exhausted but dont want to give up!

[PeaPod]

I have been breast feeding my son for nearly 14 weeks now and on the whole i have had no problems and really enjoy doing it. However the nights are starting to take their toll and i was just wondering if you ladies had any advice or words of encouragement. Some nights i see every hour by the time he's woken, fed and ive gone back to sleep and im finding being exhausted isnt helping my PND (on treatment for this). I have briefly thought about introducing a bottle of formula at night but to be honest, i would resent paying for something that i can produce for free and would feel selfish as it would be for more my benefit than my sons. Some nights my husband has given him a bottle of expressed milk but i have run out of stock and dont have the time to express much as my boy is wanting more attention now (plus last time i did express, last week, i only managed to get one ounce in an hour and then spilt it so this made me feel really crap!!)

Is there any way of getting a breast fed baby into more of a routine with their feeding and trying to extend time between feeds? Or is this just a mental hurdle that i need to get over until we can start weaning? I really dont want to give up as its something im proud of and my son is thriving but i know i need to make some changes to help me cope better with the nights.TIA.X

 

[sazz]

Ah hun your doing an awesome job. Bf is tough especially at night. I am experimenting with a bed bath routine but its a bit of a rough guide as LO can cluster feed all evening sometimes. All I can say is you can express and bottle feed at ten pm. I'm trying that but he only takes. 2 ounces at a push.

Keep going though hun. It'll get easier I'm sure. Xx

 

[Mum2betash]

I know how you feel, i am struggling at the moment as she isn't as interested and is fussing a lot but just don't want to give up. Like you I feel really proud and don't want to bottle feed to benifit myself. Hopefully they will just settle soon. I get through it by thinking i'n a mum now (and feel really proud) and it's what we do and it won't last forever. Xx

 

[cosmicgirl]

Has your baby always been a night feeder or is this a recent change? If so, it could be a spurt. My little man feeds a lot in the evening between 7-10 then sleeps til 4am. Maybe try waking your baby a bit more before bed and seeing if you can feed a lot before you do to bed??? I don't know if this would work.
I personally would stay away from the formula if possible if you want to continue bf.
Hope things get better x

 

[Mrs N]

When my lo was bf he was a good sleeper t night but he did feed constantly during the evening, is it worth trying to offer more feeds in the evening/late afternoon to see if he can get the calories then?
Xxx

 

[PeaPod]

Has your baby always been a night feeder or is this a recent change? If so, it could be a spurt. My little man feeds a lot in the evening between 7-10 then sleeps til 4am. Maybe try waking your baby a bit more before bed and seeing if you can feed a lot before you do to bed??? I don't know if this would work.
I personally would stay away from the formula if possible if you want to continue bf.
Hope things get better x

He tends to have last night feed at 11ish then he feeds twice, normally 2ish then 5ish but you're right, he does feed more around the spurt time!! He has developed a double chin again so sure thats what it is! My OH took him last night, gave him 5oz of expressed milk at 9:15pm and he then slept til 2am so there is hope that maybe i can spread it out. I think im going to have to accept the clustering will happen and just have a restful day when it does! Thanks ladies!!X

 

[Kellybean]

Don't resent paying for formula too much if it could give you a wee break.

I'm bf and he's a hungry fella during the night. I have recently started making sure he as one or two extra feeds during the day and insist that he eats for long periods before bed and it was hard work to get him to do, but he does now and I only get one wake during the night (tonight however he slept 7 hours) but I haven't tried formula at night even though I'm prepared, I have some ready, but if we go back to square one I will try it. My baby picks up on my bad moods so I want to be at my best for him, I'm alone with him all day all night, I need some relief if I can get it. But the problem is you would still need to get up during the night to express. But once is enter than constant.

 

[ceebee]

Sorry you're struggling with this. You're doing amazingly though, especially with PND. With my health issues, I have made a little compromise to help me cope a bit better. I go to bed early, about 10, then DH stays up (if you've got a partner prepared to do this!) to give him a FF at around 11 -12. Then I do the next feed around 4ish, so I've already had about 6 hours sleep by this time... We've been doing this from the start and it works well for us - I BF the rest of the time... Maybe you could work something else out like this to help you cope better and give yourself a bit of a break? xxx

 

[katrina89]

Words of encouragement from your husband helps a lot, for me at least. Doing a great job vpbtw, keep it up!

 

[Wilson28]

Im totally in your shoes hun, right try this, its working a treat for us, little one gets up at 7.30am, i express 1oz off then feed him (gets rid of the foremilk) feed him on boobie, he then nods back off 8.45-9.30, about 30mims after his first feed i express 4oz of milk off and fridge it for the last feed before bed, this is all hind milk and fills him up at night instead of gassy foremilk.

He then has another feed at 11.30am which again i express 1oz off, then put him on the boobie and then sleeps till 2-30pm mummy then naps too.

He then goes ever 2-1/2 hr feeds till his last feed b4 bed, so then about 9.30-10pm we give the bottle allowing yr boobies to fill right up for the night feed which tends to be 2am, i always express 1oz off before every feed as he was filling up more on foremilk rather thsn the good filling hindmilk.

He then wakes about 5am for a feed and then about 8.30am, however hes started going 4hrs between feeds because im getting rid of foremilk.

Have you thought about giving him a bm bottle before bed to really fill lo up which yr hubby can do so u can go to bed earlier ready for night duties? And also get a kip when they take theirs. Good routine mskes a happy baby and mummy xx i suffer with anxiety/panic attacks so i know how u feel sugar xxxx