Baby preferring bottle over breast!!! Help!!?
So we’ve started to do a combination of both breastfeeding and formula since the Dr suggested weaning due to poor weight gain. I was doing half nursing, half formula feeding. My son is 4 mths old and has had a bottle since about 3 weeks of age. He is now fussing at the breast and I think its because he wants the bottle. He can wipe a bottle out in a few minutes. Any suggestions will be a great help since I wanted to try to keep up breastfeeding for a bit.
If you really want to continue breastfeeding, my suggestion would be to stop giving him bottles. Not cold turkey of course, but gradually, as your milk supply increases.
First of all, contact a good lactation consultant, to help you with all this. Try La Leche League. They helped me sooo much.
Then rent a good pump from the hospital. Every time you give formula, pump for 10-15 minutes. And if you have the time and patience, you can pump after every feed too. This way you’re telling your body that you need more milk, so gradually , you’ll start to produce more. And also, you can put all the breast milk you collect in a bottle, and give him that instead of formula, for one feeding or two.
Offer the breast more often.
Get different nipples for his bottles, the kind that support breastfeeding (like someone mentioned above). Make sure the flow is not fast. There should be no milk dripping when you hold the bottle upside down. This way, he’ll still have to work to get the milk.
When you give bottles, have daddy if possible to give them to him. That way he knows, that booby=mommy.
Eventually, your supply will increase, and you’ll be able to breastfeed exclusively.
You can do this. Don’t give up on breastfeeding. You’ve come a long way already. You can do this, you can do this, you can do this!
Take it from someone who’s been there.
I thought I would have to give up breastfeeding due to low supply. My baby is now 14 months, and we’re still going!
You can do it too!!
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