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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Truthfully now, will formula help him sleep???

35 replies

mistressploppy · 09/05/2012 18:58

I'm just about at my wits' end with DS2 and his non-napping crap sleep. Took him for his 12wk jags today and burst into tears when the nurse asked how things were going

She said one of her children was like this and when she started mixed-feeding he got better....is introducing formula likely to help, at all?

I know it's not a popular thing, ebf is best, blah blah blah but honestly, I'll try anything

OP posts:

amistillsexy · 09/05/2012 19:02

Well, it will either help him sleep, or give him such chronic wind he's up all night!
Only one way to find out!
If it helps, all 3 of mine we're mixed fed. Some slept, some didn't. They're now 4,6 and 8 and some nights they manage to work in shifts to keep me awake through the night ! (Considers a return to bottles) .

bigkidsdidit · 09/05/2012 19:05

It didn't with us. One bottle at night didn't increase sleep at all, sorry.

The only thing that did work was stopping feeding at night entirely, as he was waking to feed, and as soon as the feeds stopped coming he stopped waking. Unfortunately, he was a lot older than 12 weeks though :(

it's awful, isn't it.

KeemaNaanAndCurryOn · 09/05/2012 19:07

I FF DS1 and he didn't sleep through until he was 18months old.

DD who was BF slept through at 8 weeks.

What I learned is that the little sods either sleep or they don't.

Chocchip88 · 09/05/2012 19:08

I think it depends on the baby. I would say it's worth a try though. Good luck, sleep deprivation can be hell.

bigbadbarry · 09/05/2012 19:08

I read somewhere that it did increase their sleep...by about 15 minutes. Which would not be worth it in my book (but it is an average so it will be more for some and less - possibly even making it worse) for others.

perceptionreality · 09/05/2012 19:09

My older two girls were exclusively breastfed and they woke several times a night for feeds. I would keep them in bed with me so I didn't have to get up. Dd3 was bottle fed and her 'pattern' was certainly more predictable and she woke less during the night. Just my experience - I expect all babies are different.

I hope you feel better soon - it can be very hard in the early days.

Original poster

mistressploppy · 09/05/2012 19:09

I'll join you, Keema

OP posts:

MoaningMinnieRisesAgain · 09/05/2012 19:11

Same as Keema here I am afraid- FF the eldest from 13 weeks - she started to sleep through sometimes from 12m. BF the second forever and he occasionally slept through after about 12m too.

I think some just don't sleep well for a long time, it's hard to stand when you have more than one child and can't even try to do the sleep when the baby sleeps stuff.

Cassettetapeandpencil · 09/05/2012 19:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PestoPenguin · 09/05/2012 19:13

What research there is apparently shows it makes no difference. Can you tell us more about his sleep? Maybe there are suggestions that might help

surroundedbyblondes · 09/05/2012 19:17

Switched to formula for DD1 at 3 months because I had to and she started sleeping through. Had the luxury of being able to bf DD2 for longer. At 4,5 months I started giving formula in the evening. No joy. Little bugger is still waking in the night at 18 months. Aaaargh! No way of knowing, but giving a bottle (either of formula or expressed milk) might at the least give you a break if your partner can do that?
Good luck

Original poster

mistressploppy · 09/05/2012 19:23

Actually the main problem seems to be that he will only nap for 30min at a time (and resists even that) so he's chronically overtired come bedtime. He has actually slept 8-5 a few times in the past and still occasionally throws in the odd 8-2am stretch just to taunt me

OP posts:

EauRouge · 09/05/2012 19:28

Getting no sleep is no fun :( Have you considered co-sleeping? A lot of mothers find it helps them to get more sleep. I agree that some babies are sleepers and others aren't. They also go through phases when they wake up more often because of teething, developmental changes, illness etc etc. There is no easy solution sadly.

This is a really good website about sleep.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 09/05/2012 19:51

It may help it may not but the one thing ff at night will allow you to do is allow someone else to do a night feed. Allowing you to alternate evening/ night feeds giving both of you slightly bigger blocks of sleep. ( Apologise if I've put foot in mouth and there's no dp :( ) . All you can do is try nothing ventured nothing gained but it's entirely up to u :)

wigglesrock · 09/05/2012 20:23

I have formula fed 3dds from birth and it hasn't made a jot of difference to their sleep. Dd1 was a great sleeper, dd2 was absolutely dreadful sleeper and dd3 is inbetween

I co-slept with dd2, it was the only thing she wanted.

