MOTN Feedings with a sitter?

kristynachicago · September 2014

Hi Ladies! My LO will be exactly 6 months old when I leave her for the first time over night (just one night) for a wedding in a couple of weeks that I have to attend out of town. I've left her with sitters a few times before, but have always been home before midnight and therefore have been home for MOTN feedings. She's EBF, but takes bottles of pumped milk daily while I'm at work. I haven't started any solids yet and don't plan on it until at least after the wedding (since she'll be just 6 months at that point).

She still wakes up to eat 2-3 times a night...here's the question - what portions do I leave for the sitter to give for the MOTN feedings? She gets three 5 ounce bottles while I'm at work, but in the middle of the night, sometimes she barely eats or just comfort nurses. Do I leave the sitter 2 or 3 oz. portions? Has anyone done this before? Just wondering how best to handle this because with my production being barely enough to get by, the thought of giving 5 oz bottles for the feedings that could, potentially, get wasted, seems like a bad idea.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Lena122 · September 2014

I work a rotating shift and so I've spent many nights away from DD. Generally when she gets a bottle right before bed DH will give her 5-6 ounces instead of her usual 4 oz that she gets during the day. She almost always STTN with him because she's tanked up. If she does wake in the MOTN he give her a normal 4 oz bottle. If she were to wake again it'd only be a 2 oz bottle. She really hasn't done that since she was 3-4 months old though.

DahliaFlower · September 2014

My LO usually BF at night, except when I work overnight a couple times a month. Those nights, I leave 4 oz bottles for DH to give him. If you think your LO "barely eats" you could consider 3 oz bottles, but on the other hand, if she's nursing for comfort, she may actually eat more on the night you're not there..