# baby suddenly refusing bottle - help!



## kdo (May 31, 2006)

Hello. My baby is five months old and has been breastfed since birth as well as given bottles of expressed breast milk (and sometimes a bottle of formula here or there when I can't pump enough to get her through the days when I'm at work). She has never had a problem going back and forth between nursing and taking the bottle from others. This is important, because I'm working almost full-time and the nanny needs to be able to give her food from a bottle when I'm not home.

For the past week she has been sick (rotavirus), and hardly eating much at all, let alone from the bottle. In fact, she has been completely refusing to take anything from the bottle. I just want to make sure she stays hydrated because of all the diarrhea, so I have stayed home a few days already from work to be available to feed her. She's still under the weather, so I'm really hoping that when she's well again she will start taking the bottle again. But this is a big problem if she continues with this habit, since my job depends on me being at work!

any advice or experience? all words of wisdom greatly appreciated.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

You aren't going to like my reply, BUT... I went back to work when dd was about 5 months (she was born in May, I went back to teaching at the end of Sept)... Dh had her at home. I don't think for the entire year she ate more than about 4 oz a day from a bottle!

And yet, at her 12 month appt, she was 21 lbs!

How'd she gain all that weight?

REVERSE CYCLING. My clever little thing HATED artificial nipples and she just waited me out. She nursed all evening and then every 2 hours at night. Needless to say, we coslept.

If a baby can go all night without eating, they can go all day, IF they are allowed to nurse at will at night.

You may not be faced with this. Our first never reversed cycled. She could just need the extra contact that bfing gives her now because she's been so sick. So, have the nanny give her bottles every hour or two - if she only drinks even just a little bit, that will help keep her hydrated!


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## CawMama (Nov 4, 2005)

Maybe she's just still feeling punky and doesn't want anything but the real thing? How is she doing today?


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