Breastfeeding addict.

[Jrolph]

Hi Everyone,

My DS is almost a year old and I started him on Cow's Milk at 11 months of age.  I know you are supposed to wait until they are a year but I had to go back to work and I didn't want to put him on formula for a month and then switch.  However, my issue is that he won't drink very much cow's milk.  I think the problem is that when he is waking at night I have been nursing him back to sleep so he won't eat during the day.  I have tried PU/PD to get him back to sleep in the middle of the night but he will scream for hours, one night he cried for 3 hours and I finally caved because I was so tired.  I don't know what to do the sleepless nights are really starting to wear on me.

Any help would be great.

Thanks,
Jen

[GraceKellysmom]

Hey Jen

I started alternate milk with Grace at 11 mos for a different reason. Don't kick yourself over this, he'll do fine, and you're a great mom!

One thing I noticed with her is that it took a long time for her quantity of milk drinking to increase. I tried flavoring it and she would drink a little more, but it just took time. I increased her solids intake, as much as she would eat, and that helped. I also offered her water sippy between meals. Your care provider should be able to do those two things for you.

As for the nightwakings, I have to say for us, they were very similar with both kids at that age. The nightwakings increased a ton around the time they were almost walking, and again with Max because he teethed his four molars and two other teeth the same week he walked.  :shock:  You could try nursing in the evenings a couple times, and lots of cuddling if he wants, before bed, to help ease his need for you at night.

Now, your baby is pretty smart to understand that he can hold out and nurse at night. If you don't mind a night nursing or two while you transition into working and being gone from him (which is surely traumatic for him, so this would make it a little easier - for both of you) then by all means keep it up. I am a firm believer that they will stop waking when they are ready, and my ds just proved this to me about a month ago started sleeping through 12 hrs. He just nurses before bed.

[Jrolph]

Thank you for your reply Grace.  I don't mind waking up once or twice a night to feed him.  I just don't like when he wakes more then that.  I have gotten used to it but I feel horrible because I don't like to go out and stay out late for two reason.  I will be dead tired the next day, and when he wakes up before I'm home my parents (who usually look after DS) don't know what else to do so he is always awake when I get home.  They can't get him to go back to sleep either he will just cry so they usually just bring him out and play with him.  I feel bad for DH because he wants me back to go out with him, I am just too exhausted.  He understands, I am just afraid that he will get sick of me not going out soon.  He has told me that he understands and I believe him, but I want to be a good wife as well as a mother.

Thanks for your help, and Congrats on the pregancy by the way.
Jen

[GraceKellysmom]

KWYM about "is he really up AGAIN?" I have been poking dh lately and saying, will you please go put him back to sleep? when mine wakes.

How often does he want you to go out? Is he a late night partier?  :wink:

It is nice to go out every once in a while, but geez, once we had two we just realized "we are really parents now" and this too shall pass. We'll be able to party when we're my parents age, lol, if we still want to. This time when they are so tiny, it goes too quickly. Before you know it he will be a few months older and they are changing so much at this age.

Hey thanks, we're pretty excited about 2 more blessings!