What kind of teat is she using on the bottles?  I think it makes a
difference. Sometimes it is rate-flow preference.  Every suck at a bottle
gives a gush and most teats have large holes so that the care giver doesn't
have to spend much time feeding the baby.  Ask her how long it takes for
baby to empty the bottle. I'll bet it is much shorter than with the breast.
When baby comes to breast she must facilitate the first milk ejection reflex
(MER), then with each slowing of flow she must do the flutter sucking to
initiate another MER. Some babies feel that the milk is gone with the
slowdowns or they get impatient with it all, if they have been given the
gushers.

There are no ideal teats for bottles, of course.  But some make it very hard
to keep baby at the breast because of shape or flow rate.

I recommend a nipple that is very slow flowing or the Haberman feeder, which
has an adjustable flow, including a no flow or trickle.  Another advantage
is that they are straight and longer than some teats. They are expensive up
front but cheaper than abm, and additional teats can be ordered from Medela.

Another teat that I like is Munchkins.  They have a slow flow, med flow and
fast flow. The slow flow will take 20-25 minutes to empty. They used to be
sold in pharmacies and department stores all over, but "the other wide-based
teat company" put pressure on stores to stop selling them because they were
cutting into their sales.  They have two styles of teats and I am
recommending the one that fits on any wide-based holder. If mom calls the
company they will send her a sample.  I have a client who ordered 6 from the
company.  Their number is 1-800-344-BABY.

Another thing that is probably happening is that people are sticking the
bottle teat into the baby's mouth.  Most people do this.  I advise moms and
their care-givers to touch baby's lip, wait for a wide mouth, put the teat
just inside the lips and let her draw it into her mouth--copying what
happens at the breast (as well as possible).

The feeding style of sticking the teat into the baby's mouth, the teat
having large holes, baby finishing in 10 minutes, with an overfull stomach
just makes for a totally different feeding experience, and if done often it
begins to feel like the normal.  It is rather like "infant fast food."  It
doesn't really satisfy and it is all about the stomach. And it is not good
for other systems of the body.  There is often overfeeding, and respiratory
rate and pulse are heightened as baby tries to grab breaths in between
gulps.  There isn't that satisfied full-body experience of relaxing with a feed.

When mom gets baby back to the breast one more time, she needs to take steps
to make the feedings more similar. There are no guarantees with bottle
feeding and one baby does well with one teat or any teat, while another is
just not going to keep adjusting.

Pat Gima
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