My Breastfeeding Baby Will NOT Take a Bottle!! Help!

     Having studied the sciences for the past eight years of my life, I would like to declare parenting an art. Granted, having a science background with minimal pediatric knowledge has come in handy with parenting. However, there are hurdles you encounter in parenting that only the finesse of a parent can handle. There are also things you encounter during parenting you would never in one million years fathom to be a problem. For me currently, the issue is getting my precious Amelia to take a bottle. She is too smart for her own good and would rather have her meal direct from the source (warm, while snuggled up next to her mother). She does not even take a pacifier, preferring sucking on her hand or thumb. I really would not care about her taking a bottle if I didn't have to go back to work in less than a month...

    I did not foresee taking a bottle would be an issue. I thought babies instincts were to suck on things and to eat when they were hungry. Currently, my baby is outsmarting me. I am determined to get her to take a bottle before I go back to work.

   Having read through numerous sites about tips and tricks, I will write them all down, tell you the ones I try, and tell you which of them works for my daughter.

1. Have Daddy, Grandma, or Grandpa feed your baby the bottle in a non-breastfeeding position (upright, in car seat). Leave the house when they do this as your baby can smell you from 20 feet away (supposedly).
2. Have Daddy, Grandma, or Grandpa feed your baby the bottle in breastfeeding position. Leave the house when they do this as your baby can smell you from 20 feet away (supposedly).
3. Offer the baby the bottle as a toy when they are not hungry and get them used to the idea of the bottle as a fun thing. If they chew on the nipple, great. Keep offering it to them.
4. Offer the bottle during the day, as the nighttime feeding more necessitates the need for the comfort of the breast.
5. Distract the baby by bouncing them, watching tv, taking them outdoors.
6. Offer the bottle as a special treat, act confident and happy as you give it to your baby.
7. Offer the bottle by putting it on top of the baby's lip, let a drop of milk fall out, and see if your baby will open up their mouth to latch.
8. Let the baby try chewing on the bottle nipple or let them suck on the nipple.
9. Try giving the bottle, if your baby refuses, do NOT offer the breast right away. Wait 5-10 minutes to breastfeed.
10. Try feeding the milk via a cup or a spoon or a syringe.
11. Slip the nipple in their mouth while they are asleep.
12. While breastfeeding, slip the nipple of the bottle into your baby's mouth.
13. Offer the bottle at places that do not remind the baby of breastfeeding. (not on the boppy pillow, not on the rocking chair, etc.)
14. If you get desperate (which I am), I will be offering the bottle at all daytime feeds. Hopefully in a few weeks, my baby will understand that the bottle is another place to get their nutrition from.

Also, once you get your baby to take a bottle, you will need to keep practicing. My daughter took a bottle earlier in her life, around 4 weeks, and then refused around 9 weeks. You should wait until breastfeeding is established to introduce a bottle or pacifier, but don't wait too long. I wished I would have continued to offer her a bottle from around 6 weeks and beyond, at least 5 times per week.

Updates to come. . .