My daughter just turned 12 weeks old and I returned to work full time last week. I am breast feeding her and started her on bottles of pumped milk at about 4 weeks old. She took to the bottle just fine and has never had any problems taking one, although she was only given them occasionally, probably one every other day or so. I started back to work last week working 3 days now I am back to a regular 5 day work week. My husband works nights and I work days so she is home with him during the day. Everything was fine for the first 3 days, then she wouldn't take a bottle, she just slept most of the day. I nursed her as soon as I got home and she seemed to spend the evening "making up for lost time" nursing. This has gone on for 4 days now and I am exhausted working all day and nursing all evening and night. 2 days ago Corinne's bottom 2 teeth came through. She is not even 3 months old yet! Now I don't know whether her refusal of a bottle is because she is teething or because of my return to work. She has been going for about 9 hours without eating and even when my husband manages to squeeze some milk the bottle into her mouth, she spits it out. I talked to her doctor and he said don't worry unless she starts losing weight, which I don't think she has...yet. She has always been a very good eater.. she weighed 6lb 13oz at birth and at her 2 month checkup she was 14lbs 1 oz. I just don't know how worried I should be or if there is anything I can do to get her to eat when I can not nurse her.
I CAN TOTALLY RELATE ---- DON'T LET IT PLAY ON YOUR HEART STRINGS TRUST ME I KNOW THATS HARD TOO. SHE WILL IN TIME TAKE THE BOTTLE THERE WILL BE AOT OF CRYING. JUST TRY TO SOOTHE HER THE BEST YOU CAN AND KEEP OFFERING THE BOTTLE. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, AND II DIDN'T MATTER WHICH TYPE OF NIPPLE IT WAS. SO KEEP YOUR CHIN UP IT WILL ALL WORK OUT.
I have a little suggestion for dad...i had a preemie and to make sure he ate we used a dropper sometimes to drop it in his mouth and sometimes he would taste it and get more interested.
A little idea for you could be to eat a lot of yummy sweet fruit while pumping and that will be what she has with dad and eat veggies and regular food when she will be nursing from you.
I brought my son to work with me at 5 days and he went on the bottle with gma at about 8weeks...there was a transition period to get use to it...i would continue pumping at work every two hours even though when i wasn't home he would eat every three or four on the bottle...then he got use to it and did go back to the every two. He's six months now and just broke both of his bottom teeth through this week and he has been putting a lot of time between bottles for the daycare he just started but also at times he wants to eat every two...so its a toss up.
Ok, this doesn't have to do with her taking the bottle, but just a thought. Does she sleep all night? If not, the sleeping she's doing during the day may be her "night time" sleep. She could have her days and nights mixed up a little. At two months old my daughter started sleeping at least nine hours a night and then nursed big time when she woke up. I don't know if this is the case with you, but maybe it would explain her sleeping alot during the day.
Hope things get better.
D.
I can totally relate, my first 2 weeks back at work I had to constantly leave the office to nurse my daughter because she would refuse to take a bottle and would just scream. If your daughter is hungry she will either take the bottle or cry because she is hungry but wants you. When my daughter was teething she refused to take a bottle as well, she liked to nurse because it soothed her. From the sounds of things it is not your going back to work that is the problem. It sounds like she is up all night because she is sleeping so much during the day. Have your husband put her on the schedule she had before you started work, feeding every 2-3 hours and sleeping at this time etc. Have him plan things to do with her like tummy time and taking her outside etc to keep her stimulated and up. My daugther at that age was taking 3 naps a day for 1-2 hours each time. Trust me if your daugther is hungry and just wants you then she will cry nonstop wanting to relief that feeling of hunger but being stubber to refuse the bottle like my daughter did. I can tell you it is hard and you are going to have many sleepless nights from teething and colds but this sounds like she is just sleeping too much during the day. I know my husband use to always try to get my daughter to sleep at that age so he could do stuff he never realized that a child even at that age needs to be stimulated and entertained. I hope things work out and it will probably take a few weeks to get on a good schedule with working. Good Luck!
Hello, Well dont worry about the teeth thing. I have a seven week old adn she is showing signs of teething right now. I would suggest just keep at it I think that if she is hungry enough and she is use to teh bottle from previous times of taking it she will take it again maybe she is just trying to get use to her daddy feeding her more often and I think they are just more prone to eat better from their mommy. Dont sweat it, Maybe have him feed her with you there in the same room and she could see you and still take the bottle at night just once to let her know it is ok.
Hope I could help
