Author Topic: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?  (Read 6032 times)

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Offline TB9

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DD2 is 11weeks old now, and she is having trouble latching onto her bottle UNLESS she sucks on her paci first.  She is using Tommie Tippee bottles, and I have tried other types.  Although there are some that she will latch onto without needing the paci first there always seems to be something else we don't like about them so we have ended up putting up with the latching problem in order to avoid other problems...

Is this normal at this age?  Should I be trying some different bottles?

Offline *Kara*

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2013, 04:09:55 am »
What is wrong with her latch onto the bottle?  Does she take in too much air?  Loud noises?

Have you had her checked for a tongue/lip tie?



Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2013, 08:29:02 am »
Mmm tink have you tried feeding in the dark or when drowsy? Wonder if she is a little like T and has a bit of an aversion to the bottle (ours was the breast ::) ) from discomfort.
I find even now on the TT bottles T feeds best in the dark in his room in the recliner all sleepy like - stimulation blocked, he is relaxed, white noise on ... :-\ just a thought
***Sara***
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DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.

Offline TB9

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2013, 12:21:56 pm »
Most of the time she just won't latch.  If I try without the paci first she just moves the nipple around in her mouth or chmops down on it, she doesn't do any sucking at all, just kid of plays about with it, or tries to suck but just can't get it.  Then she takes her paci and sucks on it like she wants to get food out of it, and when she spits the paci out I offer the bottle and she latches on.

Sara - yes, she has a particular spot that she likes to have her bottle and I try to keep the lights low, but if they are too low she thinks she's going to have to go to bed :(

The worst is when she's tired or overly hungry, but it's definitely a problem with most feeds.  DH and I wondered about the bottle aversion thing because we're just now finding the right formula for her, but we didn't know if they could make those sort of associations at this age. 

There are a couple more bottles I can try with her, but at this point I'm not optimistic, lol.  The other option is to try the faster nipple, but she's already using a level 2, and there's only one more level to try...we kinda want to hold off on going up to level 3 because once she decides the level 3 is too slow there's nothing else we can do.   She is a very big baby so I guess it's a possibility we need to go up on the nipple size. We did try the bottle that is the same brand as her paci, but it didn't work well for her.  Should we try going up a nipple size?

Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2013, 18:28:48 pm »
Did you try the var flow?
***Sara***
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DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.

Offline TB9

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2013, 18:50:20 pm »
Yeah, she liked it at first...then hated it!  I think she doesn't want to work for her food  :-\

She literally hit her 3month gs today so she's latching on and sucking really well because she's uber hungry.  I'm not giving the paci before and she's doing ok, I will stop offering and see if she can just keep it up after her gs.  I would rather she didn't need the paci first because she's very interested in her thumb and will hopefully get it soon, I don't want to be giving her a paci when she has a perfectly good thumb that she can suck on.

Kara - would they check for tongue tie at birth?  I feel like they checked in her mouth, but I was kinda out of it...I will ask DH if he remembers.

Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2013, 19:04:59 pm »
Tink. I kept thinking T had TT, he has the heart shape at the tip of the tongue. But we've had check after check and he 'doesn't' have it. Is checked at birth here, but often missed. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Tongue-tie

I hope the 3 mth GS is ok. We had bottle refusals after the initial binging. (Few days of refusing to feed much) so something to look out for :-*
***Sara***
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DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.

Offline TB9

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2013, 20:32:55 pm »
Thanks for the link Sara.  I think tongue tie is a possibility...she's always clicked and clucked while eating, and it also took us this long to actually find a paci that she could keep in her mouth.  I'm going to reread the info and observe her a bit more the next couple of days.  The shape of the end of her tongue isn't really pointed, it's more flat, but she doesn't really stick it out so I can't get a good look at it...I will try to see what I can see though!

Offline *Kara*

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2013, 04:32:22 am »
If she doesn't stick it out - it could be a TT for sure.  It's not routinely checked for here in Canada and you are best to have a lactation consultant check (as opposed to a nurse or doctor).  I would call and ask a few LCs if they are familiar with TT.

I don't want to be giving her a paci when she has a perfectly good thumb that she can suck on.

Just remember that you can take her paci away in the future - a little harder to take her thumb away ;)



Offline TB9

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2013, 21:02:49 pm »
I made an appointment with dds ped for tomorrow evening.  I want to give him the chance to look first because I trust and respect him, so I don't want to go to someone else until he throws his 2 cents in :) 

Since I've been watching her today, she doesn't really stick her tongue past her lips, when she does stick her tongue out it is flat across, not pointed, so it looks like a big rectangle...and she just absolutely sucks at sucking.  I think the only reason she gets food is because the TT bottles allow her to get a good seal and kind of mash with her bottom gums and bottom lip.  And even then with the better seal around her lips she still takes in air and is clicking a lot.  She can make her tongue pointed though, I see her do it sometimes when it is in her mouth...don't really know what to make of all this!

I guess the other possibility is that she isn't hungry when I'm trying to feed her?  Or we need to go up to the size 3 nipple...

Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #10 on: May 29, 2013, 22:33:01 pm »
Just get it checked honey. We had Ts checked so many times. I'm still not sure it's 100% fine but it's apparently ok :-\ we have all the same feeding rubbish. Improved with age, and making sure T had nothing in his diet that caused intolerances. How's your LOs gut ATM? Seem ok?
***Sara***
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DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.

Offline TB9

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2013, 15:26:31 pm »
So the ped checked and no tongue tie.  He checked her throat as well (I'm guessing to make sure reflux wasn't an issue?) and her throat was fine.  She's gained 1lb in 2 weeks since we were there last, so there was a growth spurt in there for sure and she's maybe just going back to normal eating now...ped says at her weight and the amount she can take in one feeding she should be going 4hrs between feeds, but because of her sleep preferences I end up having to feed her before the 4hr mark for some of her feedings, and I'm guessing that may be where the problem lies ??? 

He also said to stick with the TT bottle and the level 2 nipple.  I had a bottle with me and he checked the flow and he said it was good for her.  He said to go up to the level 3 at this age would be too fast for her.  DH still thinks we should try the level 3 nipple...I'm going to see how she does today and then try to convince DH to leave it as is if I can get her schedule ok ;)

She still needed the paci before latching on today, I'm wondering if she just needs to warm up to the idea of sucking on the bottle?  It's just so odd!

Offline *Kara*

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #12 on: June 01, 2013, 03:53:15 am »
Honestly, I would take her to an LC to have her tongue/lip checked.. if nothing else, they may have some suggestions for you.

Have you tried not offering the paci at all before a feed just to see if it is maybe a habit?



Offline TB9

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #13 on: June 01, 2013, 12:36:22 pm »
Yesterday she was ok without it for most of her bottles :)  She still needed it for her bedtime bottle because she was really tired.  I've been trying to keep her from getting ot to avoid bottle issues when it's time for her to eat, but it's just resulted in lots of 45min-1hr naps...I think I can probably get rid of the paci before feeds if I can get her sleeping better during the day :)  I'm going to post her EASY on the EASY board tonight if I can't get the day right.

Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: Baby needs to use paci before she can latch onto bottle properly?
« Reply #14 on: June 03, 2013, 18:56:01 pm »
Hugs Hun. Hope easy ladies can help. I think around this age I started to feed T on WU in his room in the dark. He fed best this way. :-*
***Sara***
https://www.facebook.com/tomiandroo


DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.