Dear Marjorie,
       Here are some tips you may wish to pass along to the mother you are
working with.
       First, I would suggest taking one day and just breastfeeding.  This
baby is now mad at bottles, and needs a day or two to try to forget that they
make her angry.  During that time, suggest that mom soak a bottle nipple in
expressed breastmilk for 24 hours.  This will help the nipple take on the scent
and flavor of breastmilk, so the baby may be more willing to take it.  Bottle
nipples should *not* be put in a dishwasher (ever, not just those soaked in
breastmilk) and washing by hand will not immediately take away the scent.  By the
time the scent has washed away, the baby may be comfortable with the bottle.
       Suggest that whoever is offering the bottle be sure to offer it about
15-20 minutes *before* the baby is expected to be hungry.  Once the baby
realizes she is ravenous, she only wants what she knows, which is the breast.  But
if the bottle is offered a bit early, the baby will have room in her tummy but
may not yet realize how hungry she is, so she may be more willing to
experiment.
       You have said that other caregivers than mother have offered the
bottle.  *But* has mom been in the house, or worse, in the same room?  Way too many
mothers want to watch what happens.  But babies are very smart.  I swear they
can smell their mothers.  If mom is even in the house, often babies know it
and refuse the bottle.  Usually mom has to leave--go for a walk, or go to the
mall for an hour.  If mom is in the same room, baby won't cooperate.  And if
mom is in another part of the house, and then calls out "How's it going?", it
will *stop* "going", even if baby was cooperating fairly well.  Although I have
seen a few babies who will *only* take a bottle from their mother, this is
counter-productive since mom wants to separate from the baby which is the point
of offering the bottle.  But usually, when mom tries to give the bottle, the
baby acts like, "Mom, you have the real thing in my ear.  What are you doing?"
(Not newborns who need supplementation, but older babies like the one you are
working with.)
       Some babies seem to be less threatened by the bottle if the baby is
held like "spoons in a drawer" in the caregiver's lap, so that baby's back is
against caregiver's chest, and they are both looking in the same direction.  For
some reason, some babies will take a bottle if there is no eye contact.  But
I always caution that, once baby has become comfortable with the bottle,
hopefully in a few feedings, baby be turned around again so that eating can be the
social event it was meant to be.
       Some caregivers make the mistake of warming the bottle too much.
Suggest that a drop on the back of the hand that can't be felt (you only know it's
there because you can see it) is the perfect temperature, so more likely to
be accepted by baby.
       Babies are in control of breastfeeding.  Many want to maintain that
control with bottle-feeding.  Too many people try to just cram the bottle nipple
into the baby's mouth.  Suggest that caregiver gently brush the nipple down
over the center of the baby's lips and then *wait* for the baby to open wide
before putting the nipple in the baby's mouth.
       And if all else fails, suggest a sippy cup with the no-spill valve
removed, so caregiver can slowly tip the feeding into baby's mouth, bit by bit,
but be sure baby isn't sleepy or crying when the cup is used.
       Dee

Dee Kassing, BS, MLS, IBCLC
Collinsville, Illinois, in central USA

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html