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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU “Breastfeeding makes for bad sleepers”

223 replies

mmmgoats · 15/07/2018 10:03

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!

OP posts:
WineGummyBear · 15/07/2018 19:05

Both BF.

DS1 rubbish sleeper
DS2 good sleeper.

In between the two I read 'French Children don't Throw Food'. I learnt about sleep cycles. As a result when DS2 was 3 months I responded more slowly to him in the night giving him the chance to settle himself. He immediately slept through.

ShackUp · 15/07/2018 19:05

Neither of mine great 'long' sleepers, both BF. They're 5 and 2. They tend to get up early and DS2 still wakes in the night for milk. I'm happy to do it though.

AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered · 15/07/2018 19:14

The evidence shows that FF babies sleep for longer periods at first because formula is tougher to digest than breast milk. However, a recent study also showed that babies weaned at 3 months sleep better than those who wait till 6 months (but are much more likely to have digestive issues, allergies and obesity later in life). Just because something is a bit easier for a few months doesn't mean it's better for the child.

mude · 15/07/2018 19:28

My first was and still is an amazing sleeper
My second is an average sleeper
Both breastfed

midnightmisssuki · 15/07/2018 19:44

I have two children. Both breastfed. Daughter bf until 2y4m - the worst sleeper I’ve ever come across. Son is 18 months, also breastfeeding (now) - the best sleeper I’ve ever come across, since week 1 - down at 7pm and sleeps through till 7am , unless he is teething or ill. Never woke for night feed - always 75% for weight/height. Your friend is taking rubbish.

DidimusStench · 15/07/2018 19:45

Two babies, both bf, one good sleeper and one bad sleeper.

Snap.

LightDrizzle · 15/07/2018 20:01

I bf my first and expressed for my second. DD2 was so poorly that you can’t compare.
DD1 was a pretty good sleeper, I reread her baby book recently so it’s not me looking back through rose tinted spectacles.
As a newborn she had a last feed around 10.30- 11pm, slept until 2 or 3 and had a speedy dream feed, then slept until 6 or 7 and again until 9. From about 8 weeks this reduced and at 3 months she only had 1 quick night feed and slept until around 7.30. She was sleeping through reliably by 6 months and moved into her own bedroom. She reliably slept through the night from then on. She started some solids at 6 months (advice had recently changed from 4 months). She refused the breast from about 7.5 months.
No bottle fed baby to compare her to but I think we got off lightly.

cadburyegg · 15/07/2018 20:24

IME it’s child dependent.

DS1 dropped to one night feed at 9 weeks but didn’t sleep through consistently until he was 1+.
DS2 sleeps 8-7 with a dream feed at 12 since he was around 12 weeks, he is now 4 months. (Am aware this could change soon!)

Both were/are bf. DS1 had the odd formula bottle but I never noticed it making any difference to his sleep. DS2 has never had formula.

cadburyegg · 15/07/2018 20:25

That meant to say dream feed at 11, not 12.

Booop · 15/07/2018 20:47

Breastfed 3 of mine full stop they were all sleeping through from 9 until 7 at 9 weeks, 8 weeks and 5 weeks respectively. They did all then have a major sleep regression at about 6 months. But got out of that by CC.
Interestingly I read some research that said FF babies are more likely to use CC ( I obviously broke that rule) and that led to better sleep in older babies.

Whobloodyknows · 15/07/2018 20:48

Mine was ff and in general has been an excellent sleeper - awful in this heat wave though!!

Booop · 15/07/2018 20:48

my full stop is meant to be a .

Not a definitive statement Grin

woodhill · 15/07/2018 20:48

There may be some truth in it as mine were breastfed and were not good sleepers initially but I would still favour bf.

The formula milk is more filling possibly

ginandnappies · 15/07/2018 20:53

I can only go by my experience. My son was FF from 4 weeks and he slept through from 8 weeks, so did my niece and nephew. My friend who BF her little girl hasn't had a full night yet and she's almost 1. I don't think that really means anything though.

