to ask about the REALITY of BF'ing Vs FF'ing

[PatButchersEarring]

OK. Not looking to start a bun fight, nor am I looking for any moralising/judging etc.

Situation as follows: 1 DD (3.5) was ebf until she was around 6 months.

I'm now pregnant again. Yes, I'm aware that BF'ing is healthier all round yada, yada.

However, DD did not sleep through the night until she was 2.5. I was frequently up anything between 3 and 10 times per night. I was at breaking point, as was DP. I just cannot allow that to happen again for the sake of everyone's mental and physical health.

A lot of my friend's who also ebf have experienced the same. However, most people I know who FF have had good sleepers. Coincidence?

Also, it was me who took on the vast majority of night wakings with DD as it seemed to be just me who could settle her. Probably because of initial breastfeeding..whereas DP could obviously take over a couple of nights a week if bottle feeding.

There seems to be a complete lack of unbiased advice on this, for obvious reasons..

Can anyone give me the benefit of their experience?

Thanks (nearly) everyone- that has really helped to get a balanced view.

hettie I totally see what you're saying. I do believe there is a correlation between breastfed babies and later sleeping. But why, I don't know. I would hazard a guess that it's because bf'ing mums are probably more sensitive to low level cries etc, and possibly remain to be so. Afterall, the babies' cry is a trigger for breastmilk production etc..plus, as you say, it may be that this demographic is less likely to do CC etc.

To the other posters who are talking about mixed feeding- yes, I think this will be the way I end up going. Perhaps aiming to ebf for first 6 weeks to ensure the colostrum has got through, but switching to FF during the night feeds at least after this. Most importantly though, if it's not working out, not beating myself up about it and remembering to see the bigger picture.

gimme Ironically, it's people evangelising about the whole process that has the potential to put someone such as myself off completely. Have you considered getting 'Breast Is Best' fridge magnets made up to hand out to your friends and family? Or perhaps adding 'preaching about breastfeeding' to the hobbies section in your CV?

What rubber says and also what about expressing for night feeds this sharing the burden?

My LO simply didn't get BF. her latch was perfect apparently and according to many a midwife I had 'lovely wee boobs'. One even exclaimed 'oh! Look at thae smashin nipples!'

My point is that I came home from an extended stay in hospital armed with bottles of expressed milk. My DH insisted on doing the night feeds for the first two nights and then we settled to one each. It was this partnership that made me a bit weird about BF to the point where I was desperately trying to get her to feed but at the same time willing her not to.

I like making up the bottles. It is therapeutic and I get a sense of satisfaction from seeing them all lined up and ready in the fridge.

passmethecrisps you make up bottles of formula in advance?

Right.

Myrubberduck - actually I DO know what I'm on about and bf DOES make a big difference in the vast majority of cases but if you want to ignore that fine.

Op - you sound quite defensive, probably cause you know I'm right.

I do babies. I know that is not the WHO guidelines but two things:

1. I am very careful and figure that I have a clean home with a very efficient fridge which keeps things fresh.

1. When DD was admitted to hospital recently the nurses were not aware of the guidelines themselves.

Actually, now she is much more in a routine I could probably now make up fresh.

babiesinslings so did I, good god call the police! !!

gimmie I'm actually with you. I don't really get how people can say 'I was fed up being glued to the sofa/I didn't think it was fair for me to do all the nights' etc

It is IMO incredibly important, speaking as someone given baby rice at 6 weeks & ff I have a seriously poor digestive system & a ridiculous amount of food intolerances. It's hard to know what caused these, but it doesn't run in the family.

Plus I'm lazy & bf is perfect for that!

I am pretty laissez faire with lots of 'guidelines' but milk is such a perfect breeding ground for bacteria that its not a risk I'd take

I have EBF 3 DC all slept 11/12 hours a night without feeding by 7-12 weeks.

Don't call the police, but I would question your priorities. Just saying.

I know, gawd im a terrible mother!

But BF is only good for 'lazy people' if it actually works.

Sorry - I thought your post was a genuine query rather than a dig.

Christ on a bike - I have no desire to be part of a bun fight.

For me - both were ebf

dd1 - slep through at 7 weeks / I was a fab parent
ds1 - slept through about 14 month / I realised i was lucky first time round!

