To ask if it's possible to have a good sleeper that's breastfed?

[CoalCraft]

Hi, sorry if this question comes across as ignorant. I always intended to breastfeed DD but for a variety of reasons we never got hang of it, so instead she was fed exclusively on pumped milk in a bottle for four months, then we transitioned to formula when I couldn't take pumping anymore. So basically she's always been bottle-fed, though what's in the bottle has changed over the months. She's also always been a decent night sleeper. She's nearly a year now.

We're now thinking about dc2 and plan to start TTC soon. I am 100% committed to ensuring dc2 gets breast milk for at least as long as DD did, even if it means going back on the pumps.

But there's one thing that's making me reluctant to try direct breastfeeding, at least beyond the "fourth trimester" stage, a d that's that every time I read about a poor sleeper on here, a baby 6+ months old that wakes every hour, it always seems to be a breastfed baby wanting boob. The early stages where DD needed feeding every 2-4 hours nearly killed me and even now I find the night wakings tough, even though she sleeps through about half the time and is generally pretty good. DH does more than his fair share at night, too - think I just have a low tolerance for sleep deprivation!

So are breastfed babies more likely to be poor sleepers? I don't mean in the newborn stage as of course all newborns need regular feeding through the night, but later? Does anyone have a breastfed baby that sleeps well? I'm fully aware that there are bottle fed babies that are poor sleepers!

Sorry for the long preamble to this post, it was mostly in the hopes of not sounding goady. This is a sincere question and not meant to trigger a bf Vs FF fight.

Thanks all, interesting mix of responses. I do feel that a lot of baby sleep is luck!

Yes she was sleeping 6 hours from 8 weeks then longer as she got older, always been a fantastic sleeper for which I am incredibly grateful! Have to get the little sleepyhead up in the morning now. It's the baby not the milk

Current breast fed baby cuddled up in my lap, she's 8 weeks and for the last two weeks she's woken up once during the night or slept through completely

I have had four breastfed babies.

Three of them were OK sleepers (fed every 2.5 hours ish in the early days and settled to bedtime/12.30/3.30 up at 6.30 by about 4 months).

Baby number 4 has been an absolute dream of a sleeper Bedtime feed at 8pm ish, one feed at 4am ish, up for the day at7am/8am ish. From the word go

I didn't do anything differently with any of them. They have all slept in my bed (DH in separate bed) and fed on demand day and night.

Breastfed babies will wake more frequently as the milk is easier to digest and therefore they feel hungrier more quickly. Breastfed babies that sleep through seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

The pros of breastfeeding way outweigh the cons but unfortunately the frequent wakes are a con, it's a commitment for sure.

I'd rather have the frequent wakes than the pumping as I think pumping is tough but whatever way you get breast milk into little one is brilliant.

Yes.

2 kids- both exclusively breastfed (direct from breast, both bottle refusers). DC1 was an awful awful sleeper, fed day and night every hour for 8 months. Absolute hell and no reason for it (I had tonnes and tonnes of milk). DC2 slept 11pm - 6am from 8 weeks. It's almost exclusively personality!

My second child was breastfed and slept like a dream from day 1. I had to wake him to feed him or he would of just slept . I fed him till he was 12 months old and he slept perfectly the whole time

My first child well that was a whole different experience and to be honest I deserved a child that slept after the nightmare I had with him.

OP I was similar- struggled with first DC. BF went better the second time and DC2 has always been a much better sleeper even when EBF. I found the night feeds a lot easier when bf too. Fingers crossed it all goes easier this time!

@espressomartiniweeny

Breastfed babies will wake more frequently as the milk is easier to digest and therefore they feel hungrier more quickly. Breastfed babies that sleep through seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

The pros of breastfeeding way outweigh the cons but unfortunately the frequent wakes are a con, it's a commitment for sure.

I'd rather have the frequent wakes than the pumping as I think pumping is tough but whatever way you get breast milk into little one is brilliant.

Once babies are 8+ months though and weaning, are they really waking out of hunger? The impression I get from a lot of threads is that babies are using the boob for comfort and because it's how they know to get back to sleep, rather than because they actually need milk. Could be a bit of both of course!

DD was a good sleeper even when bottle fed breastmilk, at least around the 3-4 month age, but of course she's just one baby!

Breastfed babies / toddlers are more likely to be good sleepers as they are least likely to have allergies / certain illnesses & breastmilk contains compounds that help with sleep. This idea that breastfed babies sleep less or wake more often is a lie formula companies used to sell their products, it isn’t actually true & women believe it because many have little to no support or experience of bf.

My ebf was doing 8+ hrs from 8 weeks. My combi fed baby took ages longer and still occasionally wakes at 3.

Three babies here, all breastfed and all terrible sleepers. I might weaned the first two when they turned 1 and it transformed their sleep. Hoping the same will happen with the third 🙏

Dd1 formula fed slept through from 6 weeks. DS born 9 years later bf, no bottles or dummies woke regularly until over aged 2.

Bf both of mine. Sleep trained both at 6 months, great sleepers. But those first 6 months they were up more frequently than my friend who bottle fed.

1 FF 3 BF all good overnight sleepers from weeks old.

I was always mindful of not feeding them to sleep.

@CoalCraft

Oh yes from 8 months it's certainly for comfort. With some gentle sleep training dc1 slept through from 7 months after I offered alternatives to boob for comfort.

Dc2 at 10 months is still waking 2-3 times a night and I offer a feed. That's my choice though as with covid still around and endless nursery bugs I still want to offer it. If things were different I would have done some sleep training by now.

Mine was a good sleeper. After the first 3 months, which were hell, she slept about 12-6, then gradually increased to about 7-6/7 by 6 months. Refused dummies (and bottles), didn't have white noise or any other sleep aids except that she fed to sleep until 12 months, didn't do any of the sleep regressions. There were bad nights when she was teething, but unless there was a specific reason, she slept really well. It was 100% down to luck rather than anything I did.

2 ebf babies.

The first didn’t sleep. Ever.

The second came out in a routine & did 4+ hour stretches of sleep from the get-go.

Totally down to their personalities.

Even now 9+ years on, the first doesn’t need all that much sleep whereas the second sleeps really well.

Yes 2 excellent sleepers. Breastfeed exclusively. Key was a dream feed and working to their natural rhythm.

I'm pretty sure Swansea uni did a study and found there was no difference between ff and bf babies.

www.swansea.ac.uk/health-social-care/research/lift/breastfeeding/baby-formula-sleep/

I think it depends on baby!
First bottle fed slept badly ended up co-sleeping!
Second EBF - slept well at night, never co-slept (unless poorly & even then happily go back to their own bed)

4 fully breastfeed children here all excellent sleepers only 1 used a dummi i learned to not tell people though as wow it causes resentment when you have good sleepers.1

Both my dc slept through by 6 weeks.

Dd was bottle fed, ds was exclusively breastfed.

With both I made a point of putting them down drowsy and relaxed but semi awake from day one. Never asleep...... Im pretty sure this helped massively as self settling was normal to them. Feeding method had nothing to do with it.

Both dc breastfed. Dc1 crap sleeper, didn't sleep through til over 1yo. Dc2 a brilliant sleeper and started sleeping through within a couple of months. I don't think feeding style has much to do with it.