Help...back to work in 3 weeks and 8 mo wont take bottle.

[sleepygirl79]

Hi everyone,
Thanks SO much for all your advice and reassurrance. Sorry it took me a while to reply, but we've been unwell. I would like to carry on breast feeding in the morning, after work and at night.
I work 9 to 5, 3 days a week, but do on calls from home (occasionally I may have to go in overnight and hubby will be with her.
During the day, LO will be at nursery from 8 to 530.
She knows how to drink from a bottle, but refuses mist of the time.
She can drink water from a tommee tippee first sips cup and a boots sippy cup. But she won't take milk from these and I was afraid to try too hard in case she starts refusing water too. I've tried a few different temperatures.
I've managed to add formula to her rice pudding, and mix it with some mashed banana, which she'll have with a spoon. Is that ok?
It seems that the majority of you suggest a straw cup for milk. Should I do this rather than the sippy cup she uses for water?
I'll try to express a few times a day, (i was doing it after the morning feed), offer expressed milk in a cup during daycare hours, and try to not bf her till I would have come home from work. does that sound like a good plan?
The nursery have actually been quite helpful and reassuring.

[SILLYFACE]

Hello hun - hope you are feeling better. I would give her a good feed from both sides in the morning, followed by cereal with milk (you can give cows milk in cereal from 6 months) plus a yoghurt. Midmorning is a good time to try the cup of ebm or formula. Id follow this with some cheese-based snack if necessary. Lunch as normal with water. Midafternoon id try the cup again with a snack if necessary. Rice cakes are great as they'd probably make her thirsty! When you get home give her a lovely feed followed by tea. Again cheese on toast, fromage frais, rice pudding etc. Then after her bath a final feed. This is exactly what I shall be doing in a month! If you are worried about the milk in the sippy and the confusion with water, try the straw cup for milk and the normal sippy for water. I wasn't convinced by the straw when people recommended it but it is wonderful and soooooo cute! You have nothing to worry about it will work fine and the feed after nursery will be so precious. Good luck xxxx

[Shiv52]

I'll try to express a few times a day, (i was doing it after the morning feed), offer expressed milk in a cup during daycare hours, and try to not bf her till I would have come home from work. does that sound like a good plan?
The nursery have actually been quite helpful and reassuring.

If you are only working 3 days a week I would just offer milk in a cup at 11am at that is the feed you have dropped anyways.    I think the nursery will have more success getting her to take the milk with a straw cup.  I personally wouldn't bother dropping any other feeds in the run up to daycare especially if they are supportive.  even if she doesn't take much during the day a morning, after work and bedtime feed on workdays is more than adequate and as pp says you can get nursery to give milk based solids and that should tide her over until you are back. 

But i wouldn't panic just yet.  It took my LOs a while to take any real volume from a sippy but I did a straw cup with DD2 from 7 months and was so surprised at how much she would drink from it.

[lpperry]

If it is just 3 days a week, I totally change my mind about not breastfeeding and trying to get her to take the bottle or cup. I guess I just assumed you meant full-time daycare.

For just 3 days a week, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless your dd ends up miserable at daycare because she is starving. You can give daycare a few bottles and the cups that she has drank out of and just see how it goes.   If she doesn't take milk there, you could always send extra solids so she has something in her belly. Then you can nurse in the evening--she might wake up extra those nights if she is extra hungry, but with just 3 days a week, it won't be too bad if she doesn't take a bottle on daycare days.

I would also leave the cups that she drinks water out of and let them offer water if she doesn't want the milk. It sounds like she knows how to use a cup, it is just that she doesn't want milk from it.

Good luck!

[sleepygirl79]

Hi guys, two other questions. I've tried a straw cup with ebm for almost a week with no success...I think once she realised it was milk (age tried a bit) she refused to suck. Who knows. Should I just persist with the same thing to keep it consistent? Also, I find that if I keep bm in the fridge and use it the next day, it smells like its off. Is that normal? I thought it should last a few days in the fridge.

[Fiver]

In what way does it smell off?  Like a soapy smell or something else?

[SILLYFACE]

If it just smells really 'milky' it'll be fine - it does have a shelf life - I can't remember how long I think its the rule of 3 - 3 hours at room temp, 3 days in fridge and 3 months in freezer but please look it up as I am not 100%. You will probably notice it separates too. The best tip I ever had was not to shake it as it kills off all the goodness and never heat it or defrost it in boiling water as it also kills the antibodies. Stir or swirl it to mix it up. Also the milk may smell or taste different according to what you have eaten. I'd keep trying the straw but don't stress about it! Make sure your little one is thirsty - I can tell when my baby isn't as she just bites it! I have the Nuby natural touch no spill flip it silicone straw cup for 12months which I highly recommend - my LO was 9 - 10 months when I gave it to her. Keep going hun - perhaps try water in it too to get baby used to different fluids. Good luck and keep us posted. 

[Fiver]

Just to clear it up, it's 12 months in the freezer, up from the previous 6m guidance, but yes, 3 days in the fridge as I recall.

I'd wondered about it being soapy as it could be excess lipase which would need you to scald the milk immediately after expressing before storing it.  I'm not sure how unusual that is, though.

[sleepygirl79]

Hi, thank you. I'll keep going. Will try the Nuby if ours doesn't work. I guess soapy is a good way to describe the smell. It doesn't always smell like that, so it could have been diet related. That's really helpful about the timings. I'Ve got a pretty strong willed baby! Will keep you updated. X

[Fiver]

If you think that could be an issue, there is some guidance here http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/lipase-expressedmilk/ on how to go about resolving it.  Good luck

[Katet]

I'Ve got a pretty strong willed baby! Will keep you updated. X

But she won't starve herself. Shemay compensate by wanting more feeds at night if she doesn't get as much in the day, but as long as she eats solids & has small amounts of milk you will be ok... just feed more on the days you are with her so she gets the balance for the week. If that makes sense.