Leaving baby for a night.......

[AL1986]

Hi all,

I've often browsed this forum as it's a brilliant source of info however this is the first time I've ever posted anything and looking for some advice.

I have a beautiful 4 year old boy who was bottlefed (never even attempted breastfeeding sorry to say) and now have a gorgeous 10 week old baby girl whom I'm exclusively breastfeeding.

Initially found breastfeeding very.... hard...I definitely have newfound respect for breastfeeding mothers now! The early weeks I suffered with painful, cracked, bleeding nipples but luckily through sheer stubbornness stuck with it and now the pain has gone...I think they just toughened up!!! I enjoy ( sometimes) breastfeeding.. good excuse to vegetate with a brew and watch trashy TV!!

My issue is I'm supposed to be leaving my baby this Friday to see a play, my best friend stars in it and would like to go to show my support and was planning on leaving baby with my mam and leave her with a bottle of expressed milk. Problem is my baby cluster feeds from approx 6pm to 10pm then has a big sleep until 3am (thank you baby!!) and this play falls from 7pm to 11pm... so this will be the first time LO will be without boob for the night.

With my lack of organisation I haven't even given a bottle to LO before so was planning on getting OH to give her a bottle of expressed milk tonight to make sure she can take one.

I am worried she won't settle while I'm away... the plays only a 15 min drive away in a nearby village so if needs must can come home early.

What were your experiences with leaving LO for the first time and any tips on getting baby to take bottle are much appreciated.

Thanks for reading and sorry for long post.

 

[missk1989]

My lo was alot older than yours the first time i left him but i started offering a bottle at around 4 weeks. I found it was easier to give around the time i thought he would likely be hungry the first few times as waiting until he was hungry meant he wasnt open to trying something new. Also he was more likely to cooperate if i wasnt in the room so he couldnt smell me.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

I have a very lovely family in-law, so I have been giving my kids to them on pretty much a weekly basis since ds1 was several months old. Ds2 I started much earlier. I think he was 6 weeks when I had 5 hours away from him?

I started offering a bottle of ebm at around 4 weeks, and I agree that they are more willing to accept it if they are not already hysterical. The bottle will be good for around an hour once warmed (depends if it's frozen or not), so maybe let your mom know that she may cluster feed with the bottle.

Perhaps you can provide something that smells like you if she gets really unsettled? But I'm sure she will be just fine, and it may surprise you how much a nana can put up with without even batting an eye.

 

[melfy77]

Now would be a good time for a bottle, because if you wait too long your lo might not accept it. It shouldn`t bee too hard, but you might have to try different bottles to see which one your lo prefers. Also get your dh to give the bottle

 

[Mummymoo_x]

My boy is nearly 4 weeks old and I've left him for the odd hour whilst on a driving lesson & left him with my mum whilst we went out for valentines day. I did around 3oz of milk & fed him just before i went. I was so worried he wouldn't of been satisfied from the amount of expressed milk. But when I got in he was fast asleep & happy so wish I'd enjoyed my night and not worried so much. x

 

[AL1986]

Thanks ladies! First attempt was funny.. she just scrunched her face up and spat it out... tried again this afternoon when she was a bit calmer and took it no bother, so now I feel better about leaving her..sheldonsmommy you're right...Nana's do have alot more patience when it comes to their grandkids..I sometimes forget that my mams done this all before....Ill try to enjoy the night away, it's also first time me and OH will have been out together without the kiddies since she was born so will do some good...