wanting to drop night feed(s) - any thoughts?

[PenguinJunk]

My 8.5 month (7 months corrected) DS still breastfeeds 2 or 3, sometimes more in the night. His feeds do seem hungry, rather thank suckly.

He's been on 3 solids meals a day for about a month and doesn't seem to have much breastmilk in the day - I usually offer it about 3 times in the day and once or twice before bed. Usually he only has what feels like good feeds in the evening and in the night.

He is currently teething and seems quite uncomfortable so I'm not limiting his feeds in case it helps his discomfort. Also, I quite like breastfeeding.

I've had a very bad time with PND due to him being premature and other things that were happening at the time of his birth and also, significantly, because he has always been a terrible sleeper, day and night.

My partner is away a lot and because I was too over-stretched to keep him taking a feeding bottle he started refusing this at 4 months. We have moved onto a cup but he rarely has a significant amount of drink (water or formula) from this and most ends up on his clothes.

Next month, I really want to go to a concert in the evening when my partner will be away for work. I feel that this will help me feel like I am getting a little of myself back.

My problem is managing this evening for my DS. If he wakes like he currently does, he's likely to expect a breastfeed while I am out and so will probably be very upset. Therefore, I would either like to drop this first night feed or replace it with something a babysitter can give. Rather than spring this on him on the night in question, I'd like to start working towards this aim now.

Does anyone have any experience of consciously working towards dropping night feeds or replacing them with a bottle/cup? What did you find worked for you?

My Ds always liked to feed a lot at night too, it's knackerering isn't it

I'll be honest with you that i just had to say enough is enough with night feeds when I went back to work when he was 10 months. I told my Df he had to get up with him if he woke before 4am and if it was after 4 then i'd do it. It only too a few weeks of realising that he didn't have boob on tap to get him sleeping for longer than 3 hours and then at 12 months we made the decision to try and wean him off the boob altogether at night and now he usualy wakes at 6 and my df brings him down for a beaker of formula. I Still breastfeed him 2 or 3 times a day but none at night now*, I just couldn't do it anymore, I was exhausted. He now sleeps 12 or 13 hours straight most nights. He used to wake every 2 hours and feed constantly from 4 till we got up [yawn]

Ds doesn't seem to have been bothered by it at all, I think all the constant feeding at night was just a habit nore than a need

*He's got norovirus at the moment so i am feeding him constantly, i don't expect tonight will be any different

Well done for bfing a prem, it's hard work getting it going

I hate to tell you this, but we dropped the night feeds in the autumn at about 21 - 22 months old.

In my hubby's experience, my son would take a bottle eventually and after much protestation. He would finally get too tired, take a bottle and drop off. You would need someone prepared for some crying. I wouldn't be happy with leaving such a young child with someone they didn't know. Do you have someone in mind? Perhaps you could arrange some introductions.

Could you nag some friends into visiting you in the evening, so you can have some social without having to worry about baby? Or do something daytime where you could take your baby with you?
Good luck.