Infant Won’t Drink Breastmilk

[Core12]

I have a 2 mth old who breastfeeds. The mother said we could supp with formula if we ever run out of breastmilk. This has resulted in herNot wanting breastmilk at all. I told her mom and mom says only supp with formula if we run out of breastmilk. Yesterday, she was so fussy I gave her formula and she calmed right down. Her mom is upset bc we didn’t use the breastmilk we had.
Am I the devil?

[storybookending]

I think this is a tough one. I feel it is the parents choice which one they choose and I would not have offered formula if the mom had specifically said not to. I would however had called mom for immediate pick up if the child refused the breast milk and was cranky. Honestly I would be ticked if I were the mom in this situation as she specifically said to only use it if you ran out. You didn’t really help matters by giving in to the child and giving the formula.

[happymom]

Just troubleshooting...

But could the bm be high lipase? Do you know if it was frozen and thawed or if it was fresh?

I would feel disappointed if this happened as a breastfeeding mom, but perhaps she could make a small change and baby would go back to drinking the milk rather than the formula?

[Pestle]

Good thought on the lipase. My kid refused breast milk in bottles for a few days before I realized what was going on. You could smell it! It was just like dish soap. I couldn't freeze the milk and it had to be used in under 24 hours. Very stressful.

[lovemykidstoo]

I have a 2 mth old who breastfeeds. The mother said we could supp with formula if we ever run out of breastmilk. This has resulted in herNot wanting breastmilk at all. I told her mom and mom says only supp with formula if we run out of breastmilk. Yesterday, she was so fussy I gave her formula and she calmed right down. Her mom is upset bc we didn’t use the breastmilk we had.
Am I the devil?

I think I'm maybe not understanding. So mom said if you run out of bm, you can give her formula. That I understand. When she was fussy did you not have bm to give her? Did you try to give her bm if you had it and she didn't want it, so then you went to formula?

[sharlan]

I would have done the same as you. If the baby wouldn't take the bm, I would have offered formula.

[Cat Herder]

Her mom is upset bc we didn’t use the breastmilk we had.

The next phase should be calling DCM for pick up (or feeding baby herself, onsite) or giving the go-ahead for formula. :hug: If she were part of the decision, she'd have less of an issue with it all.

[happymom]

The next phase should be calling DCM for pick up (or feeding baby herself, onsite) or giving the go-ahead for formula. :hug: If she were part of the decision, she'd have less of an issue with it all.

Definitely agree with this!

[Ariana]

The next phase should be calling DCM for pick up (or feeding baby herself, onsite) or giving the go-ahead for formula. :hug: If she were part of the decision, she'd have less of an issue with it all.

This! If she is pulling a power struggle than get her to fix it. I would have done the same as you. I have a hungry baby who is refusing BM but loves formula, it is a no brainer....and this is from an exclusive BF mother of two kids . If my children were in someone else’s care and my baby is refusing BM than my babies needs trump my “ideologies” and preferences. This might sound harsh but what is she expecting you to do here?

[storybookending]

We are not the parents of these children and this decision is not ours to make. I am only okay with this if the mother has been contacted and told if not picked up by X time I will be offering the formula. Yes we feed infants on demand and that is in the regulations but that doesn’t mean we can feed them whatever we want without parent consent. I would call for immediate pick up before opening myself up to going directly against a parents wishes.

[lovemykidstoo]

If mom was that against it, she shouldn't have brought over formula. It's not like OP went and bought her own and secretly gave it to the dck

[happymom]

We are not the parents of these children and this decision is not ours to make. I am only okay with this if the mother has been contacted and told if not picked up by X time I will be offering the formula. Yes we feed infants on demand and that is in the regulations but that doesn’t mean we can feed them whatever we want without parent consent. I would call for immediate pick up before opening myself up to going directly against a parents wishes.

Thank you :hug::hug:

[Cat Herder]

If mom was that against it, she shouldn't have brought over formula.

It is a requirement in most regs, handbooks, and food programs that they bring it in case of spillage, spoilage, outage or evacuation. There should always be a backup plan for feeding infants. (bottled water, too)

I am required to offer one brand, included with tuition, myself. A quick text for approval is all it takes.

[LittleExplorers]

I have one similar to this. I found the temp of breast milk had to be just right with trial and error. Mom was also receptive to adding 1 ounce of formula to a bottle but we ended up not needing to go that route after figuring out the temp issue. Good luck!

[hwichlaz]

Ask mom if you can try mixing it. It's not ideal, and messes with nutrient absorption, but it is better than straight formula.