Do formula fed babies sleep more?

[McShities]

4.5 month old EBF, still feeding over 14 times a day, 4 times at night. I'm shattered. Fed up. Only break I get is when I pump for DH to give bottle and I fucking hate pumping, considering I breastfeed for over 7 hours a day I can't stand using it in the rare times I'm not. Yes I know breast is best, and I've done it for months but can someone be real with me, as my HV is refusing to say anything that could be conceived as pro ff. Will it help? Read a tub of Aptamil which suggested between 5 or 6 feeds a day which sounds like heaven to me. I'm so bloody tired

DS def slept better on formula. Used to give him one bottle of it a day. I'd BF at 8ish then go bed. DH would give a bottle of formula when he next needed a feed, between 10 and 11 usually and DS would sleep 4-5 hours off the back of that feed. So he'd wake again between 2 and 4 and I'd get a blissful 6-8 hours of sleep. Sanity saving.

4 times is really not that bad although when you're waking up It feels terrible.
How are you sleeping at night. Have you considered cosleeping? Check the safe sleeping guide and it'll make it much easier.

At 4 months there is a sleep regression. And there are leaps that make baby want to feed more.

Giving formula will affect your supply.

Maybe look at attending a breastfeeding group or contact a lactation consultant who can give you research based advice.

Here fed isn't best. Informed is best.

Your baby may still wake up through the night and would you really want the faff of having to deal with bottles, packing them all whenever you go out or on holiday, not having a readily available soother/antibody milk and it's on tap whenever wherever.

This is where your family and partner come into play to help support you practically in the house.

Its hard work but whenever there is a leap it doesn't matter which way baby is fed.

I found breastfeeding very relaxing. I loved it. I never bottle fed at all. Not once.

Just be very careful OP I switched to formula at 3 months, it sounds so easy like turning the light on. except she didn’t like the taste, so I used to pump and mix the milk together for a week or so, then she would still want boob for comfort. And then after about a month I was still not getting her to sleep through the night. She was a cranky difficult baby, always was and formula didn’t fix that. I now had extra work to do, remembering bottles to take out with us, sterilising, making sure we didn’t run out (I remember there was s threat of her milk having a supply problem). And once you switch there is no going back, you can’t turn your boobs back on.

Take a look at your baby, do you have a docile, chilled out entity or one of those babies who is crabby and demanding of their parents.

I’ve had 3 kids the only one who slept through by 8 weeks was the ebf one. The first one didn’t, the second one is my most demanding child (still is) not really any surprises he didn’t sleep through until 4. Last one is so laidback she’s horizontal.

If your bf journey has come to an end that’s fair enough but please don’t expect miracles.

Breast milk is digested quicker so it will help.

Out of all of my friends FF babies sleep better, but that of course isn't a scientific measure at all. Could you try Combi feeding? Or if you feel you can hang in there until 6 months, it's not far away. If you do want to switch though formula is absolutely fine, you need to do what works best for both of you, but don't count on it helping with sleep.

I just think formula is easily measured, so the baby can be fed full and content easily, thus sleeps better at night. How much breast milk is consumed by a baby depend on how much Mum is producing and how efficient baby is to drink it, so it varies.

I don't think so, and ff all 3 of mine (I didn't produce any milk so couldn't breast feed).

DD1 - didn't sleep through the night until she was 5. She went down at 7pm - 7am but still fed 3 times a night until about 2yrs 6mths.

DD2 - slept through again she went down at 7pm but she woke for the day at 5am no matter what we did. Again she did this until 4/5 when she stayed in her room until 6am.

DS - slept through from 7pm to 7am from about 6 weeks. Again we did nothing different with him.

I think it's luck of the draw babies will either sleep or they won't.

I introduced solids at 4 months. Also did controlled crying at 7 months (not for everyone but effective). I'd stick it out. Both mine were breastfed, and no regrets. It's not for long.

The answer to your question is 'yes' for most babies.

I fed mine, forty years ago, exclusively for a few weeks and he didn't put on weight. I was round-the-clock feeding but I wanted everything to be 'perfect' for him at all costs (at that time).

When it came to light he wasn't gaining weight, I was advised to express milk and that made a big difference - he really took to a bottle, guzzled like there was no tomorrow, and of course I was pleased. However, after a while he wasn't satisfied so I reluctantly introduced formula which he took to like a duck to water and started to refuse breast. Therefore I carried on formula feeding until he was weaned.

I have to say, op, that I felt awful giving him formula as I so wanted to be 'good' at breast feeding but at the same time, I wasn't daft and he was happy with bottle.

Quite honestly, I think I was so concerned about breast feeding because I was adopted and bottle fed from the start. I wanted everything to be different for my child - it was, just not how I'd envisaged.

Always said, if I had another, I would breast feed but with powdered milk complements. That didn't happen, I had no more babies, but remember very well how it was when my 'little one' was little.

Do what is right for you and your baby and pay no attention to others who put their fourpennyworth in.

Before you know it she or he will be sitting up at the table with you having dinner!

The best thing about FF is that your partner can do it. I used to have a couple of nights each week undisurbed, as DH would do the night feeds. Lovely.

My sister’s first was breastfed and did. not. sleep. ever. Her subsequent child was bottle fed from birth and slept much better. So on the basis of that anecdata, I should have believed bottle fed meant sleepier babies. However, I am not an idiot and knew that all babies are different. My breastfed babies slept like the dead from day one.

Makes no difference here. I bottle feed my 5 month old, 6 days a week he has expressed milk and 1 day a week formula.

He sleeps the same on both. He tends to have about 30ml more per feed when he has formula and he poos more too, but in reality I've not noticed any other difference between the two.