If your baby is taking anything else from the bottle other than your milk, she's smart enough to figure out where the real stuff is supposed to come from! And if she is teething, she is probably looking to you (and your breast) for comfort as much as she is looking for milk. The bottle is a poor substitute for you as a comfort object.

Help her with the teething. Ask your pediatrician about giving her Tylenol for the teething if she seems to be in a lot of pain. Freeze a clean, wet cloth diaper or washcloth and let her chew on it right before nursing. Using a clean finger, also try massaging her gums before you put her to the breast, and make sure your positioning is good so you don't put any more stress on those tender nipples. Make sure her mouth is open wide -- play a game with her and get her to mimic your open mouth before letting her latch on.

Watch for signs that she is about to bite down on your breast -- this typically happens at the end of a feeding. She has to move his tongue before she can chew down, or else she'll bite her tongue. So look for that movement and be ready to draw her INTO your breast briefly. By pulling her in, this combines a gentle startle with a brief sensation of needing more air, and most likely she'll release your breast to come up for air. You can also be ready to stick your finger in her mouth between her jaws to keep them from clamping down on your breast.

Maybe she would be willing to take your milk in a cup--from someone other than you. As long as you are the messenger, she will expect the milk to come from you. Have your caregiver sit with your baby facing out, watching something mindless on TV to distract her . Try offering a sippy cup then.

If milk is the only thing she won't take from a bottle, you may just be able to adjust his schedule so that most of her milk comes directly from you when you are home.

Hope this helps!

Melissa Vickers, IBCLC