3-Month-Old Feeding Issues

[Pestle]

I've had a 3mo for a week now. He wants the bottle nipple in his mouth continuously and screams, sobbing, gasping, bucking, straining, flailing when it's not there.

Of course, I've been through everything else--holding him/changing positions/rubbing the tummy/trying to burp/double-checking the diaper/rocking/laying him down to nap, etc. It does seem to be the bottle.

He isn't actually eating. He'll take 3 hours to work through half an ounce. Maybe once a day he'll get hungry and chug through a bottle, so I don't think it's a physical problem.

He also won't accept his pacifier in place of the bottle.

I'm assuming this is loneliness from being away from Mommy--this is breast milk, so maybe he just wants her scent/taste all the time. But his parents said he started doing this a couple of weeks before he started care, so he's been doing it at home, too.

I've tried letting him scream for half an hour to 45 min and then feeding again, but he still just works the nipple around in his mouth. It settles him down immediately, but he's not interested in eating.

How have you handled this? Obviously, with multiple kids to care for, I can't hold him with a bottle in his mouth all day. Is this just a weather-the-storm situation, where you tough it out for a few weeks until the behavior changes, or is there a trick I haven't tried yet?

[Luke25]

That's tough!!
Does his mom nurse him? It she does he could just not like a bottle. If not, does the mom say the baby struggles to eat at home too??

[Luke25]

Oops just re read and Missed some info you gave.
It's probably that he just doesn't like drinking from a bottle. That's very common in breast fed babies. I would stick it out another week and if it doesn't get better then you may need to make a plan.
I have a friend who's baby did the same thing. He took a bottle at first from his parents but then all of the sudden at abut the 3 month mark he wouldn't take one at all. It's a really hard thing to work through.

[KiwiKids]

I think he might be adjusting to care. I had a little one that was my niece do almost the exact same thing. I knew she could drink a bottle, but for the first two weeks she would fight and only drink a tiny bit. I knew her mom didn't let her nurse to pacify at home so she wasn't comfort seeking... It really was a bottle strike! On Thursday of the second week she finally took full bottles with no hesitation. I also found she wanted the milk very warm vs how I would normally heat a bottle.

I had my sis-in-law pick up early until the baby took bottles without a battle. Once she settled into care everything was fine. It was the same behavior I saw with a baby who had never taken a bottle before daycare. Had I not seen her take bottles at family functions I would have thought they lied to me!

[KiwiKids]

I would also ask mom if she lets him stay latched while not actively nursing at home for comfort and if so... If she could cut back on that while he adjusts to care and settles into a solid eating routine with you.

[Unregistered]

Is the hole in the nipple big enough for him to get a steady flow?

[Heart12]

I went through this with one of my DCB a few months ago. It was rough & I was close to terming but then one day it just stopped. Id say hang in there for a little longer if you can :hug:

[Pestle]

It's getting better--his dad said he's doing the same thing at home, so while his mom's at work, his dad is also letting the poor kid holler until some time has passed. I had luck over the last 3 days, letting him fuss for 45 minutes or so and then giving him the bottle. He plugged away most times and settled down (more or less). There doesn't seem to be a flow issue. He can do 4 oz. in half an hour if he wants to. His latch is weird--it seems to be all tongue movements to coax the milk out, no suction, lips not secure around the nipple--but I don't see a tongue tie and his mom said he's always had that weird latch.