I combine fed both my babies, and stopped breastfeeding during the day at around 6 months with both. Dd naturally let go of night time breastfeeds at 11 months. DS will only be comforted by breastfeeding during the night, even when I give him a bottle before he sleeps. He's 13 months. My DN was FF and he used to wake up every night for a bottle feed up until 3 years. I think it's coincidence, but I do feel it's a comfort element and that some children need that extra comfort than others. My DS is a hugger, DD isn't.

I bf'd three boys, and haven't had much sleep for the last six years.

Have just weaned a v reluctant DS3, and after a looong fight, got him to take a bottle of formula last week. This week he's finally slept through. He's 13 months.

I ff both dc. Both slept through, 12 hours a night, from 8 weeks.

However I also think it helped having a strict bedtime routine (dark room, chair by cot for feeding, put down with dummy, stroke head, leave room) from about 6 weeks. Yep I'm an awful mother - I put them in their own rooms for nights and all naps from 6 weeks.

I do know the sids advice. But I had to do what works for me and my sanity. And I have no other risk factors and follow all other advice correctly.

I fed on demand. Both were feeding every 2 hours, 8oz bottles from quite early on.

Worked for me and I wouldn't hesitate to formula feed again.

DD1- bottlefed after I had to have several breast abscesses removed surgically when she was 6 weeks old.
she was a calm, placid baby who slept through from 10 weeks.

DD2- breastfeed from birth to 2nd birthday. exclusively for 10 months without solids , night weaned at 18 months, fully self weaned without my input at 2 years (just didn't ask for it on her second birthday)

With DD1 I had more sleep.
With DD2 I was happier and enjoyed breastfeeding, but I was more tired as up until 18 months she was having upto 5 feeds a night.

My dd is ebf and has been sleeping through since about 8 weeks. She is now 14 weeks and typically can go 8pmish to 7am. She feeds a lot during the day (every 1.5hrs) so I assume she has enough calories to last the night. There is another baby in my Nct group who is ebf and sleeps 12 hrs from about 8 weeks old too. I just think I am incredibly lucky in having a sleeper.

My ebf 5 month old wakes at least 3 times between 9 and 7am :(

DS mix fed. Was still on up to 2 bottles a night until 16 months.

DD is six weeks old, ebf. Norm is one waking a night ATM.

DS1 was a very big baby. I was advised to offer him formula after each feed, and I fed him on both breasts each feed. I noticed that in the morning, he wouldn't take any bottle after the breast. By the afternoon he might take an oz or two, and by the last feed (about 7pm), he would drain 7oz of formula after both breasts! So I stopped bothering to offer the breast at the 7pm feed, bottled him, and if he needed feeding in the night he had breast and a cuddle. I figured that by not doing the 7pm feed myself, I was giving myself time to build up the reserves for a night time feed. He slept through from 6 weeks.

So with DD I automatically just gave her a bottle for her 7pm feed, and breast the rest of the time. She also slept through from about 8 weeks.

I get that "breast is best" blah blah, but I just don't see why it has to be one or the other. Whatever works for you....

Both of mine are/were ff. Dc1 slept from 6.30-4.30 from about 6 months, no matter how i tried to alter her sleep pattern. Now 2 and still wakes about half 4-5 most mornings. Dc2 is 10 months and wakes every few hours and is up for the day between 4 and 5am. I co sleep with dc2, have good routines and try really hard but he won't sleep through.

Just do what you are comfortable with, op. Good luck, hope you get a better sleeper then i did!

The OP's question relates to getting decent amounts of sleep.

Generally speaking, babies stop us sleeping well overnight because they wake needing to be fed.

Ebf puts the pressure of nightfeeding on one person only (unless mother expresses and father bottle feeds).

On that basis alone, ff allows for a shared burden of night wakings, meaning (ideally) everyone gets the minimum sleep required ro keep functioning.

Therefore, if sleep is the primary concern, ff should be the answer!

[mixed fed from day 1 with first and only DC, she started sleeping through at about 4mo].

I breasted all mine initially. But later switched to formula (and solids).

DD slept though night 10-7 from 6 weeks, started solids at 20 weeks, switched to formula at 6 months, cut out 10pm at 8 months.

Ds1 slept through night at 10 weeks but at 16 weeks he was hungry in night waking up every 3 hours, switched to formula which resulted in one night waking, once he was having solids at 20 weeks slept through night again. Cut out 10pm fed at 8 months.

Ds2 slept through night at 10 weeks but at 20 weeks waking up in night and refused solids . By 6 months formula fed and solids and sleeping through night again.

So I not convinced it makes that much difference esp once solids introduced.