Hints, tips and strategies for leaving a 6 month old EBF baby overnight.

[fishandlilacs]

My DS is currently 16 weeks old, when he is just 6 months and 3 days old I want to leave him overnight to go to a dear friends hen do spa weekend. (the idea is positively lush right now after 16 weeks of broken nights)

He is not keen on bottles at all and rages when i try him on one even with expressed milk. He is always fed to sleep at the moment cant see that changing any time soon.

My mum is going to have him, DH wont cope as well with him if he cries, plus we have a 4 yr old-they can have a lovely daddy daughter time. It's only one whole day and night i'll leave sat morning and be back Sunday lunch time.

What can i do now other than do bottle practice everyday?-currently a totally pointless exercise-he would even take one when I made him wait 5 hours for a feed the other day-this is a baby who breast feeds every 1-2 hours at the moment. he feeds 3 times a night. He will hopefully have started to wean by then.

Is it worth trying a cup instead of a bottle? I saw some that say from 4 months the other day.

I wonder if people can't really respond because no-one can predict what your baby will be like in a couple of months time... A four month old is completely different to a six month old in BF behaviour and bottles and also, as you say, he will be weaning then... really, a totally different baby (so sorry if I am teaching you to suck eggs!) Also, 16 weeks or so is a big growth spurt period and not necessarily a time when your LO will be keen on trying new ways of feeding - he will just be super focused on getting what he wants, when he wants and may even feel threatened by different feeding methods?

I don't know really, but would say, if it were me, to leave it until he is five months, over the growth spurt and try from there when he is likely to be more relaxed?

Sorry I couldn't be more help but good luck and I hope you get to enjoy your spa night!

This is a difficult one - I couldn't and wouldn't have left my dd for so long when she was 6 months old. She still wouldn't take a bottle or cup of milk at 6 months but as I never needed to be out more than a few hours once or twice it wasn't such an issue.

I'd say persisting with bottles is probably more worthwhile than trying cups - I think it would be difficult to get the necessary volume of milk down him with a cup as at that age a lot seems to get spat out etc. The only other suggestion I have is getting him used to being left with your mum if he isn't already - do a few trial runs of a few hours (including one a night time putting him to bed) and see how they get on. At 6 months it will possibly be a separation anxiety issue as well as a feeding one and so your ds needs to know and feel safe with your mum. At 6 months my dd still woke up several times a night and still needed feeding to sleep, and solid food intake was pretty small... sorry that's probably not what you wanted to hear either!

The other thing you need to think about (if you still intend to be breastfeeding) is keeping your milk supply going/keeping comfortable - you'll need to be expressing regularly while you're away.

Lastly it might be worth thinking about whether there are any compromise options if you get to closer to the time and feel you can't leave ds - could your mum stay overnight with you at the hotel so you can enjoy yourself but still be available for ds in the night, or could you just go for part of the hen do if push comes to shove? Not wanting to be negative but if you know he won't take a bottle and will be screaming you won't be likely to enjoy yourself. Good luck and hope it works out!

diy i agree with what you said, particularly re: supply. I had to leave DS overnight when he was 7 months (baby-free wedding DH was best man for), i was in a lot of pain and had to keep expressing, and DS was miserable - they didn't tell me he was crying his eyes out at home with grandma because they knew I would leave :( I just felt sad and homesick tbh and I do like a party - and i couldn't take advantage of having a night to myself because my boobs hurt so much!

I wonder if with a spa as well whether the heat of it would set your milk off all the time?! Warmth brings on the let down reflex... ?!

think the idea of taking your ma is a grand one to be seriously considered - then you can join in the fun, still BF when needed and your milk supply would be regulated enough that you aren't spraying everywhere

I did this and plan to again at 6 months both for weddings not near my hometown. I would persevere with the bottle about 3 times a week - it shouldn't be you giving the bottle but you could leave a t-shirt with your smell on it. My supply wasn't affected at all and I just took a breast pump and nipped out to express.

Go and enjoy yourself.

Another vote for taking your mum if possible, it will probably save a lot of hassle/stress and tears in the long run. You have my sympathy as DS is 7months and just like yours but I keep telling myself this time will pass before I know it.

Even if your DS will reliably take a bootle by then I think this will be very difficult for you as you will have to express so often. Have a back up plan - and good luck!