I am going back to work in less than 2 weeks and for a few weeks now LO has been rejecting the bottle...she wants absolutely nothing to do with it! I am already a nervous wreck thinking about going back to work and leaving her, and on top of that this feeding issue is making me so anxious! what if she is starving all day because she will not eat? 
we have tried MANY bottles and it seems like she just doesnt know how to suck from them, and just plays around with the nipple in her mouth....have any moms gone through this?? how did your LO's do when you went back to work? she was taking bottles like a champ when she was a newborn and started rejecting my breast, so we removed bottles for a little bit and now the opposite is happening!
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Have you tried having someone else feed her with your NOT around? Sometimes that helps.
Also, even if she just snacks during the day she can always do some reverse cycling (more nursing at night) to make up for the calories she needs. I actually know a number of moms that reverse cycle and don't really worry about what their little eats/doesn't eat during the day.
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I agree with @RunsYellowLites. I have shown up while the nanny was giving LO a bottle, and as soon as she saw me, she instantly rejected the bottle (so I finished her feeding). You would at least know whether she is completely rejecting the bottle or just telling you that she prefers you.
I would let your DH give it a shot.
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thanks ladies! i have tried having DH give her the bottle, but I am still close by so maybe she smells me? i should try leaving the house and seeing what happens...I will do that this weekend...
@runsyellowlites: gahh she already wakes up 3 times at night, I dont want any more night feedings or i will be a walking zombie at work! lol....but if this is what she needs to grow then so be it
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@NovBaby1112: Definitely stay out of sight for the feed. I didn't even get close to my LO (she just saw me), and she spit the bottle out.
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@NovBaby1112: Also, have you settled on a bottle? You indicated that you have tried many . . .
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@NovBaby1112: I went through t he same thing with my LO when she wwas about to start daycare. Persistence is the only thing that really works, so keep offering the bottle and dont nurse during the day and also trying different bottles and nipples
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DD did this same thing! But, a few days before I went back to work, my sister watched her for a couple of hours while I ran errands. DD took a bottle from her with no problem, and it was never a problem at daycare. I hope it will be the same way for you.
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I went through this too, and in the end I stopped bothering with bottles because she absolutely hated them and went straight to a sippy cup. The first day she only drank 6 ounces, but slowly but surely built it up and now does fine. And this is after she flat out rejected that bottle for a solid 6 months.
So try not to worry too much and keep trying, something will stick.
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@MsLipGloss: oh wow, well i will def leave the house then! gotta try that soon....and no, we havent settled on a bottle...she despises them all equally
@Mrsbells: we will keep trying then! every night from here on out we will give it a solid try
@BabyBoecksMom: thats awesome!! ahh i hope it is the same way for us too!! i am going to try leaving for a few hours to see what happens
@plantains: how old was she when she tried the sippy cup? LO will oly be 12 weeks, not sure if she will be able to use one or not?
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@NovBaby1112: She was 4 months old when we tried it first. My doc actually suggested it at 7 weeks when she first started rejecting. We first tried a Tommie Tippee cup but the flow was waaaay too fast for her. We switched to a NUK soft spout cup after that and she loves it. She doesn't know what to do with a hard spout but the shape of the soft spout NUK was perfect for her.
If all else fails you can alwsys try using a beaker or spoon feeding. Something is bound to work eventually. Also, Mrs Jacks write a fantastic post on combatting bottle rejection. None of the suggestions worked for us, but trying them made me feel less helpless.
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@NovBaby1112: bumping! Today was my first day back at work and my mom was with her all day and she only drank 6oz all day! So I've been nursing non stop since I've gotten home. I'm expecting her to be up a few times tonight to make up for it. Hopefully she will get better about it...we are going to try again tomorrow even though I am working at home tomorrow. Good luck! Hope your LO takes a bottle better than mine!
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My friend was having this issue but once her daughter got to daycare, she ended up taking the bottle. And now she will take from her husband at night if she is out, when before the baby wouldn't.
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@JessLC: oh no!!! This is exactly what I am nervous about! I was hoping since she would be hungry and I wouldn't be around that she would be forced totake the bottle...hopefully she does a better job tomorrow with you! Let me know how she does tonight and tomorrow, I go back Friday so ill know what to expwct at least if she doesn't drink a lot. Did she seem fussy or inconsolable during the day from not eating?
@Smurfette: Ahhh I hope its the same for us, we shall find out soon
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@NovBaby1112: she was a bit fussy right at bedtime. sometimes when she is too hungry and tired, she'll cry as i try to put her on the boob and fight it, even though i know she is hungry. so she did some of that tonight. but my mom said that she didn't cry during the day except for when she was trying to feed her the bottle, otherwise she was smiling and talking. when i got home, LO looked a tired and maybe a little sad (sniff!), but then i had three nursing sessions in 2 hours so i hope she was at least full when she went down. we'll see how the night goes.
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@NovBaby1112: I'm not going back to work any time soon but LO is exactly the same. Downright refuses a bottle and just plays with it like you say. We're going to try the sippy cup option I think, as that was what our LC suggested. We've also used a syringe in the past, just to get a bit extra into her. Good luck, so many people have been through this and found a solution just fine : )
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@JessLC: well that's good that she was only fussing during the bottle sessions and not all day, that is what I was worried about... That my LO would be soo hungry and inconsolable bc she wasn't eating. Hope today goes better for u!
@travelgirl1: thanks! I bought a sippy cup today, the one @plantains recommended so we will see how that goes
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@NovBaby1112: she actually slept really well last night, about 11 hours straight. i was surprised, i was so sure she would wake up and want to eat! anyway, we are trying the bottles again today. marginally better, but still not going that well. my poor mom has to fight with her every time! anyway, let me know how the sippy cup goes.
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@NovBaby1112: hope it goes well for you! It might take a couple of weeks or so, but one she sees that you being at work is the new status quo, she will figure something out.
I would let your DH give it a shot.
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