At 05:20 PM 3/12/97 -0600, you wrote:
>Do you folks get calls asking how to "get the baby take a bottle"?  It's my
>least favorite call, I think.  Here I am, working with babies who have so
>much trouble learning to suckle at the breast and I get calls from moms of 3
>or 4 month olds who won't take a bottle and I am supposed to have a solution
>to this "problem."
>

Here is a solution- a four month old can take a cup.  I had one of 'those'
babies- if she had had a bottle first, she never ever ever would have went
to the breast.  And since she had a breast first- she *never* took a bottle
or a pacifier- even at 26 hours old when a 'helpful' nursery nurse tried
giving her sugar water. ;)  Why bother with a bottle for a four month old?

>I haven't yet said, "Hey, Why did you call me?  I am a breastfeeding
>specialist not a bottle feeding specialist!" Nor have I yelled, "I have four
>women who would soooo like their babies to feed at their breasts but the
>babies haven't learned, and they are heroic in their efforts. And you want
>your baby to NOT breastfeed?!"

LOL! I feel your frustration. I *love* whe other's tell these moms- oh just
wait until the baby is 'hungry enough. then he'll take that botle.'  Gee,
you never hear anyone say that about *breastfeeding* eh????

>I did ask one mother what she thinks her friend's bottle feeding baby would
>do if she put her to the breast.

I imgaine this went over well.... ;)

>go out for an entire evening leaving a bottle, and today she told me that
>she is going away for a extended period in May and he MUST take a bottle.
>That info. sure cheered me up!

Why *must* baby take feeds from a bottle at all?  Have you suggested a cup?
 I imagine you have... :(

>Do you really put time and energy into this? Do you show compassion because
>you know that she is victim of her culture that sees a baby who won't take a
>bottle as abnormal?

Well, because I had a baby who refused artificial nipples entirely, and
because I *did* leave my exclusively breastfed baby for 28 hours at 6 weeks
old (with about 36 ounces of EBM), I can usually tell these moms quite
frankly there is NO need for a baby to take a bottle ever.  My 6 week old
took a cup, with a sipper spout (not the spill proof kind). Now *our* trick
was she refused *my milk* from anything as well, so she actually lived on
sugar water those 20 some hours, and finally, (while I was on my way home)
she took 6 ounces of my milk.  (I usually leave that part out.... and at
the time I didn't know any better. ;) )

So.... my longwinded suggeston, tell her to get an Avent soft spouted cup
(or some other brand, though I don't know any with a nice soft spout), and
give that to baby instead.

OR, believe it or not, Avent *bottles* or Munchkin *disposable* bottle
nipples work for some reluctant bottle feeders.
Heidi Murphy
Peer Counselor, BSN Student