Starlight345 · 15/07/2018 20:54

My breast fed Ds was an awful sleeper but turns out he has Adhd so don’t think how he was fed was a factor

71HourAchmed · 15/07/2018 21:17

Depends on the baby I think. In my entirely anecdotal sample of 2 EBF babies, DS was the most amazing sleeper ever - midnight to 6 at about 6 weeks old, and then just got longer from there. Was sleeping 8-6, feed then another nap till 10 at about 3 months, but did cluster feed all evening.

DD on the other hand was a nightmare, but she was 10 weeks early and had real gastric issues so don't think BF / not BF had anything to do with it!

Mummyschnauzer · 15/07/2018 21:19

Ha my formula fed baby slept through at 4years of age so your friends an idiot (obviously my DS was off formula by age 4 lol)

ILoveDolly · 15/07/2018 21:26

Three babies, all bf. The middle one was a terrible sleeper, still is at 8, only needs about 6 hours a night. Other two good sleepers, especially youngest. He was a great feeder and great sleeper, incredibly laid back. All were quite big babies so could take larger feeds. It's about personality and size NOT what you feed them.

Buggeredpelvicfloor2013 · 15/07/2018 21:43

Two babies - DD breastfed and used to wake every hour without fail until four/five months. Always had tummy trouble and was colicky and upset. Had pneumonia, hand foot and mouth, slapped cheek, chicken pox and every single bloody disease or virus going.
DS formula fed and was sleeping 4/5 hour stretches by 12 weeks - Now five months and usually does 6 hours solid then back down after a feed and change. Couple of sleep through, 10-6.... Yes I know how lucky we are! No illnesses YET despite doing a day at nursery a week, and is the happiest baby imaginable. Maybe it's because he's a boy, maybe it's because he was born by elective section and daughter was a traumatic Labour. Maybe it is formula. Who knows?

BoomBoomsCousin · 15/07/2018 21:46

Almost all research that compares sleep for breastfed and formula fed babies finds that formula fed babies wake less at night and the babies and mothers get more nighttime sleep. There is some research that indicates that feeding to sleep by breastfeeding mothers that causes babies to wake up more and that if babies are given a feed late, settled and then tended to when they wake by their father instead of their mother, then they will wake no more than formula fed babies.

There is a lot more at stake with breastfeeding than sleep. But along with the benefits a baby gets from breast milk mothers should also consider the negative impacts that lack of sleep for the mother can bring. Depression in the mother has a higher negative impact on a baby than formula feeding and lack of sleep is thought to be causally correlated with depression. That doesn’t mean no one should breastfeed. But if a mother is not getting enough sleep and may be in danger of slipping into depression, it might be wiser to stop breastfeeding and get more sleep (though breastfeeding and getting more sleep may well be possible with the right support).

thereareflowersinmygarden · 15/07/2018 21:51

The FF baby may sleep longer (sceptical as it's probably a developmental thing) but that doesn't necessarily mean the mother does. You have to make the sodding bottle which means you wake up properly. Not so much with BF.

tinyme77 · 15/07/2018 21:54

Mine were breastfeed and pooed every 3 hours. The FFs that I knew pooed less so could sleep for longer. Mine were small and i suspect that a 6 lb baby needs more regular feeding than a 9 lb one. Part of the problem is that they fall asleep on the breast and then want that comfort when they wake up. If you can get them to sleep without feeding them to sleep its easier. If you can express then a bottle before night means that someone else can do it and they don't fall asleep on you.

tabulahrasa · 15/07/2018 21:55

“You have to make the sodding bottle which means you wake up properly. Not so much with BF.”

Um... You need to wake up properly either way, because going back to sleep while feeding isn’t the best idea.

thereareflowersinmygarden · 15/07/2018 21:56

@tabulahrasa

It's a great idea if done safely. I did it every night for eight months.

Mummyme87 · 15/07/2018 22:00

DS1 was FF and woke every 45mins day and night until 12months, slept through for the first time at 13months.
DS2 is BF and is a poor sleeper also because he wants something in his mouth all the time but refuses a dummy.

In my experience I know BF babies that sleep well and FF babies that don’t... it’s very baby dependent.