All Bottled Up

I posted yesterday at Chicago Moms Blog about my recent battles with Caden over taking the bottle. Plain and simple, he won't do it. No matter who tries, how much you distract or coax, the little bugger refuses to cooperate. I am really at the point of not knowing what to do next. Cereal helps, he is kinda learning how to take a sippy cup. But otherwise, he screams until mommy gets home to fill his tummy. What can I do? Please, I would love to hear any suggestions or encouragement that you many have. Even though Caden is stubbornly refusing anything that is not mama, I am still pumping at work in hopes that he will soon change his mind. Like most pumping moms, I pump into bottles then transfer the milk into breast milk storage bags to put in the freezer. When it is time to use the milk, I thaw the storage bag and pour the milk into the bottle or into the bowl for making cereal. If you have ever done this, you notice that there is always some lipid residue left over on the bottle or the bag. That is some of the milk fat, one of the parts that makes breast milk so fabulously nutritious. So the more you transfer, the more fatty goodness you lose.
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The MilkBank Vacuum Storage System for breast milk is the latest fancy-schmancy way to store and serve your pumped milk. You pour your freshly pumped milk into their bottles then use their patented vacuum pump to vacuum seal the bottle in order to optimize the freshness and nutrition. Pretty cool, huh? The bottles can be stored in the fridge or frozen for longer storage. When you are ready to give the milk to baby, you can put a nipple right on that bottle and warm and serve thus eliminating an unnecessary transfer and preserving that fatty goodness for your baby. Using the vacuum pump increases the amount of time you can safely store the milk, keeping it fresher longer. And fresh is good. These bottles are easy to use, easy to clean, free of any harmful chemicals, and research-proven to keep pumped milk as close to fresh-from-the-boob quality for longer. Can't ask for much more than that. Except that the baby would actually drink the milk... hmmmm....
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The coolest thing about this new Milk Bank system, though, is their insulated bottle. It is an outer bottle that you fill with warm water and screw onto the bottle. This keeps the milk at the optimal temperature improving nutrient ingestion. I love that you can freeze the bottles and then just warm and feed from the same container. My only complaint is that I wish they had made the bottles more of a standard size so you could just attach them to your pump and eliminate all transferring.
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Now I have an awesome way to store and serve my pumped milk.... now, how to get the baby to drink it??? Help!!
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Addendum:
Oh, and by the way... the folks at MilkBank have given me one of their vacuum systems and bottles to give away. Just leave a comment here and make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. Contest is open until Tuesday the 17th at 5pm and the winner will be chosen at random later in the day. Subscribe to me and leave another comment letting me know for another entry. Blog about the contest and leave me the link for one more chance to win. Or let your facebook friends know about the contest and get yet another entry. Thanks y'all and good luck!! .
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