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[personal profile] mmcirvin
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.

Date: 2006-11-13 02:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kerri9494.livejournal.com
I found that changing nipples/brands helped. We started with periodic feedings from a Playtex nurser, moved to Avent bottles (those were my favorites), and even tried a Haberman feeder somewhere in between.

Then there's the SNS, or supplemental nursing system, where you tape a tube to YOUR nipple...how do you feel about nursing, Matt? ;-)

Date: 2006-11-13 03:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmcirvin.livejournal.com
We're using Avents right now. Very early on we did finger feeding with a fairly small oral syringe, but that would never fly with anything beyond a newborn's appetite.

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...

Date: 2006-11-13 03:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] samantha2074.livejournal.com
We're using Avent bottles currently. My mom has suggested trying a sippy cup. We haven't tried changing nipples or bottles - thanks for the suggestion.

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)
From: [identity profile] vardissakheli.livejournal.com
tape the tube to your finger. That's what my little sister needed for the first few days, in fact, before her daughter was successful in sucking at her nipple.

Re: Uh, you can also

Date: 2006-11-13 02:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] samantha2074.livejournal.com
That might work for a just-born baby, but Jorie's old enough that I don't think she's going to be fooled by some old finger. She's holding out for the real deal.

Date: 2006-11-13 05:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jmkelly.livejournal.com
By all means try the alternatives suggested, but it could be she's just getting smarter, ergo more aware of what she wants and what she doesn't want. They do that.

Date: 2006-11-14 12:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] eb-oesch.livejournal.com
I've been bottling mine for ages, but it hasn't kept well. I can send some if you don't mind it's rancid and mixed with other emotions that are even fouler.

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