AIBU “Breastfeeding makes for bad sleepers”

[mmmgoats]

I can’t help but think this cannot be right?!
Friend told me yesterday that she bottle fed her children because breast fed babies don’t sleep and are nightmare sleepers.
She said her midwife admitted it but also said the goodness they get from it should put weigh the bad sleeping.
I have never heard this before?! Was your breast fed baby a good sleeper?

(I don’t have babies yet, not for the want of trying, but have always had the idea in my head that I would give BF a go. So not being goady, generally interested!)

I feel like this must be purely anecdotal as surely there are formula fed babies that are nightmare sleepers too!

With bf you can cosleep and feed in a sling hands free. My ff baby left me far far more sleep deprived and trapped under a baby despite waking less.

My DD was breast fed and I would say she was a good sleeper. Yes she woke up maybe 3 times in the night (11:00ish, 1ish and 4ish) during for a little feed but they didn't last that long and we both dropped off to sleep straight afterwards. Much less effort than faffing with a bottle I would imagine.

Oh and I have 2 sisters. 1 bf her kids, the other ff. The bf kids were sick all the time. Ff were not.

I'm pregnant with my first and had this conversation with my mum, as I hope to breast feed. She ebf me and my brother I settled more easily, fed for longer and slept for longer, my brother didn't sleep through the night until he was two. It seems to be more about the baby than the feeding method

Gosh, a lot of people on here don't know the difference between anecdote and statistical trend! Knowing a sickly bf baby or a great bf sleeper doesn't mean that the general trend isn't for bf babies to get ill less and wake up during the night more.

I breastfed both of mine, one slept through from 7/8 months, the other slept right through from 7 weeks old. I would say both have always been really good sleepers. I think it depends on the child.
We have always maintained a good, consistent bedtime routine which I personally think is a bigger factor than how they were fed.

It seems true anecdotally for me. My son was formula fed and consistently slept through the night from 8 weeks old. The other 7 mums in my nct group were breastfeeding and none of them are yet sleeping through the night at 13 months.

I bf my DT for 11 months. They were terrible sleepers. I then solely ff them and they miraculously started sleeping through🙄

Probably baby dependent though

I think BF babies sleep normally for a human baby, which is feeding regularly to encourage milk supply and faster digestion of milk.

FF. babies sleep more because it takes longer for the milk to digest and they feel fuller and satisfied for longer.

I know the difference between an anecdote and a statistical trend. I'm just saying not every baby fits the trend.

My point being, if you are bf your baby and he/ she isn't sleeping past x no of months, cut yourself some slack and try something new.

It's mostly the case, but not exclusively so. DS1 was ebf and slept through from 10 weeks. I had oversupply though, which I think helped.

Newborn that sleep through have something wrong, they should be feeding more frequently than that.

What is this 'something wrong' you speak of? Sounds like total bollocks. Lots of healthy infants sleep through from a young age.

I exclusively BF both mine for 5 and half months. The first slept through 7-7 with a dream feed at 11pm from 6 weeks. She slept 7-7 from about 12 weeks. I thought this was normal!
The second did not sleep at night for weeks. I can't remember when she finally slept through as I was so tired at the time I can't remember anything.

Breastfed babies are worse sleepers when they are being BF. But doesn't make them bad sleepers for life. My two were breastfed but sleep like angels now they are 4 and 7.

And it's not so much that they are bad sleepers it's that breast milk is obviously more natural so their tummy's digest it easier which makes them hungry again. Formula keeps them filled up for longer because it isn't as easily broken down inside them.

This is something that entirely depends on the children. DS1 - terrible, still night feeding at 18months. Switch flipped at about 3.5 and he is now a dream, no problem putting to bed and sleeps like a log.

DS2 - I never felt any sleep deprivation at all - he slept good 6 hour chunks from birth, was sleeping all the way through within weeks, and weaned himself entirely at 8 months. The worst he's ever done is have occasional times when he can't sleep, and sits up with us until 9 or 10, but that's very, very rare, and generally when he's been over-thinking things or coming down with something.

Two kids, both breastfed, two completely different experiences. It's the kids, not the feeding method.

DD exclusively breastfed, slept 7 hours minimum from birth thorough the night.

DS also exclusively breastfed was up every 5 hours without fail till around the 2 month mark when he started sleeping longer stretches. Has slept 12 hours a night since 5 months.

I do believe it depends entirely on the child though.

Breastfed all four of mine - eldest slept soundly through from 6 weeks, second slept appalling throughout, third fairly average, fourth only slept if in with us. People, and therefore babies, are individuals.

Rubbish in my experience. Dd1 was breastfed and was an amazing sleeper; 6-7 hours blocks from 4 weeks and 12 hours a night always from about 12 weeks. Dds 2 and 3 bottlefed( twins) and terrible sleepers in comparison.

Bottle fed babies do sleep better! I breast fed but occasionally gave a bottle as last night feed to get some shut eye! A little more so with DS2 than DS1!

Good luck with your future parenting! Breast feeding is especially hard for the first 3 months, but then it becomes a pleasure and its cheaper and less of a faff that the bottles! (But be prepared for a tough first 3 months of leaky boobs, soreness, latching problems, engorged breast, etc etc etc )

I must add though that dd1 didn't sleep at night at all until 4 weeks. She clusterfed ALL NIGHT till she was 4 wks old!

In my experience yes my 2yo does still breastfed, still wakes nightly.
But for me, I'm lucky breastfeeding came easy.
I'm not comfortable with newborns having formula unless necessary, formula is a substitute when has a substitute every been better than the real thing?

I really just think it’s all down to luck!

Absolute rubbish, think this used to be thought to be the case and has now been disproved.

All babies are different, some sleep, some don’t.

Fwiw DD is 20 weeks, was only 5lb at birth, is ebf and has slept for at least 7 hours overnight since week 7. For the first 6 weeks she did an hour max. She now does between 9 and 12 hours overnight. We are just lucky.

I’ve got 5 dc. First 4 bad sleepers and ebf
Baby number 5 ebf and from 0-3 m was waking at 2 and 4 am and from 3m to now (6m) wakes for a feed around 330-4am and is an amazing sleeper

He goes to bed around 830pm

My boys are amazing sleepers, far better than I ever was. now 11/7 - both EBF until 6-9 months and breastfed until 2.
Have a EBF 8 week old now and he sleeps through the night (other than when I try wake him to feed sometimes because my right breast would explode otherwise and I’m just peeing milk everywhere)