...again!

DD is 5 months and has been in daycare since 12 weeks. The first week I went back to work she refused the bottle, but finally started taking it and has been getting 4 bottles a day ( with 1-2 nursing sessions) since. Well, now my supply is really diminishing so I am starting to wean her off of BM and onto formula. I have been mixing with BM and it was going ok. She would refuse or be difficult for one feeding but do great the next. I was increasing the ratio and things were still ok. Well, all of a sudden she has been refusing the bottle all day. I even tried a bottle of BM and she won't even let it near her lips. It don't think it is the bottle itself since she has been using them for months. They are medium flow nipples which we have used since she refused the first time. I've tried feeding her hungry, feeding her when she is not hungry, having someone else feed her, warm/cold, all BM, no BM/only formula, etc. Nothing is working. I can't keep nursing her because 1. I work and 2. I don't have enough milk. What do I do? HELP!

Re: HELP! She's refusing the bottle...again!

Anyone? She is now constipated and I think it may be because she isn't getting enought milk from me. She has to start eating. Do you think I should just switch to formula and not offer her the boob at alls so she has to take the bottle? I am planning on stopping BFing anyway.

Re: HELP! She's refusing the bottle...again!

I'm sorry but I don't have much advice. I'm going through a similar situation although DD isn't really refusing the bottle she just won't take much. I"m weaning her to formula as I'm going back to work in a week :( She is almost 4 mths and will only take 2-3 oz at once. From what I've been told, she WILL eat when she's hungry. If she has no other choice she will have to take the bottle. I would call your pediatrician's office and ask them for some advice. I"m planning on doing that this week just to make sure I'm going about the weaning process the right way before I go back to work. Good luck! It'll be okay!

Re: HELP! She's refusing the bottle...again!

Re: HELP! She's refusing the bottle...again!

I've gone through the same thing. DD was 6 months and I thought she was fine with the bottle and then one day she just refused it. I had to do everything (fenugreek, mother's milk, extra pumping) to get my supply back up. Then I realized, you know what, it has to be all or nothing with this kid. It was too confusing for her. I know they say to drop a feeding a week or so but what I had to do was offer the bottle first for all feedings and then nurse her at the end and I slowly stopped doing that. She's been on the bottle since the 4th of July but then she decided she won't take it for anybody else but me or sometimes DH well I go back to work next week and she was at the babysitter's today and she finally took a bottle for her. She hadn't had a bottle since 4 am so I guess she got hungry/thirsty enough and took it. You may feel mean but she will take it when she gets hungry enough