DD 8.5 months old - should I try to give up BF now?

[Abubu]

Hi,

Sorry I know this is done to death but always seems slightly different when it is your own problem....

I am unsure whether it is time for me to give up BF.
I have a couple of weddings and hen dos etc coming up in the next few months, the first one in 6 weeks.

I think that at almost 9 months I really ought to start getting my life back again as I have barely left the house in the evening since the baby was born.

However, although DD would probably cope with missing her day time feeds, she always wants to BF first thing in the morning, before going to bed at 6 and tends to wake up for a feed around 10pm ish.

I know she doesn't really need this 10pm feed and it is just habit but if I don't give it to her she gets quite distressed.

We tried a bottle of formula the other night at the 10pm feed and she wouldn't take it at all as it is totally alien to her.

Anyway I really don't want to miss out on these weekends away I have coming up, especially one which is a leaving do - one of my best friends emigrating to Oz, can't really not go to his leaving do - but is that a good enough reason to try to start giving up BF, and if so, how do I do it when she has never had a bottle?

Or at this age should she be able to cope with missing some BFs without me needing to wean her off totally?

Thanks

I wouldnt even try to give her a bottle at 10pm feed, if u r going to introduce bottle feeding then try it in the day time at a time she isnt expecting the breat. Try her with a sippy cup instead.
As for whether she'd cope with missing some BFs, its more a case of will who ever is looking after her cope with a fretting baby while u r away. All babies want their comfort at night, whether it be breast or bottle or dummy or blanket and once a habit it set it gets more and more difficult to break.
Decrease the 10pm feed, try half 9 for few days then 9 then half 8, til its in line with her bedtime once then she wont need 10pm one.

When my DS3 was 6 month his older brother had to be rushed into hospital one evening so I had no choice but to leave him overnight with my Mum inspite of the fact that he was used to waking for feeds and there was no time to express milk or buy any formula. Luckily I had just started solids with him the week before so i said that if he seemed hungry he could have some mashed banana and drink water. He did wake up, but refused banana and was ok for my mum to rock him back to sleep. I've found that if I'm not there he doesn't worry about feeding, but if I am there that's what he wants. I am still breastfeeding him aged 2, but have had plenty of nights out and days away from him in that time.

Agree with Moajab. I went back to work when DS2 was 8 months and was doing shift work including nights. When I was there, he used to want to bf during the night and when I wasn't, he wouldn't bother....

As for giving up bf, only you can make that choice... It's not black or white, though. You can still have your nights out and continue to bf...

I would get your DH or someone else to try her with a bottle.