I'm just so tired....really need some help

[Traveller]

big hugs you sounds like you are really doing it tough just now.

If you give your baby formula, he may sleep through. But there is just as good a chance that he will not. All babies are different and if he is waking a lot in the night it could well be that he is picking up on your stress and your OH's absence. It will not hurt him to try it and see how he gets on, but there are other things you can try as well.

Do you currently co-sleep? If not then perhaps this closeness will help settle him at night. If you do co-sleep then it might be the smell of your milk that is waking him up, so having him sleep in a cot in your room (or in another room) might help him sleep through. Or else try to sleep with your back to him so there isn't a snack staring him in the face.

At this age when my kids woke I would offer them water to quench their thirst, and only BF if that didn't settle them. They fed a lot less in the night after that, as they found a drink of water wasn't worth waking for. Also is he on solids during the day? If he is hungry at night then a little more solid food (like an extra yoghurt or something) might be enough to keep him more satisfied at night.

There are lots of things that you can do, but if you do try formula remember it does not have to be one or the other. You can breastfeed during the day and give one bottle of formula at night, which at your stage should not really effect your supply. Formula is not poison, it is designed to be safe for babies and once you have introduced food already there is going to be less affect on the gut and immune system of one bottle a day that there would be if you introduced it before food.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do, and I hope you get some rest soon