Worried i'll give up...

[kateqpr]

I'm just starting to find Poppy's evening feeds so so draining and wondering if i could handle it better? She generally has a feed at 4.30 / 5pm. Then bath, massage, then feeds from 6.30. She is really tired so keeps dropping off, i nudge, she feeds a bit more. This generally goes on til 8.30 or even 9. When she has a full belly i then have to contend with her falling asleep (normally she's put down asleep after nursing, or sometimes suddenly wakes up and have to feed her to sleep again. She refuses to self settle - she is now pretty reliant of sucking to sleep

But last week i went out with OH and my mum gave her a bottle. She had a whole full bottle, then another half!!! All in an hour! And fell asleep by 7.30, woke up at 8.30 next morning...

SO i'm wondering how best to replicate that with breastfeeding? SHe feeds so slowly she ends up knackered, but still not full, and this goes on for ages by which point it's late and she's overtired.... Last night was so bad and i was so hungry and tired of the hours of feeding that for the first time in months i thought about giving up bf at night and giving her formula

Yet when things are going well i love the closeness of feeding her and feel so proud of what we are doing. SHould i maybe try starting her last feed earlier? Say 6ish? Or is that too early? Just aware she's probably having to stay up later than she wants or needs to get a big full belly...

 

[Logiebear]

I don't have much advice for you but I cluster feed my dd from 6 until 8pm then she takes a 5-7oz bottle of formula mixed with ebm. She will only sleep for about 5-6 hrs after that. So formula doesn't always mean they will sleep every night the same. Hannah has slept through twice since from 9pm until 7am.

Never give in on a bad day hun and have some from me xxx

 

[scrumpy78]

cluster feeding in evening is common. could her bath and massage be making her too sleepy? there is no proven link between formula and sleep. why not give her EBM in a bottle. she will take it quicker so gets more in before falling asleep. whats a "full" bottle in ounces?

 

[XKatX]

Hun, if I were you, just hang on in there. You have done the really hard work already. You'll be weaning soon (if you haven't started already) and once she is on 3 meals a day, the evening feed will reduce massively! I used to sit here the whole sodding evening with him and wonder why the hell I was doing it! All of a sudden - it's dropped to a 10 minute feed! Sometimes I nudge him and he'll do another 10 , sometimes he's blotto and thats it!
If you can bare to hang on in there, then you've nearly cracked it hun. You'll soon have you're evenings back to relax with a before bed!!!

 

[Mervs Mum]

I agree with Kat. You've done amazingly well hun!!

 

[Brockie]

sounds like your doing a great job hon, but if you want to give her a bottle of formula for bed then do it, do whatever works for you xx I believe its really important to look after yourself as well as baby xx

Fred has a bottle of formula before bed and i personally really like giving him that bottle or OH enjoys doing it xx he still sometimes has a quick 5mins from me after its more as a comfort thing before sleepies xxx