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.

Both of mine were fully bf and good sleepers. DD1 was ridiculously good, she went through from a 10 pm dream feed until about 7.30 from about 10 weeks. DD2 not so epic but still a good sleeper, wanted a feed at 11.30 and 2.30 like clockwork from about 3 months, but would take both sides in 15 minutes flat and conk straight out. BF babies absolutely can be good sleepers.

EBF both of mine. Dd1 slept through the night (no night feeds, no waking at all) for nine hours at 9 weeks. She then added an hour of sleep per week until she hit 12 weeks, she'd basically go from 7-7 without waking. She was the fattest baby ever so was clearly enough during the day!

Dd2 wasn't as good but was still sleeping all the way through the night by 4 months.

I think a lot of it is genetic. I was a very good sleeper, as were my siblings.

I ebf mine for about 3 weeks before I cracked and gave him some formula which made him sleep beautifully. I then mixed fed for about 2 weeks and then tried ebf again and he still slept! Then ebf until 6m still sleeping through. HV went nuts but worked for us.

I do think mixed feeding can work wonders and the benefits not shared enough.

All of the babies in my NCT class were good sleepers regardless of feeding method but we happened to be a group that was all very routine led and wanting sleep.

It is probably easier to slip into ‘bad’ sleep habits with breastfeeding because it is much easier to feed to sleep. Formula feeding is just a bit more functional.

valleyvera I also think that is very true. Of my friends, I think most people second time round did mixed feeding. I had lots of friends who had first babies who refused a bottle and had a very different approach with the benefit of experience for number 2.

Yes! EBF DS was such a good sleeper I used to have to wake him up at 3am to feed because he wasn't gaining enough weight. He hated it . I eventually ended up doing some pumping and formula top-ups, but he was a good sleeper before that.

I think the first time he slept through from 10pm - 5am he was about 4/5 weeks old. I remember waking up in a panic because I thought something had happened to him, only to find him snoring gently in the bassinet next to me.

Like some pp said, I think a little bedtime routine helped a lot. As soon as he started looking sleepy I'd start bedtime and do the same steps in the same order, then do his last feed in a very dimly lit room with white noise on. Then the dogs and I would sit with him and I'd hold his tiny hand until he dozed off. He could be fussy about going to sleepC but generally once he was out, he was out.

My daughter EBF and slept pretty well, all the breastfed babies I know that are terrible sleepers all co sleep. But then that could be because they co sleep because they are bad sleepers, I’d breastfeed but I’d never co sleep. My daughter occasionally has ended up in my bed which I’m fine with but all the co sleepers I know wake up to feed constantly, way into the toddler years.

Both of mine were entirely breast fed - the eldest slept really well and slept through the night from about 5 months, the youngest never managed more than a three-hour stretch until he was nearly two. I'm sure it's mainly down to personality.

DS bf til age 1. Only ever woke 3 hourly at night as a newborn, quickly that went to sleeping 7-12 or 1, then feeding again at 4. By 15 weeks he was sleeping 7-6 most nights. He continued to sleep well. Always a relatively early riser (6am) but otherwise not a peep all night.

Dc1 was a good sleeper. He woke up to feed at 12, 3, 6, 9 and repeat. He drank milk, burped and fell asleep (-times he pooped). He hardly cried and was happy with everyone. He would settle himself and at times would sleep on the breast. He quickly went to four hour stretch and he sleep through the night, the night I gave him food.

Next dc are different ball game. Ds2 was breastfeed except when I pumped and feed him that way.

Dc3 has cmpa so was hard when it developed and he calmed down and smiled when I eliminated dairy from my diet.

To give a different perspective - two ff fed children. One sleeps great, one doesn't. Both boys.

The bad sleeper - is now 3 1/2 and still isn't great but finally getting better. He was easy to feed so never got enough milk in the day so we had to feed at night and I just think he got used to it.

Second baby, ff after a week of breastfeeding and we literally broke all rules, cuddled him to sleep, even now I had to stroke his head to help him sleep (and stop climbing on his cot) and he sleeps through but he does feed well during the day.

So I think much of it all of the routine and their personality

There is lots of research to show that what you feed your baby doesn't make any difference to night waking. If you look up Prof Amy Brown on YouTube there are some little infographic videos from the research.

Also look at Basis online, they have great resources on infant sleep.

all the co sleepers I know wake up to feed constantly, way into the toddler years.

Yep I would say this, I know a lot of bf co-sleepers and all of them the toddler doesnt connect sleep cycles without a breast in their mouth. Some people I know do almost sleep through a child helping themselves all night, I never could.

Yes slept through from 10 weeks (11.5 hour stretch with no wake ups) and pretty consistent afterwards.

Dd slept through from 2 weeks of age, Ds was a nightmare, though he did have reflux. They're all different, no way of knowing till they're here unfortunately.

I EBF ds. He first slept through at 10 months and from then on did it every so often then did it consistently from age 1. Gave up breastfeeding at 16 and a half months. For me the 10 months of crap sleep were worth it as now ds has all the lifelong benefits of bf as do I.

1 good, 1 not. Both breastfed. Luck of the draw I think!

Bm digests quicker than formula. Hence why babies who are fed formula sleep longer as their stomachs are filled for longer

My formula fed baby slept 12 hrs straight without awakening from 7 weeks on. And still does now half a decade later. And so did my second baby. 7 weeks on the dot, sleeping 12 hours straight.

The advantage with formula is that you can literally chart every single ounce of formula your baby drinks and know when your baby needs a bit more or is done feeding. I chose to formula feed for that reason because I need sleep (no sleep or poor sleep will agrevate my mental illness)Hence my choice.

But I also put my babies in their own beds from day 1 and I Always put them to bed awake and letting them self settle and fall asleep by themselves.

My NCT group all breast fed apart from two. The two that slept well were the two on a routine from the beginning.

@Marvellousmadness are you me?!

@Marvellousmadness

Bm digests quicker than formula. Hence why babies who are fed formula sleep longer as their stomachs are filled for longer

My formula fed baby slept 12 hrs straight without awakening from 7 weeks on. And still does now half a decade later. And so did my second baby. 7 weeks on the dot, sleeping 12 hours straight.

The advantage with formula is that you can literally chart every single ounce of formula your baby drinks and know when your baby needs a bit more or is done feeding. I chose to formula feed for that reason because I need sleep (no sleep or poor sleep will agrevate my mental illness)Hence my choice.

But I also put my babies in their own beds from day 1 and I Always put them to bed awake and letting them self settle and fall asleep by themselves.

My breastfed baby slept 12 hours each night without waking from about 7 weeks too. My formula fed babies did not. I think it may depend on the breast milk and the baby.

I had 2 bf babies. Pfb ds didn’t sleep, even when we began topping up with an evening formula feed. Dd ebf and slept 10pm - 6pm from 6 weeks.

*6am

My DD was exclusively breastfed and was an amazing sleeper. DS was on formula and a nightmare! Luck of the draw IMO