Mean Mommy

I felt like a mean mommy last night. Eliana spent all weekend sucking on a bottle because I was needed at the hospital on a floor where babies are not allowed. My in-laws fed her breast milk until that ran out, then moved on to the formula. As I learned that she also needs to supplement so she gets enough food, she has been taking a bottle much more often than I had planned. The good part is that she gets enough food and will even take a bottle that is cold. The bad part is that the bottle is too easy. Most of the bottles that we have flow quickly enough that she slops milk on her chin. The milk doesn't come that easily straight from the tap. All day yesterday she was refusing the breast, even though there was plenty to be had. I'm not okay with that. I still want her to breastfeed. Last night we decided that we didn't want her to get used to just the bottle. We figured she needed to take it from me if she was going to get it. It was a huge screaming fight that broke my heart, but she finally got tired enough that she suckled and ate. In the end I'm glad we did it. She hasn't fought off the breast since. Good girl.

Below is another picture of what I subject my daughter to. She likes to suck on her binky, but still can't seem to hold it in on her own. The tape is a medical tape for sensitive skin that holds the binky in place, but doesn't hurt coming off. I also use one of those loosely knit but very stretchy headbands (the one in the profile picture) to hold the binky in place when I don't have the tape. I'm always worried someone will take offense or call child services when they see it, but mostly other moms just think I'm brilliant. I can't claim the tape as my idea (my mom did that to me when I was a baby), but I thought the headband was pretty smart.