Has anyone experience of leaving a baby for a length of time when still breast feeding, and not sleeping through the night?

[multicolourcat]

Not sure where to post this, so trying sleep and feeding.

I might need to leave dd 10MO for 3 days, 2 nights - not down to leisure or want, but equally if it is a really bad idea it is possible, though very difficult, for me not to. She is still breast fed although I am moving her onto a beaker of milk for mid morning and mid arvo feeds, so it would be just early morning milk and bedtime milk that I wasn't there for. She doesn't take a bottle and doesn't sleep through the night and still likes to feed in the night, though we have 2 weeks so could start night weening now...

Has anyone been in a similar situation? She would be with my mother, who has a very close relationship with her and is able to settle her, but i have no idea how she would manage with regards to milk as i imagine she takes a lot less in a beaker than she does from my breast. She is fully weaned onto solids and eats three good meals a day.

Any thoughts? I am edging away from the idea, but this does make things very difficult (without going into too much information) as i think it is a long time for a little one to have away from mummy and ofcourse added to that the fact that she is still breast feeding.

Has anyone managed to do something similar?

I did this at 13 months. She was with my MIL, who has a good relationship with her. It sounded like it went pretty well. Not sure exactly what they got up to in the night, but I certainly didn't prepare dd for it in any way, and I still feed her in the night now. I expressed and threw the milk away, just to be sure on the supply side.

Well, there you go. Two madly different views. How's it going on the other thread?!

Thanks.
Thesecondcoming yes, you voice what I am feeling completely.
Christmas tree So did your dd manage ok in the night - without a bottle and without breast?

No replies on the other thread yet! I don't think there will be a clear answer for this one, which is why it is going to be a hard decision

Yes, although I imagine that my MIL was up longer than I would have been, trying to settle without breast, and I think I heard tell of a bit of co-sleeping going on towards the end of the night. As reported to me, she went to bed pretty late, and she slept pretty well. I'm afraid I can't remember how often I'd have expected to be up with her at that age - but not more than twice certainly.

second coming yes, it is rubbish! Note to self, get next baby taking a bottle from early on! I am trying to night wean now and have decided to stop breast feeding from 1 year, so maybe it is not a bad time to push her to spend some time away from my boob?!

Thanks christmastree - how long did you go away for? I am also worried about not being there in the morning, after she goes for a whole night without milk. People keep telling me that at 10 months she should be able to go without milk in the night, that it is just that she likes to feed in the night, and is used to feeding in the night. So maybe breaking the cycle wouldn't be so bad....

Two nights. I went to the other end of the country, so it must have been nearly three days, can't remember the exact timetable although no doubt I'd have been pushing for an early start on the return journey! Mine was a bit older, but I think I just expected her to realise that she wasn't with me, she was with Granny, who does different things when she's hungry and/or upset.

My 6 month old son has had 2 sleepovers with my mum and has slept like an angel for her with only 1 night feed each time, despite feeding almost hourly when he's at home with me!

My baby is the same age, with similar feeding routine.

While I haven't actually done this myself, I think your baby will be just fine if she has a wide variety of solid meals and snacks throughout the day and if expressed/formula is offered frequently from a cup/beaker.

If she does get hungry, surely she'll quickly learn to drink more from the beaker?

Obviously it depends on your baby but....I left my DS for two nights, three days when he was ten months while I went away for work. He had never before gone to bed without a BF and still woke at least twice a night. My husband said that night one he cried lots but eventually dropped off after being rocked. Woke once and went back to sleep with some patting. Night two he went to sleep with minimal fuss and then slept all night. For the first time ever. I arrived back the next night and he was in bed, sound asleep and slept til morning. That was four months ago, he's never slept through again! Though i've not gone away again.... So I think they are very clever at knowing it's not worth waking if mummy isn't around! My DS was on three good meals a day, and three daytime BFs but in my absence would drink expressed milk from a beaker plus enough yoghurt to feed a small army... Did help when I night weaned him too because I knew he was able to go all night without milk so wasn't starving!