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 something similar with DS1 when he was 10 months. I was concerned about it as he was breastfed on demand and didn't sleep through. I went away for 5 nights.
It was great! I got back and he was sleeping through!!

A friend did the same with her 7mo who refused bottle and cup. It was fine! If worried you can fit extra milk in day time food. La leche league manual great for this kind of thing, babies and breasts can cope and you can carry on as normal when you get back.

I am just worried about her sleeping more than anything, as she feeds to sleep in the evenings...and we have reduced night time feeds, but she still wants one at the moment, although i do think it is for comfort as last night DP went in and offered her milk in a sippy cup when she woke and she wouldn't have any.

How much extra would I need to get into her in the daytime to compensate for feeds and any advice for alternaitves for her bedtime feed?

I wasn't out of the house, but at 12 months I did put both DS1 and DS2 (not at the same time, they are 2 yrs apart in age) in a room with DH while I slept in another room, in order to begin stopping co-sleeping and BF. It worked well, he was able to settle them without BF. I think it will probably work as long as your DD is very happy and familiar with your mum. Is it just one night?

no, it is for two nights and three days although could possibly come back for the second night (although would miss bedtime) before having to go away the next morning again...

redridingwolf when you did this, did you breastfeed them before bedtime?

your dd will be fine. mine is 6MO and breastfed and doesnt sleep thru, i have left her twice over night with my mum but introduced one bottle a day beforehand incase she did wake up, she only took about 1/2oz each time so was def more for comfort/habit. either tell your mum to use a cup to feed her or see if she'll have a bottle. does ur dd have a dummy? im sure whatever happens she will be fine.

I expect it is for comfort more than thirst during the night time, though your mum should definitely offer her some milk. At 12 mos, my DSs didn't need milk during the night when DH was with them (he used to rock/jiggle them back to sleep) but with me they would feed every couple of hours.

Will she have expressed milk (i.e. the milk she's used to). How far away will you be - would you have the option to come back after the first night if things weren't going well?

I would think it would be fine too.

I am wondering about doing this too as I might have to go away for work and DD is a similar age. I think she'd be fine with a cup but I want to keep bf'ing and am rubbish at expressing. I am worried the milk supply will drop right off as she' only having a bit bedtime and morning like OP's. Not meaning to hijack but I am sure this is relevant to OP too - can anyone who has done this say whether going back to bf'ing will be straightforward after a few days away?

Anyone else have thoughts on this? How much breast milk to pump before hand? How often to pump while away? I am thinking of going away for a special trip with my mum when DS is 9mo, he is ebf atm and co sleeping, no routine, impossible to work out if/when to buy tickets.