Grr..Why did I do this!!!

[BekZ]

Hi All,

Miss Eva is 11months today and are still bfing..well mostly In a desperate attempt to get her to sleep longer we introduced a night bottle to top up her before bed feed. She went from feeding 2 to 3 hourly to going up to 4/5 hourly overnight. Plus her last feed used to take at least 1 hour every night before bed and giving her a top up meant that settling for bed takes a lot less time. Now at 11 months she'll still have 1 to feeds overnight.

I thought all was good and she actually took to the bottle which she never ever accepted before. Then she got sick and we've had 3 ear infections and lots of antibiotics. So I switched her to a LF formula in an attempted to prevent ear infections. Now however she has really really bad nappy rash and big patches of dry skin not just in her nappy region but all over her back and tummy. I am pretty sure it is eczema.

My first instinct is to stop the formula. But I am scared of her reverting back to frequent feeding overnight. My supply has dropped a lot in the last month and I am not sure if she is getting much now anyway.

[onthefly]

Ah dear - poor thing.
Why not give it a go and see what happens? Does she eat much? Could you try a light supper, then feed, then bed?

[Barb Glare]

It's so hard to know what the right thing is to do. Mums have a veritable chorus telling them to *just give the baby a bottle* and it will all be fine. They magically evaporate when something like this happens. I agree with Marcellus - go back to breastfeeding, remove the formula - feed as often as you can during the day and give her more of the solids you know she can eat.

[BekZ]

I might also add that she is having heaps of trouble doing her poos now.

Thanks Marcellus and Barb.

What sort of meal should I offer her before bed? She has dinner around 5.30pm of meat and veg.

Another question: I have a couple of evening functions in July and I am starting to work a few hours here and there during the week. Should I give her just normal LF milk when I am away. I can't express to save myself so that is not an option.

[Willow]

Bek - I can't offer any advice re the formula (but tend to agree, I'd cut it out all together, especially at 11 months) but just wanted to say...

Should I give her just normal LF milk when I am away.

That's what I did with L once he was about 13 months. My supply dropped rapidly because I was prg with D and I couldn't express anymore.

With the night time stuff...I completely understand why you don't want to part with your sleep after months of frequent waking

[onthefly]

How long will you be away from her at a time?
For evening meals, I'd go for easily digestible, low-gi type stuff. apples/pears, bananas are supposed to be sleep inducing. Maybe cheese/yogurt? We give DS a supper plate in an effort to get him through the night without food - yes, he's over 2 now and still wakes to eat quite often

[mbear]

Oh bek....
I would go back to b/f too....it sounds like the formula was brining out the worst in Miss E in the worst possible way.....see, your milk is like gold !!!!

Dumb, dumb questin, but what is LF ???

Maybe introducing a supper time meal will work. We have dinner at 530pm too, if H has had a late sleep, and we keep him up till 715pm, after the bath, i might offer him some sultanas, cheese, biccies, or apple. IF he doesnt eat it, i find when he does wake at 630-7am (after 1-2 night feeds of course), he is ravenous...as you would be i guess.

Depending on the amount of time your away, i really would say at 11 months she will survive without your milk. I went back to work when DD#2 was 8 months old (she was the 'dream' baby though...), i was gone for 4hrs at a time, i simply fed her when i got home - so 5hrs away from her. I would have water in a sippy cup for her though, and at 11 months ive slowly introduced cows milk in a sippy cup to my kids diet.

AS for the return of b/f vs frequent night waking....i dunno hon, those symptoms she had whilst on Formula sound pretty awful. Is she outta your room yet ? Im doing the gentle CC with H . I did it about 2 weeks ago and we got down to 1 feed a night. He then got sick, so im just waiting for him to be 100% again. I know you dont like CC, and i didnt either, but i found this gentler form ok - for both of us....

GL.....glad to see your getting some YOU time...

[studymum]

You can only give it a go, or you wont know. Switching the evening feed back to a bf shouldn't change her night sleeping pattern, formula isn't the magic sleep cure all that many are led to believe.

Cows milk products (not the lactose but the milk protiens) often related to eczema so I would remove the formula to see if it helps clear it up, you can also try cutting these products down in your diet, something I am unfortunately having to do now for my little bubba . Keep up with heaps of plain moisturisers like a sorbolene or aqueous cream and if it still hangs around visit a gp for a topical cream.

And please please please trust that your body is able to supply bubs with an adequate amount of milk, whatever is taken will be replaced, the soft feeling and never seeming to be overfull anymore or waking up exploding is a natural progression. When you reintroduce a feed your b00bies will adapt very fast. Oh and you a doing brilliant to get to 11 months, well done

[BekZ]

Thanks everyone.

MBear - LF is lactose free. I read that lactose in milk cause mucus production and babies who get ear infections should avoid mucus producing foods. Plus DD1 couldn't tolerate lactose until she was 2yo, so I thought I would try LF formula. I don't get E down until 8.30pm, not for the want of trying earlier mind you. I usually feed her after a bath, then DH gives her a bottle whilst I put the others to bed and then she'll want more boob.

She is still in our room, mainly because I am too lazy to get up in the cold and run through the house to attend to her, plus I take her to bed for the middle the night feeds. She has started to resettle herself a little bit over night, I have noticed that when she wakes she doesn't always sit straight up, she is now rolling over and burrowing, whilst fussing but she is putting herself back to sleep.

Re the time away: During the day I will be away for around 4 hours tops. So we can handle that. However, we are going out in the evening in July and my MIL will have to put her to bed. I might try and express a bit here and there and see if I can get a feeds worth.

Studymum - Thanks for your advice. I am currently on a dairy reduced (should be free) diet. I've also cut out wheat and gluten. I have certainly noticed that I am not getting that full feeling or a let down anymore and sometimes feeding just really hurts. Almost like she sucking so hard and nothing is coming out.

[Janie]

Bek, you poor love I know how desperate you were, sleep deprivation is a killer. I would agree with the others though, she probably needs not to be having formula right now.

As for what you leave for her when you're not there, can I suggest no milk? She is old enough to cope without milk for periods of time, water and food should suffice. It sounds as though her little body is having trouble with cows milk protein, and giving her LF milk won't help with that. Most people who struggle with cows milk are intolerant/allergic to the protein, not the lactose. I'd guess that's why the LF formula has still caused problems, because she's not actually LI.

As she gets older and you start to introduce cows milk, you may find that she doesn't tolerate it well at all, and then you can look into suitable replacements (we have rice and oat milk in this house ), but for now she should be fine having your GOLD breast milk, and food and water