I've been following this thread, since as a nursing mother's counselor I have
been asked by moms for bottle-taking tips many times. I am not sure how to
say this diplomatically, but I think that part of the "problem" is that the
parents are just making too big a deal about it. I have used versions of the
encouragments others have written in about, such as complimenting the mom
on her smart baby "she knows that bottle isn't you, smart kid!", while helping
mom to discuss her feelings about having to leave such a young baby to
return to work or school. I have found the following suggestions have worked
for moms in my acquaintance: 1. have the baby and the caregiver meet
several times and start with mom holding the baby, and then passing him to
this person who has now been ok'd by mom, when he is calm and interactive.
2. pick one bottle and stick with it. The constant switching is upsetting to the
baby. 3. offer the bottle as something to play with (only put a little breastmilk
in it, not a "full feeding", when baby isn't hungry, cranky, just waking up or
wanting to go to sleep. Treat it like a toy and let the baby explore it the way
he wants to. If he isn't interested, don't force it. Try again later. 4. It is
helpful if mom isn't there. She will need to practice saying goodbye anyway,
and so will the baby. The caregiver should offer the bottle before the baby
gets really hungry (caregivers are usually clock watchers--sorry for the
blanket statement) and they miss the receptive mood a baby may be in when
early cues are displayed--thus creating more upset for all when the baby
begins wailing. 5. other feeding methods have been discussed, but reality for
most mothers is that daycares and most relatives are thinking one thing--
bottle. Asking them to use another method may not be practical or feasible.
Our job as Lactation Consultants is to make this transition as easy as possible
for everyone, and for many learning one more new "special" thing about
breastfeeding is throwing up another barrier. Sorry for the length of this post,
but I feel very strongly that it is a failing in this country that parents even
have to go through this trauma of leaving their new baby because USA lacks
decent maternity/paternity coverage. For now, we can only help within the
parameters of the current system no matter how much we all wish the
situation would change. Sorry this turned into a bit of a rant against the
sytem!
Kindly,
Leslie Cree, IBCLC
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