We are attempting to increase my daughter's caloric intake in whatever ways we can find. This includes giving her some formula from a bottle. She is not good at using a bottle.
This is not terribly surprising, because it took us about a week to figure out nursing, and that was with feeding every two or three hours and a strong set of reflexes to guide the way. So thinking that she should immediately understand a bottle (especially given our lack of success with pacifiers and previous attempts at bottles, or any artificial nipple) was clearly wishful thinking. I had hoped since she was a little older it would be easier, it is not.
That being said, every day, around noon, we try again. She still won't latch on to it, instead she gums at it. But it brings her great joy. And I know that she recognizes that this is not a toy (although fun) but is actually food. This is how I know:
She hits the bottle with great enthusiasm. While attempting to suck/chew on it, her little open hand pounds at it with abandon. Which is exactly what she does to my arm and my chest as she nurses. It's good she recognizes the similarity in the two eating processes. It's also good that she only has a little arm.
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