warning! contraversial!!!

[dandycandyjellybean]

I have a two week old baby who is breast feeding exceptionally well given his traumatic birth and that i had a c/s and feel pretty lousy. However, I am finding the constant demand for feeds and the lack of sleep very exhausting and am crying a lot. Some of my friends who have bottle fed have suggested that switching from b/f to the bottle might help, as bottle fed babies tend to sleep through the night a bit more and that the whole feeding process tends to be quicker. However, I am terrified that if I switch and he hates the bottle I have made an awful choice for my son and then there is no going back. Can anyone provide any positive feeback with regards to switching from b/f to the bottle, or is this just too, too contraversial?

DS slept through the night from 6 weeks. He was exclusively breastfed. DD slept through the night from 9 and a half weeks. She was bottle-fed from 2 weeks. So in my children's case, there was no correlation between sleep and feeding method.

I also found that bottle feeding just didn't take any less time than breastfeeding. Once you've established breastfeeding, babies do it as quickly and efficiently as bottle-feeding.In fact, I was very peeved when DD took just as long to take her bottle, as she had to take the breast in the first couple of weeks, because I too had been told it's quicker.

Don't change to bottlefeeding because it's quicker or because the baby will sleep longer, because you'll be really peeved when or if he doesn't. Only change if you really want to bottlefeed. (It sounds to me like you really want to breastfeed though, but could do with some more rest and support).

What I will say, is that breastfeeding in the first few weeks bears NO RELATIONSHIP WHATSOEVER to what breastfeeding is like after that.

As for sleeping through, um, your baby is two weeks old and won't be sleeping through whatever you do, unless you are ridiculously lucky.

This is the hard bit - emotionally, physically etc, however you feed your baby. If you can get through this things will change and get better very quickly.

excellent point aloha

Hi Cubby - I was in the same position 11 wks ago. I even bought formula and boiled the kettle most days intending to use it - but never did. By the time the kettle had boiled, I had used my boob to quieten screaming DS and ended up doing another feed. I guess this is how I got through it.

I did bottle feed though. My DS had to have medicine given in 15ml expressed milk before each feed. Sterilising, warming bottles etc is a real faff and adds about 10 mins onto the feed. He also gets a complete expressed bottle every night - waiting for it to warm is a nightmare when DS is screaming. It used to be faster bottle feeding but now it isn't.

Things will settle down. Your DS will get far, far faster at feeding and will go longer between feeds. Then it becomes really easy. No bottles, sterilising, warming, carrying things around, constipated baby, awful nappies.

I promise you it is worth it if you stick at it. But remember - it isn't all or nothing. Mixed feeding is possible - ask the mixed feeders on here for advice re keeping your supply up. Don't feel guilty whatever - you've given your DS a lovely start.

As for sleeping through... such a personal thing to the baby. I know loads of breastfeeders whos babys sleep for 10 hour stints at 8 wks . And as many formula feeders whos babys wake every 2 hours.

Good to hear from you cubby - you are clearly doing a fantastic job looking after the whole family so all power to you! You go, girl!

My dd is now 7 months and still not a sleeper. I exclusively breastfed for 6 1/2 months, and now she has formula in the day as I am about to go back to work. Still on the boob at night. Formula hasn't made a difference to her sleeping. I tried giving her a bottle of formula at 11ish to buy some sleep over night but she still wakes. My sister bottle fed my niece from day 1 and she's a poor sleeper too, so perhaps it's to do with how my family makes them!! I still find it easier to whip out a boob than arse around with formula but I am chronically lazy....

Any BF you have done is brilliant for your DS. If you want to keep going, great but if you feel that you can't, your DS is still going to get a top start in life. You must go with what's right for you and your family. Don't feel guilty - so long as you are providing lots of love and looking after for your baby, that's all you need. The detail is up to you.

Keep up the good work and let us know how it's going.

XXXX

It sounds to me like you've got too much on your plate cubby. Is there anyone who can come and help out. Your mum? His mum? Friends?

You're recovering from a major op', dealing with a newborn, and looking after your DH. Hmmmm!

You need to be looked after by someone if at all possible, or at least someone other than you could care for your dh perhaps.

Sorry. I'm sure you've thought of all this. I just think you seem to have impossible demands on you in these tricky early weeks.

OK if you want a bf sleeping happy story (but don't tell everyone...)
I exclusively bf dd from birth. on demand, never really got into a routine, just went with the flow i.e. her flow...
from 6 weeks she was sleeping from midnight to 6am
from 12 weeks she slept 7pm to 6 or 7 am
she still does....

IME it's a myth that babies who are bottle fed sleeps better than bf babies. Tbh I think this is what it's like with a 2 week old baby. It's blood sweat and tears in the beginning literally. Can you perhaps express so dad can do one of the feeds? Hope it all goes better soon!

HC - a friend of mine can beat that ! Her tiny (5lb) little girl was fed on demand. and slept through from 6pm-8am everynight from 3 days old! The HV told her to wake her up, or at least give her dream feeds.....which she tried....and then stopped as her placid little girl turned into a screaming nightmare, let her sleep through again and she still sleeps through now - aged 5!

yep sorry