Introducing formula bottle at 7pm

[matana]

DS is 18 weeks old and breastfed and, although he sleeps well and settles between feeds, i did get him down to waking only once at 4am before he hit the dreaded 4 month regression. He's now all over the place again but has been waking every two to three hours most recently and shows no signs of improving. He has never consistently taken an 11pm feed and has gone anywhere from 4 to 6/7 hours from 7pm. When i've tried giving him a feed at 11pm it seems to unsettle him more and he wakes up regardless so forcing a feed on him at that time doesn't feel right and won't work anyway.

I'm shattered and am thinking about introducing a bottle of formula for his 7pm bedtime feed to see if it helps him go longer more consistently. I am wracked with guilt about this as i've loved BFing and really enjoy that 7pm feed with him more than any feed of the day, when he's all sleepy and i love the closeness. It's such a special time. But i think i need to try something to sustain him for longer. My sister has also suggested baby rice.

Has anyone introduced a formula feed before bedtime and has it helped? I don't want to change something i enjoy if, in all likelihood, it won't work. But if it helps me get more sleep then i'm willing (reluctantly) to try. Anyone have any experience of this? Or anyone used baby rice instead and got more sleep?

Hi.dd did exactly the same thing to me and everyobe told me she was hungry so i started baby rice in evening. Id love to tell you it worked but she has only just started sleeping thriugh again at 9 months. If i was u i wud try it for a week or so as all babies are different but theres a chance he will be like my little monster.cud be unsettled coz of teething

All the scientific evidence shows that this doesn't work (anecdotal evidence is usually just the baby getting past the sleep regression stage). You're just flushing away the protective coating that BM is giving to his intestines which would be a shame at this point. Baby rice is just foul stuff, processed paste with added vitamins that he doesn't need and it has not proper calorific value - it just pushes away your milk which means that he's getting fewer valuable calories.

This is the scientific fact but of course it may work for you, and lack of sleep is the worst thing ever so I totally sympathise. However personally I'd be looking at a few things:

• co-sleeping (even for a while) to get as much sleep as possible
• the No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley has loads of good ideas
• trying to nap yourself in the day (if at all possible) just to get through - it will pass in a few weeks!

Good luck :)

Thanks both. I did co-sleep when DS was very little as it was the only way he could sleep comfortably tummy to tummy. I'm not sure it would help now though TBH because neither of us are very good at latching on while lying in bed - i tend to be awake anyway as he keeps falling off!

His napping can't be relied on to consistently give me an hour and a half to two hours. Yesterday for some bizarre reason he decided to sleep in three half-hour batches and was exhausted by the evening. Today he took an hour and a half at 9am (i can't sleep so soon after i've woken for the day) and he only took 45 mins at lunchtime! Just as i got to sleep i had to wake up to see to him, and i find that even more tiring than never having the sleep in the first place.

I've heard a few people mention the no cry sleep solution so will have a look at that.

I don't really want to resort to formula if there's no guarantee it'll work and i've been so proud of myself for BFing him successfully for so long, since i have PCOS which can mean you don't produce enough milk. I've loved every minute of it, he's thriving, and is a joy to be around. I just want to be able to appreciate him more during the daytime by not being too tired!

Matana, you sound absolutely shattered. Just reading your post it comes through :(

It takes quite a lot of practise to feed lying down, but it is worth it when you get the hang of it. I would personally keep trying with it if you can do so - at least you'll be resting at night rather than sitting up. However, I'm interested that he keeps falling off. Is it because he starts to go to sleep, falls off, then gets upset because he's lost his booby and needs it to sleep? Or is he falling off for another reason?

Remember that breast milk actually has more calories that formula as well.

No, he falls off because our position just isn't right. When i get into a position that's right for him it's invariably wrong for me, i feel uncomfortable and lie awake. When i move to get more comfortable he falls off again.

Oh I see. OK well in that case, have you a local NCT counsellor who could come over and check it out for you? She may well be able to give you some tips on how to get a comfy position for you both. If you call 0300 330 0771 you'll be able to find out who is local to you. They may also have some more tips as I've got no more, I'm so sorry :(

Thanks, that is helpful - i'll give them a call. Don't worry - seeing my DS doing so well and smiling all the time helps keep me going