9 mo. old baby not taking bottle-continue to pump?

[@llli*etoile]

Hi! I have been reading this forum since my DD was first born in and has been so helpful to me as I got the hang of nursing and eventually pumping at work. I am finally at the point where I have a question, that even after reading similar posts, I think I need some specific advice. I am going to speak to a IBCLC tomorrow, but I would like as many people to talk to about this as possible.
So please excuse the long post in advance!

My daughter will be 9 months on the 6th. Over the past month she has been slowly dropping bottles of EBM during the day while I am at work. My DH stays at home with her and has been awesome at making sure she is eating to keep with my supply and not overfeeding. He offers bottles on a regular basis (maybe every 1.5 to 2 hours) of 2 or so oz.

At this point she will either scream and cry when she sees the bottle or take it eagerly and then spit it out a few seconds later and refuse it. These are the same bottles and nipples she has had since we first introduced them to her at 3 months. (Dr. Brown, slow flow nipple) DH has tried regular cups and two different sippys all with limited success.

He has started to bring her to my workplace so I can nurse her during my lunch break. The milk that I am pumping is starting to back up in the fridge and I am starting to add to my freezer stash since she is drinking minimal amounts (less than an oz) during the day.

I normally pump 3x at work and used to pump 2x at home so DD would have the right amount of oz per hours away from me. I am down to the 3x at work now and my supply doesn't seem to be suffering yet. I nurse her on demand at home (evenings and weekends) and we co-sleep so she nurses at least 2 or 3 times during the night. I think she is having enough wets and poops at least once a day. She is happy, meeting milestones etc. We are going for her 9 mo check up next week so I don't know about weight gain at this point, but I know she is growing!

Ok, finally, here is my question. If my DD continues to refuse EBM bottles, should I just stop pumping at work-nurse her during lunch and let my DH just offer her water and some solids for the rest of the day until I get home and nurse on demand? Should he still continue to try other sippys? other bottles?

I guess I'm worried my supply will suffer if I stop pumping at work and we have 3 months to go until she is 12 months and I can stop worrying so much and just nurse her when I am home. I have never had a supply problem, so I think it will be ok. But after pumping for so long I feel like I'm stepping off a cliff if I stop! Granted, like many other mamas, I will be happy to see the pump packed up and in the closet some day soon!
Any advice, reassuarance, anecdotes etc. is much appreciated!

[@llli*mommal]

She's kind of young to eliminate all pumping sessions, even if her desire for EBM is limited. It's the supply thing. If you're going a really long stretch during the day without pumping, your supply could drop too low. Of course, there are no guarantees. You're able to nurse at lunch and you're nursing frequently during the evenings and a couple of times at night, and that could be enough to maintain your supply at the right level. But since you're still 3 months out from the point where most moms start weaning from the pump... I guess I'd keep at least some of those pump sessions. Maybe not all of them, but enough to make sure your weekend supply stays strong.

[@llli*still.here]

That's what I was thinking as well.

Have you tasted the milk she's refusing? Any chance it's bad or perhaps you've developed a lipase issue which would make it taste funny (like soap, kind of a bitter taste).

[@llli*etoile]

Thank you for your replies! I can continue to pump but I have to get the milk in her somehow, so I might still continue the lunch feeding if she keeps refusing the EBM. I just tasted milk from Monday in the fridge and compared it to today's milk. The older milk definitely had perhaps a slightly soapy, bitter taste. It doesn't taste "bad" per se, just "funny" as you said still.here. The fresher milk just tastes really sweet, definitely better tasting than the older milk. So a lipase issue can develop over time? I'm sorry, I haven't read too much about this yet, but I am aware of what it is. I will taste the milk I pumped today in the morning to see if it has changed in flavor to see how long it takes to develop the soapy taste. I better get reading about lipase issues! I guess there aren't really any tricks to getting my DD to drink my milk if it tastes strange to her. Thank you both for your help!

[@llli*mommal]

Yes, lipase issues can come and go. If this is lipase, scalding your milk should fix the problem. AFAIK it's okay to take your day's output home and scald it all at once, rather than trying to scald it at work.

[@llli*etoile]

Hi! I'm back for an update! I pumped some milk before I left for work this morning so my daughter would have the freshest milk possible and she is still refusing a bottle. However, my DH has managed spoon fed her 1 oz. today so far. At least she took milk in some form I guess. He did taste the milk and said it tasted good (fine). After sampling some of the older milk he knows what he should and should not be tasting. Could she have a bad association with the bottle due to the milk tasting different in the past?

Anyway, I didn't talk to an IBCLC yet but I definitely will now. I will continue to pump at work as suggested by mommal and still.here. And I will probably continue to nurse her on my lunch break as well just so she gets something during the day.

Thanks again! I may report back after I talk to an IBCLC and after we go a few more days with freshly pumped milk and scalded milk in case anyone with similar issues is looking for reassurance or whatever. Thank again for listening and your input!

[@llli*mommal]

Sounds like progress!

One way to increase your LO's intake of milk would be to use it to thin out her solid foods. Mix her cereal with it. You might even be able to make yogurt out of it, if you're a kitchen-crafty kind of person...

[@llli*etoile]

Good idea! I'm going to have to figure out long term what to do with the extra milk I'm pumping anyway if she continues on the bottle refusal route. If I have a lipase issue, can I still donate my milk?

[@llli*mommal]

Yes, i'm pretty sure you can. Some babies are not averse to excess lipase milk, and there are moms who would welcome your contribution.

[@llli*etoile]

Thanks! Good to know I can still donate with extra lipase. Just an update for anyone interested. We just got back from DD's 9 month well-baby check-up. (17lbs8oz, 29")The nurse seeing her today is also the IBCLC that serves the practice. I had wanted to see her anyway so it worked out well! I explained the dropping bottles etc. and she told me as long as she is nursing well and on demand at home that we shouldn't worry too much about getting in the 8-10 oz she would normally take while I'm at work. Keep trying but don't stress over it. Also, I think we found a sippy that might work. (fingers crossed) She took 3 oz out of that yesterday with no tears! It is a really lightweight one with no valve, just a spout with three holes in it. I think the other ones were too heavy to tip up to get the milk and you have to suck really hard to get anything out. Hopefully she will continue drinking more- I don't go into work until later so we haven't tried yet today. Again, I am going to keep pumping at work my normal 3x a day.
Thanks again for listening and for the advice!