WantAnOrange · 09/05/2012 20:38

I know sleep deprivation is awful but at 12 weeks, it's completely natural for your baby not to be sleeping through. That's what they're supposed to do! He's very little and just might not be able to go that long without food. This is not something you are doing wrong or can fix until he's ready. Try not to put pressure on yourself to have him sleeping long stretches and ignore anyone who says my baby slept through from day 1.

How does he sleep during the day for naps? DS used to feed for comfort as well as food, which is also normal and ok but I found a dummy helped to give me a break. I know many think they are the work of the devil though.

Also agree that co-sleeping might help. That way you can nap while he feeds.

Judan · 09/05/2012 20:51

I can recommend a very good book called healthy sleep habits happy child by dr Marc weissbluth. Had exactly the same problem with DS and this book helped loads, went from no naps and lots of night waking to 2 long naps and sleeping all night. DD is now 17 weeks and slept through the night from 10 weeks and is breastfed.

Original poster

mistressploppy · 09/05/2012 21:00

I'm not bothered about him waking 2 or 3 times a night to feed, I know he's only tiny and needs the food, it's the very short naps and the wild-eyed overtiredness by the end of the day that are worrying me

He won't co-sleep - for the last few days I've been trying to get him to nap by lying down in our bed with him and bfing him. I fall asleep, he doesn't....

OP posts:

midori1999 · 09/05/2012 21:05

I haven't tried it, but lots of ladies at my BF group did/have tried fromula before bedtime to help sleep and not one of them reported it made any difference.

Being sleep deprived is awful and my DD seems (touch wood!) to have just started sleeping through now at 10 1/2 months. Prior to that she would go anything from sleeping through for 12 hours (not very often at all!) to 6 hourly stretches of sleep to feeding every hour and everything in between all that too. Co-sleeping kept me sane, I wouldn't have even been able to say how many feeds exactly DD had had in the night as I didn't have to wake properly to feed her.

If you are worried about the risks of co-sleeping, there are guidelines as to how to do it safely if you look online. (FSIDS and UNICEF publish a joint leaflet if you can find it)

PestoPenguin · 09/05/2012 21:07

Have you tried a sling in the daytime? All of mine would nap longer in that or when held and cuddled than they would if I put them down, when 30 mins was an absolute max. Later on at 9 months plus they would nap for maybe an hour and as toddlers sometimes 1.5-2hrs. But, as babies short naps at unpredictable times were always the norm, often when in motion in sling, car or pram or as a result of feeding to sleep. With DCs 2 & 3 I learned to put the sling on before feeding them if they seemed sleepy and then I could manoevre them into it and get up and on with a few things whilst they napped on me.

What is it that makes you think he's overtired? The pattern of sleep you describe actually sounds fairly normal and typical of many babies I've come across. Lots of babies also don't go to bed at a set time and are up all evening. 6, 7 or 8pm set bedtimes are a very particular Western expectation and lots of other cultures allow babies and children to stay up much later and go to bed when ready. Doing this now and going with the flow won't preclude setting a bedtime later on when they're older .

ag123 · 09/05/2012 21:08

I'm interested in this book too...my ds (18 wks) is very similar,taking usually only very short naps (30-45 mins) and still waking about 3-4 times a night. I'm kind of fine about it as we co-sleep so sometimes I barely notice the feeds but if there's anything I can do to encourage more healthy sleep habits more long term then i'dvlike to know about them. Although I'm not entirely convinced of what is 'healthy' sleep at the moment...I'm happy really as long as it is developmentally appropriate for him but I just worry that not getting enough sleep (especially with regard to daytime naps) won't be good for him...
I'm on my phone so can't look to name check but could whoever it was that mentioned the healthy sleep book say what sort of vague philosophy he promotes..?

PestoPenguin · 09/05/2012 21:14

Waking frequently at night is a healthy sleep habit for a 3-4 month old baby. They need food frequently and falling into a v deep and long sleep is not a good thing for a young baby and may in fact be one of the causes of SIDS .

Sorry, I don't mean to come across critical, I just find it really sad that this terminology is implying that perfectly normal and age-appropriate sleeping patterns are unhealthy.

PestoPenguin · 09/05/2012 21:16

This is an excellent evodence-based website about the way babies sleep.

PestoPenguin · 09/05/2012 21:16

evidence

Judan · 09/05/2012 21:20

He explains how important naps are and how they affect night time sleep and how to structure daytime naps. Sleep promotes more sleep, this is the one thing I have remembered from the book and it really is true.

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