Would really like to go out, just once!!

[peachespaige]

Hello.

I hope you can help.

Im exclusively breastfeeding my ds who is 14 weeks old. I do not want stop but would really love to be able to go out for my friends birthday.
We have tried ds with a bottle before in the day and he took it ok, but the problem comes at night when he goes to bed. He refuses the bottle and will only take the breast.
We've tried feeding him earlier so he isnt over tired but I think its the comfort of the sucking that he misses. He doesnt take a dummy but tends to use me as one!
It seems like an impossible task and not really worth all the upset for one night, but to be honest just knowing that I could leave him with dh or family if I needed to makes me feel much more relaxed.
So any tips on how to get him on a bottle at night on occasion would be wonderful.

Hiya,
I don't have any tips but I do sympathise. I am bf my also 15 week old dd. My only salvation is that we live in the city centre. I run out the door as soon as dd is asleep and stay out until dh rings to say she is awake again. I think the little monkey can sense when I'm not there because she often wakes alot earlier than usual. The only upside is that since I can't drink, zipping home in taxis doesnt seem like such an expense.

I also have big problems trying to bottle feed dd with expressed milk - to the point where I've kind of given up trying

I know its a pain but you only have to bf exclusively for 6 months and we are over the halfway mark! It's not forever!! Good Luck!

Thanks sungirltan.

I just said the same to dh!!

Plus, I can go out in the day for lunch as he is better at taking a bottle then, rather than at night when he needs comfort.

Sympathy from me too. DD is 13 weeks old and will NOT take a bottle and we've tried just about every single one on the market. It is so annoying.

Peaches - what time is the party and how close is it to where you live? I'm still going out occasionally as it does me so much good. DD now sleeps quite well every night from 7.30 - 11.30 so I go out with a friend who lives locally and don't meet her until 8.30. DP is left with a bottle in case she wakes and my friend understands that if DD gets into a real state, our evening out will have to come to an abrupt end. Personally, I'm convinced that if DD gets hungry enough she will take from the bottle and I also know that she doesn't normally eat at the times I'm out so it should all be OK.

Good luck! I'm almost embarassed about how excited I now get when I have an evening out.

I'm going to be quick so sorry if it sounds abrupt. What time are you out from/til. could you take him with you? in a sling maybe?

Hi there.

Ds goes to bed about 7pm and I know will sometimes wake again at 7.45pm, a feed usually sorts this then he'll sleep until 11ish.

Last night he was up 7 times from 10pm until 6am. He has a cold but to be honest he usually feeds 3 times in the night and is up at 6am.
Im so very tired and have 2 other sons to take care of. Plus ds3 only sleeps for 2 hours in the day, but is never unhappy, a very smiley boy.
This is why I need some time out.

The more I think about it the more going out in the day makes sense, I'll get more time and it will be quieter!!

WoTmania my friend is celebrating her b day in a very noisey bar so couldnt bring ds3, plus some time to myself is needed.

Fair enough. 'Twas just a thought. As that's what I used to do with DD at that age. Not that I ever went out in the evening paricularly.

Daytime is probably a good way to go. When DS2 was little I used to escape for a couple of hours here and there in the day occasionally. Very sadly my 'me time' (a phrase I loath) was half hour in the bath or going food shopping!

Ihope you find a way round it.

I know it may sound silly but have you tried as a test run going out of the house and waiting nearby while your dh feeds ds his bottle at night and see if he will take it and settle when you're not there? My ds at that age was similar but when I had to leave him with dh then dh said when he was offered the bottle in the evening when he was hungry he sort of looked around for the breast but when it wasn't there (and neither was I with the smell of milk!) then he just gobbled the bottle down and went to sleep. If I was there he somehow seemed to sense that he didn't need to take the bottle as the breast was there iyswim