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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Top up bottle and sleep question

23 replies

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 00:33

DD has been having a top up bottle of expressed milk (4oz) for the last few weeks and has generally slept from 9pm until around 3am

I am struggling to express enough and find it a bit of a pain so thought I'd go back to feeding her myself (I tried this a week or so ago too) but she then wakes up for a feed between midnight and 1am.

Why does she sleep better on 4oz of expressed milk than she does if I feed her if they're supposed to be able to get loads from the breast?

I'm considering topping up with formula but would rather not have to as for the rest of it we've really cracked bf.

OP posts:

PenguinArmy · 16/12/2010 02:44

Babies quite often guzzle more than they physiologically need, as they like to suck. On the breast they can suck and not get milk, but with a bottle they can't help but swallow as well as their mouth fills up. Also bottle feeding is often a quicker method of feeding, so they get more than them before they realise they're full.

Flow is slower in the evenings as well, so if you express in the morning I believe you get more quantity but it's slightly more watery.

Anyway it's all normal behaviour. In fact it can be one of the problems with a night bottle as it can impact supply if it means a middle of the night feed is missed. You're doing nothing wrong if that helps.

BaggedandTagged · 16/12/2010 05:58

I have the same thing- I basically express at 9.30pm, then wake him up at 10pm and give him the expressed milk from the bottle. That gets us to 4.30am, and from then he'll sleep throgh till 7.30am

If I just feed him on the breast, he wakes up at about 2-3am, and then again at 6am so although it's a PITA effectively doing it twice at 10pm, it's worth it IMO

For me, I think it's a tiredness thing. As he has been woken up, rather than waking up naturally, he just dozes on the breast and prob only takes a few oz, whereas with the bottle he will happily take 4.5oz.

I do occasionally (1/week) have to top up with a bit of formula, but I'm not that fussed about 95% bf vs 100% bf so he does get the odd FF anyway.

Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 06:55

I tell myself that 4oz of formula a day will not be an issue, but I mixed fed DS and I just can't bring myself to do it. Silly I know.

The other thing is I have a horse and so have to leave dd with my mum for an hour and even if I've just fed her before I drop her off she always needs more so I have to leave milk with her. I express 3 times a day and only get 6oz so I freeze 2 and save the 4 for bed time but she sometime uses that 4 so my stock is dwindling.

If I could find the right time in the day where I could express a good amount it wouldn't be such a chew.

Last night she woke at 12pm, 3am, 5.20am and 6.20am, she doesn't go down to bed till 9pm so it wasn't a good night.

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Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 06:55

I tell myself that 4oz of formula a day will not be an issue, but I mixed fed DS and I just can't bring myself to do it. Silly I know.

If I could find the right time in the day where I could express a good amount it wouldn't be such a chew.

Last night she woke at 12pm, 3am, 5.20am and 6.20am, she doesn't go down to bed till 9pm so it wasn't a good night.

OP posts:

PenguinArmy · 16/12/2010 07:10

Not at all silly OP. I'm exactly the same.

We're just getting into sleep that lasts more than 3 hours at 9 months

Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 09:43

Oh I feel for you PenguinArmy I know I've been lucky that she's slept so well for so long.

If I could find a decent time to express I would continue this way as it's definitely preferable to an hour or so's sleep at a time. It just confuses me that a 4oz bottle is better for her sleep wise than a last feed from me.

I'm going to persevere with feeding her myself for a week and see how we go. I am going to continue to express still as I do need some for when she goes to Grandmas or like Sat night when I am out for a meal.

It would just be nice to express once or twice a day and get the amount required.

Does anyone have any tips for the best time to express?

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Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 09:49

baggedandtagged how old is your LO and what time do you put him to bed?

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Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 09:49

baggedandtagged how old is your LO and what time do you put him to bed?

OP posts:

harverina · 16/12/2010 10:39

Most women find that the best time to express is in the morning. Alot of women find that they get larger amounts if the express at the same time as their DC is feeding.

Because you have been topping up your DC in the evenings, you will find that your supply isn't so good at this time. BUT, now that you have started to feed your DC yourself at night you will find that your supply will get better at that time.

tiredofyorks, how old is your DD? Sorry if you have said already! I would probably try and put her down earlier than 9pm. Thats quite late. My DD is 8.5months and is usually in bed by 7.30pm - 8pm at the latest. We start the bedtime routine at 6.15pm - massage, bath, book, feed, bed. Then dinner for my DH and I!

Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 11:58

DD is 15 weeks old, so still quite little I know. DS was in bed at 7pm at this age, but I just can't imagine DD settling but I know I ought to try.

I'm going to persevere with feeding her myself for a week and see if things improve.

I do express in a morning (and any otjer time I get the chance) and usually whilst DD feeds but find I only get 1- 2oz off each breast regardless of whether I double pump or express whilst feeding.

OP posts:

Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 11:58

DD is 15 weeks old, so still quite little I know. DS was in bed at 7pm at this age, but I just can't imagine DD settling but I know I ought to try.

I'm going to persevere with feeding her myself for a week and see if things improve.

I do express in a morning (and any otjer time I get the chance) and usually whilst DD feeds but find I only get 1- 2oz off each breast regardless of whether I double pump or express whilst feeding.

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BaggedandTagged · 16/12/2010 13:59

He's 13 weeks. Goes to bed at 6pm, just because he gets tired at that time so I do the last feed around 5.30pm

Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 14:15

Wow that's fab. I just don't know how I'd manage that, although I did with DS. Perhaps I'm missing a sleepy cue that I could pick up on.

At the mo, she's wide awake between 7pm and 9pm but I'm maybe leaving her too long.

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Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 14:15

Wow that's fab. I just don't know how I'd manage that, although I did with DS. Perhaps I'm missing a sleepy cue that I could pick up on.

At the mo, she's wide awake between 7pm and 9pm but I'm maybe leaving her too long.

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Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 14:19

Sorry about all the double posts. I'm posting from my phone and don't know why it's doing it.

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Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 14:19

Sorry about all the double posts. I'm posting from my phone and don't know why it's doing it.

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harverina · 16/12/2010 14:34

I would try settling her earlier...I am sure I rwad somewhere that the "window of opportunity" is between 7pm and 7.30pmand babies get over tired after that. Also at 13 weeks he may be going through a growth spurt and this may be why he is wakening more. If you do give a bottle, Id suggest that you always breatfeed first to boost your supply.

Original poster

TiredofYorks · 16/12/2010 19:42

Well DD has been bathed, fed and put up to bed but I don't think she's going to settle. She's crying now, OH says I've to leave her for 10 mins but she's not the type of baby to cry herself to sleep.

I think I might be better moving her bedtime forward 15 minutes per day so she doesn't notice so much.

I haven't got any expressed milk for today so will see how tonight's feeds go.

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BaggedandTagged · 17/12/2010 04:41

I know- I'm lucky- it's definitely nothing to do with my amazing parenting as I am a rank amateur and we have no routine other than him having his bath at 5ish, then a feed, and then a little sit in his bouncy chair till he's really dozy- then cot, door shut, glass of wine for me- hurrah!.

He has always slept a lot- even now at 13 weeks he cant really stay awake more than 2 hrs without getting seriously tired and grizzly and he always dozes in the pushchair

I actually asked the HV about it as I was a bit worried but she said it's normal, albeit not that usual. Dh and I both like sleeping so maybe it's hereditary.

Original poster

TiredofYorks · 17/12/2010 07:05

DS was a lot like that. DD however just doesn't need sleep. She only sleeps for about 2 hours total in the day and very little in the night too.

I think as much as it's a PITA I might sort my expressing out again as last night she was down to bed at 8.45pm, then had feeds 11.30pm, 3am, 4.30am and 6.30am. And poor DS gets the short straw as I'm tired and grumpy.

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harverina · 17/12/2010 22:55

You may find that naps will get better as time goes on. My dd was like your dc...some days she didn't nap at all. However, over time this improved so much. She now has two reasonably long naps every day at similar times. I wouldn't worry too much about your dd being in a routine just now BUT that doesn't mean that you can't keep up the routine yourself. My dd has always had a feed, massage, bath, book, feed, bed. The time she went to bed varied big time when she was younger as some nights she cluster fed for hours, but the important thing for us was that we followed the same routine every night and because of this bedtimes are so much easier now. 13 weeks is really young. Your probably feeling like you haven't slept for years I know!

harverina · 17/12/2010 23:25

Meant to add, we have always fded to sleep so thats made things easier...until now when we are trying to break this association!

harverina · 17/12/2010 23:25

*fed

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