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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Would a bottle of formula help?

11 replies

sweetkitty · 02/10/2006 15:02

DD2 is 8 mo and a terrible sleeper at night, basically she cannot fall asleep unless attached to me feeding, she can be up between 2-6 times in any one night, I've tried all the routines etc we stick to the same timings/routine every night, she has her last BF at 7.30pm but can be up 10 minutes after that and only another BF will put her back to sleep. She never used to be like this and would happily fall asleep on her own (with her dummy) now she refuses the dummy completely. Am about to buy "No cry sleep solution" by Elizabeth Pantley to see if it helps any.

Anyway my question is this? Whenever I tell anyone about DD2's lack of sleep they always say it's the breastfeeding and she's too attached to me and the boob and I should be knocking it on the head! How would giving her a bottle of formula help her to sleep? Has it made a difference to anyone out there who has tried it? DD2 eats solids really well, 3 good meals a a day with fruit and anything else she can scavenge inbetween (she eats more than her 2 yo sister)

I feel like giving her a bottle for a week just to say "formuka has made no difference whatsoever"? but just wanted to know if anyone had tried it and if they had any success?

OP posts:

Enid · 02/10/2006 15:09

it made no difference to dd2 whatsoever

she is still crap sleeper at 4

sorry

scootermum · 02/10/2006 15:12

Hi,
I tried it with dd, same situation at 5 months, and I have to say it did work.She got more out of the bottle and quicker, than she got out of me and I dont know if formual milk is heavier or what but it really settled her off.
Also I was told that when solely breast feeding after 6 months you are supposed to give vitamin and iron supplements as well? (even where the baby is weaned).Not sure though becuase I didnt last that long after the first bottle im afraid!The relief of a full nights sleep was too much to resist and it was pretty much formula from there on in..

MrsFogi · 02/10/2006 15:13

My dd is about the same age and I started trying this about a month ago, it hasn't helped at all - she now takes the bottle and then won't go to sleep until I bf her to sleep. She wakes at exactly the same times as before I gave her the evening ff.

Tatties · 02/10/2006 15:14

Sweetkitty, you are right. How would giving her a bottle of formula help her to sleep? It wouldn't. I tried it with ds when he was younger than your dd and it didn't make a bit of difference. My ds sounds remarkably similar to your dd actually, he also gave up his dummy in favour of more bf, and refused a bottle when I went out (very rarely) as he got older. So it wouldn't surprise me if your dd refused it too!

It is normal to want the comfort of bf to get back to sleep (my ds still needs it at 18mths), and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with hunger. I think it's probably easier just not to mention it to people who won't understand

hunkermunster · 02/10/2006 15:15

No, it won't help.

If it's any consolation, DS2 was up five times last night (they are twinnish, aren't they?!).

Is she teething? I'd try giving medised or calpol or nurofen before I gave formula. Actually, I'd give whisky before I'd give formula (joke)

Original poster

sweetkitty · 02/10/2006 17:12

I thought it wouldn't help one little bit but sometimes I get so frustrated and knackered that I would try whisky (only joking)! I know she is not waking through hunger just comfort but it is so soul destroying when you have just fed her to sleep and have just nodded off yourself when she wakes up again and only a boob will send her back off to sleep.

Tatties - she was taking EBM no problem before until about a month ago I left her with DP and she cried for 2 hours

Hunker - it must have been a freakish lunar month or something lol her two big teeth at the front are poised under the gums have tried calpol and some Ashton and Parsons powders too to no avail

OP posts:

hunkermunster · 02/10/2006 17:16

SK, I understand and sympathise and empathise. When DS2 woke for the fifth time last night, I could've cried. He was sleeping like a baby (ha!) when the alarm went off this morning and I dozed till DH went to work (he gave DS1 breakfast, which was bliss). Bloody bin lorry decided to come three hours early too...just as I dozed off again.

DS2 just doesn't sleep much. He's had about ten minutes today (he's asleep now). He's cheerful when he's awake though, so that's something!

Those top teeth are massive, aren't they?

DS2 is having medised tonight (he's largely immune to the effect of the sleepy bit in it, but he will NOT take calpol)...

amijee · 02/10/2006 18:00

i don't wanna sound controversial - but surely when a child is this age and feeding well in the day on solids and milk - this is comfort feeding and not hunger. So formula wouldn't make a blind bit of difference but cold turkey would! This is probably why so many parents say that giving their kids only formula at night helps them sleep thru as it eliminates the comfort aspect of feeding. If mums are happy with this - fine, but i know i would not be able to function and work like this. I absolutely adore breast feeding and the closeness I feel to ds but also realise that the comfort feeding can also become a 2 way process and unless you are prepared to have such poor sleep for such a long time, there comes a time when you have to knock the night feeds on the head.

Original poster

sweetkitty · 02/10/2006 21:51

amijee - I completely agree it is not a hunger thing at all, DD2 relies on comfort sucking in order to fall asleep. I am looking for a way to make her fall asleep and stay asleep without me without resorting to controlled crying. I feel she is still a little too young for the cold turkey approach of withdrawing night BFs altogether.

I'm just having a moan about all the people who blame her non sleeping on me breastfeeding.

OP posts:

hunkermunster · 03/10/2006 00:27

I agree - 10m was the earliest I thought about going cold turkey with DS1 at night - and then only because he was eating well.

Tatties · 03/10/2006 13:17

Sweetkitty do you co-sleep? I have found that is the only way I could carry on with the night feeds and get a decent night's sleep myself. Night feeds don't have to mean poor sleep for you.

Amijee, I would say night feeding at this age may be for comfort, but it could still be hunger, even if she is eating during the day. I know if I wake fully during the night I could have a bowl of cereal or cup of hot milk!

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