Bottle hate
Nov. 12th, 2006 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Today Sam had a concert to go to for a few hours. I was considering going and bringing the baby, but all told I think staying home with her was the right decision, because of feeding/crankiness issues. Sam might have been able to breast-feed her at intermission, but it would have been touch and go for a while there.
The problem is that Jorie has decided she hates the bottle. Hates it, hates it, hates it. She will suck on a pacifier; she will suck on my finger, her fingers, or any number of foreign objects; but she will not suck on her bottle without huge amounts of screaming and protesting. She was fine with the bottle from birth up to a couple of weeks ago, and, indeed, was usually capable of gulping down four to five ounces of pumped milk at a sitting (six was her record, at an age around one month). Lately, though, you're lucky if you can get one or two ounces into her in a succession of three or four mini-feedings terminated by screaming.
It's the breast or nothing. Of course this is a problem if Sam ever has anywhere to go that will prevent feeding Jorie every couple of hours.
I'm not quite sure what the trouble is; she does get really gassy when she uses the bottle, and it's possible that anticipation of gas pains is bothering her. Of course, it doesn't help that if she's screaming and struggling, any sucking she does do is likely to cause her to swallow a huge amount of air and make the problem even worse. But babies are not known for listening to reason.
The problem is that Jorie has decided she hates the bottle. Hates it, hates it, hates it. She will suck on a pacifier; she will suck on my finger, her fingers, or any number of foreign objects; but she will not suck on her bottle without huge amounts of screaming and protesting. She was fine with the bottle from birth up to a couple of weeks ago, and, indeed, was usually capable of gulping down four to five ounces of pumped milk at a sitting (six was her record, at an age around one month). Lately, though, you're lucky if you can get one or two ounces into her in a succession of three or four mini-feedings terminated by screaming.
It's the breast or nothing. Of course this is a problem if Sam ever has anywhere to go that will prevent feeding Jorie every couple of hours.
I'm not quite sure what the trouble is; she does get really gassy when she uses the bottle, and it's possible that anticipation of gas pains is bothering her. Of course, it doesn't help that if she's screaming and struggling, any sucking she does do is likely to cause her to swallow a huge amount of air and make the problem even worse. But babies are not known for listening to reason.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 02:23 am (UTC)Then there's the SNS, or supplemental nursing system, where you tape a tube to YOUR nipple...how do you feel about nursing, Matt? ;-)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 03:14 am (UTC)I was thinking that she might actually be getting too much flow with the Avent nipples, and having trouble swallowing it all. Another thing we tried when she was a tiny newborn was some sort of fancy nipple called Second Nature that was supposed to mimic a real nipple's behavior more closely, but back then she couldn't get anything out of the Second Nature nipple at all. Maybe something like that might work now...
no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 03:17 am (UTC)Apparently when I was about the same age, I also refused to take a bottle. My mom didn't press the issue since she didn't have any need to be away from me for long stretches. I would like to be able to go to band rehearsal once a week, which would involve an absence of several hours at a time when Jorie's more likely to cluster feed. I would hate to think it's not possible.
My mom thinks Jorie simply prefers the whole breastfeeding experience. Certainly she seems to enjoy it - she strokes my breast and occasionally pauses to smile at me.
Uh, you can also
Date: 2006-11-13 04:17 am (UTC)Re: Uh, you can also
Date: 2006-11-13 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 05:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-14 12:47 am (UTC)