From Breast to bottle...baby Has Quit Taking Bottle

First things first, I would not transition her to formula if you can help it. Please consider pumping at work and giving it too her in a bottle. If you are going to work you will be coming home with lots of germs to share and those exclusively breastfed babies stay so much healthier than formula fed babies as a rule.

Just keep trying the bottle and even different bottles if necessary. Hang in, it's early.

And again, if you can avoid it, stick to the breastmilk. It is a nice thing to be able to do when you work. That was one thing that helped me to go to work with less guilt, that I was giving my baby such good stuff while I was working.

Since she is also fussy, I would work on re-establishing a good breast feeding relationship first (this is assuming you have a few weeks of leave left). If the fussing lessens, it may have been the type of bottle/nipple or she was picking up on your anxiety. Also many breastfed babies won't take a bottle from mom, at least initially, so stay out of sight :-).

I can't help with the bottle idea, my son has never taken a bottle. However, bottles can cause more gas in a baby bc the baby isn't controlling the flow. i wonder if bothered her stomach and she "decided" it's not for her?

The spitting up and fussiness could mean acid reflux. If she pushes away bottle and breast, spits up and hates/cries when to put down flat. Call you Doctor she might need medicine.
As for the bottle try differnet nipple speeds.

Try different bottles/nipples. Kids can be really particular on the nipples.It sounds as though she may be getting too much formula at once. Remember to burp often. Goodluck

My sister has success with mixing the breast milk and formula and slowly adding more formula then breast milk. She had to try several different bottles and nipples, before her daughter settled on Gerber Nuk. It may take several bottles, before she finds one she likes. Formula babies are healthy, too. A large long term study was released in January, that breastfed babies are only slightly healthier then other babies, and the percent was negligible. (This was a study about America.) I can find the link to the study, if you're interested. My son was exclusively formula fed and has never been sick.

both my babies were big babies. those little ones can be very picky about the nipple shape. with my second i did not listen to the doc and fed her about 3-4 oz at a time. then wait a few hrs to feed again when she is hungery. if they were fussy and i wasnt sure if they were already hungery again, i put my finger over there lips as if to make the "quiet" sign. not pressing hard but enough that they can feel it if they shake there head quickly and are trying to get ahold of your finger with there mouth then most likely they are hungery. also a quiet place so they wont get distracted. if its not a matter of hungery and she is fine with the nipple shape try mixing a little bit of formula with a lot of breast milk then uping the amouth of formula and less breast milk. good luck.

I understand about the urgency to train your baby for bottle feeds. I was consumed by it during my maternity because I was returning to work too.
Too many changes will not end with good results. Try tackling one issue at a time. Bottle feeding first. Formula second.

Bottle training:
1. Taste your breast milk. Excess lipase, enzyme that hleps breask down fats for digestion, can make the milk taste soapy. Freeze and thaw milk with excess lipase can make it taste like a rusted can. To test, express your breastmilk. Taste immediately to get familiar with what your breastmilk taste like and taste again 12 and 24 hours later to check for taste change. Also, freeze and thaw to test taste. If you have exces lipase, use a bottle warmer and meat thermometer to heat milk to 148F for 1 minute while swirling constantly and then use an ise boath to cool down. Use right away or freeze.
2. Try different bottles and nipples.
3. Try different feeding positions.
4. Try gently movement. Rocking. Up and down.
5. Try different rooms. Darken room. Limit distractions.
4. Do not wait until she is too hungry and become too fussy to take the bottle.
5. Drip some milk on her lips so she can taste it and gently ease the nipple into her mouth.

Formula: You are a good mom and are making choices that are best for her. I would like to encourage you to continue to breastfeed. I pumped 3 times a day (work and home) and breastfed anytime I could. To be honest, it was hard work. It kicked my butt a few times but I am proud that I met my goal and went beyond it to 1 year. Sounds like she prefers breastmilk. The first 6 weeks of breastfeeding are very hard. Afterwards, it become routine and effortless because babies latch on easily and milk supply is established.

Your daughter sounds like a healthy baby. Keep track of wet and dirty diapers. She is gaining weight and thriving, then no worries about her size.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Hi! First off, I just want to say sorry that you had to read the previous poster's message. I thought it was totally unacceptable for someone to judge you for your work and breastfeeding decisions. This is your life, your baby, your family, and you are doing a wonderful job. We are here to support you and to share our advice not to judge you or tear you down.
As for the issue you asked our advice on, I would have to agree with some of the others that you might want to try different nipples. Maybe the flow is too strong or too weak?
Good luck with everything and congratulations on your newest addition!!

i had a similar situation with my baby- shes 12 weeks now. she was breastfed for 4 weeks then i couldn't do it anymore and had to put her on formula. what i tried was pumping and giving her 1 pumped bottle a day- usually in the morning. that way she still got the vitamins from me. after i quit pumping she was straight formula fed. she spit up a bit but it was because she needed to be burped often at first. i found putting gripe water in her bottle helped MAJOR. it's all natural ginger and fennel- the same thing suggested for adults to ease a upset tummy. ialso use dr.browns bottles. they really help with the air flow in the bottle and decrease gas in their tummys. one mistake i made was switching her formulas up a lot at first- pick one and stick to it or she could get really constipated and that just hurts your feelings :) good luck!

She needs you to not go back to work. You are her lifeline. This IS your work.
How are our children going to be blessed with well being if we are not willing to be there for them when they are tiny? She is telling you. Find a way to relax and stay with her. Give up your overheads before her 'Right to Well Being'. Only your breast milk will give her the immune system she deserves. You can do this. Probably if you decide to stay home and not go back to work she will cooperate with you and take the bottle when you need to sleep. She's smart... she knows what you're up to! Just imagine her already grown up having a conversation with you about how you fed her when she was a baby...... ooops....... Having a baby is a great responsibility ... Are you ready for it?