bottle refusal... not in the way youd think.

[@llli*lllmeg]

Phi has given you a ton of info on excess lipase and what do do about it. I just want to make sure the issue IS excess lipase. Besides the bottle refusal, why else do you think it is lipase? does your defrosted milk taste/smell soapy?

oh i was going to suggest this as well:

Is your baby drinking the unfrozen milk consistently? If so, you may be able to just leave milk that you pump the day before. I had 48 hour before lipase began to turn my milk, so I only needed to scald the milk I pumped on Fridays. Have you tried giving freshly expressed milk (not from work, pump and immediately offer the milk) in a bottle to make sure that the issue is not the bottle?

[@llli*sunshinemommy]

My 7 month old just came off of a 2 week bottle refusal phase. He cut his first two teeth and went right back to taking bottles Must have just been an irritation issue.

[@llli*bonzaii]

My concern about scalding is that it may destroy so many of the protective components in the milk and nutrients as well... I don't know much about it. But he is refusing more than an ounce at a time of even freshly pumped milk. So I'm not even 100% convinced the bad taste is even his main problem. I will read those links though thank you. But I have already been doing my own little taste tests. My milk starts to taste bad after 2 days of going directly into the fridge. I defrosted a bag that was 10 days old from the freezer and it tasted ok. So next I will try frozen for 2 weeks and so on. Even though I'm not convinced the taste is the problem, I still don't want to give him bad tasting milk. I just have to figure out why he doesn't want pumped milk. He will drink an ounce after each nap when ik not home and also gets around 2oz mixed in his food. Then hell nurse from me as soon as I get home and once or twice before bed, usually once during the night and once or twice in the am before I go to work. I just hope he's getting enough when I'm home to cover the hours I'm not.

[@llli*bonzaii]

My 7 month old just came off of a 2 week bottle refusal phase. He cut his first two teeth and went right back to taking bottles Must have just been an irritation issue.

I hope this is what Logan is going through! He has not yet cut teeth but he has been very clingy and fussy the past few days. We were thinking about trying to widen the holes on the nipples of his bottles to see if it helps.

[@llli*bonzaii]

Phi has given you a ton of info on excess lipase and what do do about it. I just want to make sure the issue IS excess lipase. Besides the bottle refusal, why else do you think it is lipase? does your defrosted milk taste/smell soapy?

Yes! It doesn't taste rancid but it does not taste good. I would describe a more metallic taste than soapy. And just to be sure I have tried my freshly pumped milk and it tastes ok. It only tastes ok for like 2 days in the fridge, straight from the pump. And I defrosted some milk that was about 10 days old from the freezer and it was ok, just not sure if it will make the 24 hours after it's defrosted. I would be ok just pumping and storing in the fridge for the next day but I can't stand the idea of all the hard work I did in getting a supply. Milk banks will take milk with Lipase? Also how can I have it tested to be sure? Is there a way?

[@llli*phi]

The metallic taste is from lipase. I doubt anyone is going to do any more rigorous testing than that for you. You can donate milk with excessive lipase. If you get 2 days before your milk tarts to turn, then you can feed your baby the milk that you pumped the day before without scalding it. You will need to scald the milk you pump on Friday, however. Freezing destroys immunological elements in the milk even without scalding. So if you were giving your baby frozen milk, then there won't be a huge compositional difference if you scald it first. Scalded, frozen breast milk is still far superior to formula. As long as you nurse your baby when you are with him, then you needn't worry about feeding scalded milk while you are apart. Lots of women need to scald their milk.

It sounds like your baby is rejecting bottles in addition to the lipase problem. Perhaps try a variety of different styles of sippy cups. My son switched over to a sippy cup at daycare sometime between 8-9 months. Or give him a cold washcloth or teething ring before the bottle if you think it could be teething.

[@llli*durhamgrrl]

scalding might damage the milk but so does freezing. fresh milk is best. if you can get away with giving unscalded do it if not scald in the bottle warmer right there at work. any milk is better than none. as for bottle refusal sippy cups/straw cups are doable for most kids that age.

ETA: basically what phi said

[@llli*joe.s.mom]

I mostly gave Joe milk pumped the day before (except on mondays). So that easily solves the lipase issue, if your milk is good for two days.

Are you dealing with poor weight gain? Because at seven months, if a baby is eating solids and other liquids, and nursing well in the evenings and at night, gaining weight and thriving, I might just not worry that much?

[@llli*bonzaii]

I think it is more than a lipase issue. Since I have been putting milk straight into the fridge and he is even refusing most of that. He will drink an ounce or so but nothing more. One of my care givers got him to drink 3 ounces out of a normal plastic cup! So I think it may be the bottles. I am using Tommee Tippee and I've heard they are one of the slowest flow bottles even with the biggest size. So we may be switching brands if this cup thing doesn't work out. Thanks everyone!

He had about a 1lb gain from his 6 month visit to 7 months. I haven't weighed him since but he doesn't seem to be losing any. And he does eat a ton of solids and has no issues drinking water from a sippie. If I could get him to drink the milk from a sippie we'd be fine! We have 3 sippies at home and he doesn't like to drink milk from any of them, just water. Picky little guy. lol.