For all you mom's out there...
Have any of you experienced this with your newborn child?
My 3 1/2 month old daughter is primarily nursed. Around 1 to 2 months I introduced the bottle and formula to her on a somewhat regular basis. She did well with it, but than as schedules got busier I slacked and found it easier to just nurse her. I have since returned to work about a week and a half ago, making my daugher 3 months old. I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful friend of mine watching her very close to where I work. This makes it possible to slide over and breastfeed her over the lunch hour. However, I believe this has been creating a problem.
You see the first day that I went back to work she took 2 ounces from a bottle without much of a fight. I stopped in at lunch time and fed her and then she refused a bottle in the afternoon. The next day and every day since then she refuses to take a bottle.
I feed her before I leave for work (which is 5:30am) and I feed her again anywhere between 11:30am and 12:30pm. She doesn't cry or get irretable (like she may be hungry). She acts as though she is content waiting for me. She doesn't eat again until I pick her up around 4:30pm to 5:30pm. The other day she stayed with her grandmother and she ate at 5:30am and not again until 2:15pm (when they fed her while she was sleeping). Once she is at home, she will eat about every 2 hours until she goes down between 10pm and 11pm. She sleeps the whole night and most times she doesn't wake up when I feed her at 5:30am. She will eat while still asleep. Then she will continue to sleep until 8am or 8:30am. She takes two pretty decent hour or longer naps throughout the day as well.
Does anyone perceive this to be an issue? Does anyone have any advice on how to get her broke from "waiting" on me? Suggestions on getting her to take a bottle? Should I be content with her only eating 3 times during a 12 hour period? In between those 3 feedings she is still responsive, smiling and happy.
NOTE: It doesn't matter if the bottle is breast milk or formula.
Oh I forgot to mention that she is 15 pounds at 3 months old. So you could say she is a "healthy" baby...definitely not malnutritioned or starving!
Heather I think as long as she is content you shouldn't worry! If she is hungry inbetween, she'll take a bottle. I think a lot of mom's would be thrilled to have their babies on a schedule like that and be able to rely only on breastfeeding. Save your money on the formula if you don't have to buy it. Always have a bottle on hand for your sitter that way if Miley seems hungry there is a bottle for her to take and if she is indeed hungry enough, she will take what she can get! Good Luck! :)
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