Help, friends.
Two things. First, Ava bit me so hard yesterday on not one but TWO occasions, that she drew blood. I said no very firmly and ended the feeding, but does anyone have any othe suggestions on how to deal with this? It may be getting the point across, but as we're just introducing "no" as a concept, it may take a few days or weeks before she starts to understand what that means. Seeing as how I never use that tone of voice towards her (or around her, for that matter), as of right now she just flashes me a devilish little grin. What a cutie pie monster pants.
Also, Ava has been a bit of a handful for her dad lately. And by handful, I'm being exceptionally generous. I went to a fantastically gluttonous brunch and pedicure girls day Sunday only to have him text me two hours in with "When are you going to be back???" Hmm...nothing takes away from the fun of having time off like stressing about needing to rush home. Anyhow, she was "#&$!@ hysterical" according to D, and when I got home they were awaiting my arrival in the driveway. Turns out little toot refuses to take a bottle, therefore screaming about being hungry. As soon as I got he in my arms, she turned that frown upside down, ate a nice little mama milk lunch, and fell fast asleep. Needless to say, D was not amused.
I'm not sure if the issue here is that she spends a ton of time with me and is a textbook mommy's girl, or just that she was flipping out from being hungry. Either way, the whole bottle protest thing needs to end...ASAP. Mommy needs some time off, ya know? Anyone have any tips on how to get her to begin taking a bottle again? We introduced it at two weeks, and she's never had a problem before a few weeks ago when she was sick/teething, although she's always had a clear preference for me. All tips/ideas welcome!
Happy Tuesday! Hopefully this week picks up the pace!
I don't really have a lot of advice on the bottle, excpet to keep trying. Actually, I think YOU should try giving her a bottle and see what she does. Obviously you don't want to wait until she's starving and she'll probably look at you like you're nuts, but it's worth a shot. Jack had only had 3 bottles before starting daycare at 12 weeks old. Needless to say, I was more than nervous on how he'd do. He had a little trouble on the first day with the first feeding, but got over it quickly and he now goes back and forth like a champ. I was also worried that once he got used to a bottle, he wouldn't want to breastfeed as much, but I only nurse him at home and he does great. He is a great eater and definitely won't refuse anything given to him. Just keep trying! I'm sure part of it is that she's with you all day and maybe she's going through separation anxiety. Hopefully she'll grow out of it before too long!
ReplyDeleteWith the biting...ugh! I am not looking forward to it! I've read that it's better to quickly unlatch the baby and say "ouch!" as opposed to saying no. I think it's better to teach words such as hot and ouch. I know I don't want a toddler telling me no all the time! That's just my opinion though! I'm not sure what would work better. Good luck and I hope it stops. Let us know if what you're doing works!
These are tough ones...I agree with Rene about the bottle thing. I'd recommend that you give Ava some bottles when you're together to see how she does. I was worried about giving Asher a bottle at first, but he goes back and forth without any problems. I love nursing, but as soon as he starts biting I'm going to all bottles!
ReplyDeleteI think saying "ouch" or "no" then pulling away sounds right. The babies are so little I'm not sure if they get it. I tell Asher "ouch!" and pull back when he pinches my arm or bites my finger. Does he get it? I don't think so, but we're trying!
Good luck!
{by the way, you're totally right...Mommy needs a break sometimes too! And it's really frustrating to feel like you need to rush home.}
Seeing as Marianne never really seemed to care where her milk came from, I'm at a loss for ideas for you hun.
ReplyDeleteKeep introducing it...maybe introduce it first and then have D do it with you in the room. She's probably picking up on his anxiety and thus being anxious herself...that takes a while for everyone to get over.
Also I will note that being hungry is the one and ONLY thing Marianne really loses her temper over...goodness, you've never HEARD a madder lil girl when no one's making with the food!
Good luck...let us know how it goes!