Leaving DD with babysitter for the 1st time, can't express milk… Any advice?

[Liondemer]

I'm leaving my ten month old DD with a babysitter tonight for the first time ever to go out for a meal with friends. We're leaving DD at our friends' house with their 2 DC and their babysitter. My DD knows their babysitter as she has already been looked after by her in the day.

We're going tonight out from 7.30pm until midnight.

DD does not sleep through and usually wakes up at about 10 or 11pm and I feed her. Even though I know she's physically capable of going longer without a milk feed; she does seem to drink quite a lot at this feed.

I got my breastpump out this morning (haven't used it for months) to express some milk to leave with babysitter tonight and managed just under 1oz in around 45 minutes of pumping.

I don't know what to do! I'm really worried about leaving DD with hardly any milk. What should I tell the babysitter? Could she try water to get her back off to sleep? Or should I just tell her to leave the milk and try a cuddle and the dummy?

I'm having visions of DD screaming the house down and waking up our friends' DC because she can't feed from me when she wakes up…

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Try expressing at different times. My milk is slower in the morning

Look at videos and pictures of baby whilst expressing also helps . I'm sure others will post tips too

Failing that, if you don't have enough, can you use formula. Even though I exclusively breastfeed I always leave formula (the cartons of prep repaired stuff) as well as expressed milk in case baby is very hungry.

I'm currently trying to build up a stash of breast milk in the freezer but it's a slow process if you have to feed your baby and express.

Thanks Olivia. Not sure about formula... Not something I'd considered. She's never had it.

I will try expressing again during the day and hope I can get a couple more ounces.

I wish I had a freezer to store a stash up in!

Managed to express another half an ounce so now looking at 1.5 ounces. Not ideal but hope it will do.

I would do as PP said and leave some ready made formula...you could ask the babysitter to try your milk and then dummy to settle first, and maybe only give formula if your dd is still not settling? If she is used to feeding then she will probably be hungry.

Is there any reason you wouldn't want her to have formula? It is just another "food"...and a v nutritious one at that (presume she eats some solids now). I can't think of a reason to prefer the option of my dd crying than to offer her some milk whilst you enjoy a very well deserved break!

Just my two pence worth anyway. Enjoy your meal :)

Yy formula, as a one off won't do her any harm and better than her screaming and stressing a babysitter out!! Although my guess is she will sleep right through until you get back anyway

You haven't got a freezer?! I can't imagine life without a freezer

If your dd has never had formula, she may well hate the taste of it.

Is she ok with the taste of cow's milk?
At 10 months, giving her a couple oz as a drink is fine as a one-off, same as if she were having it on cereal, etc. (It's not suitable as a main milk drink, but her main milk is bm so that's not an issue.)

I would ask the babysitter to try your ebm first, then if she doesn't settle to try cow's milk in case she really is hungry. And maybe be prepared for her not to settle at all.

Good luck!

I know there's nothing wrong with formula, it's just she has never had it and i therefore wonder if she'd take it.

obviously I don't want to think of her crying - hope you're right girlie! I guess I'm probably stressing a bit much. My friends leave their dc all the time and can't believe its first time we're leaving dd to go out in 10 months.

Oh and we do have a freezer tray but it's tiny. It is a pain!

I agree with love ... formula before weaning is a much bigger deal (establishing supply, gut flora etc) but by 10 months most babies have had milk and cheese in some form or other, so formula is just cow milk with added vitamins.

Thanks geek, she has cows' milk in her porridge and in cooking so maybe that would be ok. Could try that too.

My DD doesn't really like formula either. Cows milk is a good idea too. Sorry I wasn't being snippy about the crying... With both if my kids I have got into a "breast milk only" mentality and had to reason myself out of it!! Apologies I misunderstood you were worried she wouldnt like it.

If it were me I would leave the EBM, some other milk and a caring baby sitter and have a nice time! :)

Can you leave a favourite snack too just in case she is really hungry and won't take the milk?

Liondemer

How did it go and what did you do?

Hope you had a nice time?