Do I need to take my 8 month old to the Ped???

[@llli*eegrn]

Ladies,

My daughter is 8 months old. We are breastfeeding and doing baby-led solids. We offer solids 1-2 times per day but she really just nibbles on things. She nurses during the day about every 3-4 hours for a "full meal" but also "socially nurses" a few times in between there. Since about 1 month ago, she has also been nursing ALL night long (we cosleep). I mean my boob is in her mouth literally all night! If I unlatch her even to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night she wakes up crying. Before this started she would wake to eat over night only 1-2 times. I work 1-2 days per week (and pump) and my husband stays with her and feeds her bottles of my pumped milk. She's never been ecstatic about the whole bottle thing, but would still drink between 10-15 ounces in the 12 hours I am gone from her. However the past several times I have worked she is drinking less and less from her bottle, only drinking about 6-8 ounces while I'm gone (but still nursing all night long when I'm home with her). Now for the past 2 days she has had decreased urine output. She ususally has 6-8 wet diapers per day and 1 poop per day. However yesterday she only had 4 wet diapers and 1 poop (and she still nursed all day and night like she usually does.) Today, my husband is home with her and she has only drank 8 ounces in the past 12 hours. She has also only had 3 wet diapers. However every morning when I take her night time diaper off (we use cloth) it is SOAKED to the max, so I know she's peeing all night. She is teething (cut her first tooth yesterday morning) so she has been more fussy than usual. She weighs 18.4 lbs (weighed her this week) and has gained 2 lbs. since 1 month ago (weighed 16.6 lbs. the first week in June.)

My questions are:
-Is the "up all night nursing" behavior normal for this age / teething
-Should I be worried about her decreased intake while I am gone at work? Anything I or my husband can do to encourage her to drink more? (We've tried a sippy cup instead of the bottle but she refuses it. We've used the same bottles since she was 2 months old with no issues till now.)
-Is the decreased urine output concerning? I can understand why she would have less urine output when she is home with my husband and not drinking as much, but what about when I was home all day nursing her yesterday? It's been VERY hot here in SC so maybe she's a little dehydrated?

Basically, our Ped is over an hour away and I don't want to take her in for no reason. If this sounds concerning though of course I want to take her! Any input ya'll could provide would be so helpful!!

[@llli*rakoonz]

Ahahaha, I have an 8 month old too, and this sounds like exactly where we're at, nursing and sleep-wise. I don't have any bottles in the mix, though. The all night nursing is probably teething, or maybe she is reverse cycling to make up for when you are gone? But my son is at the all night mom buffet, too and also nurses all day long, and has that burstingly full wet diaper in the morning, which I think is a good sign as far as hydration. I've noticed that at certain stages of teething, he seems much less interested in nursing, I think because his teeth hurt. Maybe if you were to take some frozen BM and give in a mesh feeder or slushie form you could get her to take more milk while you're gone?

[@llli*lllmeg]

The behavior sounds normal and so does the output. Since you are concerned, I would suggest look at overall output, not just part of the day. Also you can look up what the other signs of dehydration are. But since this separation is only 2 days a week it seems like not much of a worry. I don't know much about this but doesn't a baby start being able to control/hold pees more as time goes on? Developmentally it makes sense that would be a gradual process that starts before typical potty training age. That could explain the less frequent wets, and esp. since baby still poops once a day that is a v. good sign baby is getting enough overall.

But have you or dad tasted or smelled the expressed milk to see if there is something up with it? Have you changed dish detergent, washing methods etc?

Oh and if you want, you could perhaps introduce the sippy with a little water in it with solids. Typically a breastfed baby does not need extra water but a few sips with her 'meal' would be fine I think, and it may introduce her to the sippy in a way that works better for her.