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Infant feeding

If it ain't the boob, she don't wanna know - please help

11 replies

TheOldestCat · 17/05/2007 19:09

My six-month-old DD has just started nursery this week as I'm back in work. She's never taken a bottle, but after a couple of months of hard work, I'd got her to accept my expressed milk in a cup (one with a spout and one of those doidy ones). Phew.
I shouldn't have counted my blessings. Despite loving nursery (she's a jolly little thing), she is now refusing milk out of everything except me! We've tried offering her expressed milk from a cup instead of the breast, but she sobs until she's frantic. So at the moment she's having a feed first thing then at bedtime and barely an ounce during the day (she also doesn't feed at night - she's still sleeping from 7:30 until 6). I'm so worried she's dehydrated - and even before she started nursery she wasn't putting much weight on (barely an oz a week).
Can anyone help? Should I just perservere with the cup (or that tommee tippee bottle that looks like a nork?) - it's only been four days? will the determined little thing cave into hunger soon? help!

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WanderingTrolley · 17/05/2007 19:14

You might find she starts waking at night to top up.

Keep going with the cup. You could try her with a bottle again - ime the best time to try is between feeds when she isn't starving, and try to get her to just play with it at first.

You may also find she won't take expressed milk from you, but she may take it from your dp/h, nursery workers etc.

If she's started on solids you could make them as sloppy as you can to up her liquid intake (doesn't work so well for BLW, obv!)

If she has food from a spoon, you could try spooning in the milk.

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isaidno · 17/05/2007 19:16

As long as she drinks enough water she won't dehydrate.

I would persevere with the cup; I think a bottle would add to the upset and confusion.

Offer the ebm in the cup at home as well as nursery.

What solids (if any) is she on?

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MerryMarigold · 17/05/2007 19:19

This happened to my friend. She used to just feed when she was at home. In the day, the baby ate yoghurts and milk mixed into her food at nursery, as well as drinking some water from a cup. She seemed ok, but my friend was working 3 days per week, so 4 days a week the baby had more feeds as I remember...

My ds hung on to the boob till he was 11 mths. It took him a couple of months to change, but did it in the end. Now I can't get him off the blimming bottle. He's a little 'sucker' alright (never drinks proper amounts from a cup).

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TheOldestCat · 17/05/2007 19:21

Thanks, WanderingTrolley - we've started doing that with the solids 9butternut squash milkshake anyone?) and she wolfs it down. So spooning in milk is a good plan.

Cheers, isaidno - we're trying to offer the cup at home too. She's having pureed vegetables and fruit in the day at nursery so I guess she;s getting water from them. But she won't take water from a cup either - starts crying the second she sees it and bats it away from herself.

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TheOldestCat · 17/05/2007 19:26

Cheers MerryMarigold. I'm working full time, but at home two days a week when she's just at nursery for the mornings. I'm really worrie about the three days she's there all day. Ah well, I'm sure we'll get there!

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isaidno · 17/05/2007 19:59

Try the water in a no spill feeder cup, and let her play with it?

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blueshoes · 17/05/2007 20:27

All good advice here, oldcat. My dd refused the bottle.

For a different perspective, I took her into my bed at night and fed her lying down, when she woke, topping her up all night long. I believe it is called reverse cycling. Extended my cuddle time with her as well. Result: no guilt at going back to work.

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TheOldestCat · 17/05/2007 20:29

isaidno - good plan, will do.

Thanks everyone - it's only been a few days. Will take your advice on board and see where it gets us. It's so difficult offering her the cup when she's pawing at the breast.

Cor - I'd have loved to have been in this position a few months back when I was having problems getting her to latch on, suffering with thrush etc!

Cheers again, all.

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TheOldestCat · 17/05/2007 20:34

blueshoes - thanks, that sounds like a plan. I'm glad reverse cycling worked for you; the extra cuddles sound nice too.

All my worries about missing her have gone right out the window - I just want her to drink her milk. The nursery staff are great and I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

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MerryMarigold · 17/05/2007 21:14

btw, ds found it difficult to drink from no-spill cups as the sucking is quite different from breast sucking I think. I took the valves out of mine or bought ones which just had a whole so didn't need to really suck...