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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

How do you settle a ff baby during the night?

31 replies

Holymoly321 · 09/04/2008 18:22

DS2 is bf and is nearly 5 months. He's still waking every 3 hours for feeds during the night and it is killing me - esp as I have a very active two yr old DS1 to deal with during the days!. He won't take a dummy and DH has just started to try and give him a formula bottle at 11pm to give me a bit of a break (sometimes he will take it others I have to bf him again). Am wondering if we went totally to formula what we would do to settle him if he woke in the night as currently I breastfeed him. I'll justg add that at the mo the formula bottle that DH gives him does NOT make him sleep any longer than a normal breastfeed!!!

OP posts:
crackpotdog · 09/04/2008 19:30

holymoly i'm no expert as only got ds1 at 10wks who i managed to breastfed for 1 week only, but i imagine if ff more regularly and once in routine of it perhaps he would only wake when hungrey rather than to be comforted by the breast? our ds1 is ff and waking 5 hrly or longer for feed overnight.

crackpotdog · 09/04/2008 19:31

although all babies are different, but i do believe ff babies are fuller for longer

moondog · 09/04/2008 19:33

Holy, many MNers report that formula makes no difference.
It is of course a vastly inferior product as well.
Have you thoguht of expressing and letting dh do a feed? Or co-sleeping?

Pesonally Crackpot,I see nothing bizaree or odd about a very small baby wanting the comfort of the breast.That is why we breastfeed, amonsgst other reasons.

Megglevache · 09/04/2008 19:35

Message withdrawn

Megglevache · 09/04/2008 19:35

Message withdrawn

BoysAreLikeDogs · 09/04/2008 19:36

Expressing is a good idea to let you get some rest.

Your LO is still very young, and as BF is established there seems no point in giving FF which as MD says is inferior.

Remember 'this too shall pass'

Good luck

dickswife · 09/04/2008 19:37

i think babies on the whole are wakeful. I have had six of them. Some have been ff, some mix and some bf (not much help I know). But babies have their own sleep patterns and it really does not matter how they are fed
please calm down

crackpotdog · 09/04/2008 19:40

moondog - never said it was bizaree or odd about small baby wanting comfort of breast!
holy moly asked a question as baby 5 mths old and waking every 3hrs and got older little one to chase after all day also!!
she was asking for opinions so i gave it!!

pattymc · 09/04/2008 19:43

hi holymoly
If ff is giving you a break and allowing you to rest then that's a good thing. Also it means that dh can feed him in the night without you having to express. Could you try feeding him 1oz less each time he wakes up in the hope that he will increase his feeding during the day? This is what we did and it did work, it took a while and I know it might not be the right thing for everyone but it worked for us.

dickswife · 09/04/2008 19:44

moondog is just a weirdo sometimes
ignore her, she has had too much wine in wales

moondog · 09/04/2008 19:46

lol
I haven't had a glass of wine in weeks!
(More's the bloody pity. I could do with one.)

moodymammy · 09/04/2008 19:47

I've ff ds (23 weeks) since he was about 10 weeks and he did sleep for longer after that. However, I don't know if it's the formula or more likely the fact that when he was still stirring at 2 am I tried just giving him a dummy and he went straight back to sleep! So I knew then he wasn't hungry although I did feel mean the first time I did it!

He now has a last feed some time between 7 and 8, then my husband dream feeds him at about 10.30- 11pm then he sleeps through till 5am. I then put the dummy in and he wakes up to start the day at 6 or 6.30.

pattymc · 09/04/2008 19:48

I am intrigued.
If you are a breastfeeder, why do you see the need to comment on a thread titled -'How do you settle a ff baby during the night?'
??

moondog · 09/04/2008 19:50

Que???

So let me see...does that mean people who don't drive 4X4s are allowed to park on those ridiculous parent parking thread.

Blimey, better go and tell them. That will have 'em quaking in their boots.

Monkeybird · 09/04/2008 19:53

patty, some of us do both...?

lulumama · 09/04/2008 19:53

my two penceworth

feed baby as much as he wants, whenever he wants

he will find his own way and settle into his own routine

some babies sleep through sooner than others

also,this is peak growth spurt time, so the feeding might well settle in a few days

rest when you can in the day, and if anyone can help you out wth dS1 or the housework etc then take them up on it

pattymc · 09/04/2008 20:01

I'm holding my hands up in the air, I'm not looking to offend so will bow out with grace. My question was aimed at those who bf only, not those who do both, so sorry monkeybird I didn't make that clear. I was just intrigued, as I said.
bye

moondog · 09/04/2008 20:02

Don't go.
MN threads are a free for all.That's why they're fun/informative.

lulumama · 09/04/2008 20:04

whether you breast or formula feed, people who post on these threads have a strong interest in feeding and helping other mothers

i am totally pro breast feeding, member of baby milk action , but i formula fed my babies

but have learnt a huge amount about breastfeeding over the last 18 months

i would hate to think that i was not 'allowed' to comment on breastfeeding threads.

Monkeybird · 09/04/2008 20:05

holy, I'm still bf but baby has lots of nursing strikes so have been forced to ff occasionally.

We've had a dummy but abandoned it as it was affecting the feeding.

So we're doing a lot of rocking and loud humming in the middle of the night. Dunno what others do...

2point4kids · 09/04/2008 20:12

ds2 is ff (7 weeks old)... he does go a bit longer at night than in the day but not as long as ds1 did at this age!
I dont change his nappy at night, keep lights low etc and sometimes he falls asleep again on my shoulder as i am winding him
If he doesnt then i use a dummy or rocking to get him back to sleep
hth

FruitfulOfFruit · 09/04/2008 20:16

With regard to "he won't take a dummy". Have you tried different ones? Because ds2 will only take one sort. And ds1 would only have one sort too, although it was a different one. And to start with I used to hold it in his mouth and walk him up and down while he got comfy sucking it. Now I just shove it in and he relaxes and goes back to sleep. Obv I'm now wondering whether he wakes up for the dummy and if I should get him off it, but still. It works.

FWIW, ds2 is ff, 4mths, and pretty much feeds 4-hourly at night. I go to bed at 9, dh feeds him at 11, I feed at 3 and we all get up at 7. 9 till 3 is quite a civilised stretch of sleep. But the key is that dh does a feed I think, not what the milk is.

That bottle at 11pm - have you tried different teats? And diff temps of milk? Ds1 liked it fridge-cold, some babies like it nice and warm.

pattymc · 09/04/2008 20:21

never said you weren't allowed to comment I just said I was intrigued that's all.
whether you breast or formula feed, people who post on these threads have a strong interest in feeding and helping other mothers and that's what's important at the end of the day

crackpotdog · 09/04/2008 20:22

MN threads might be a free for all but why attack somebodies opinion if it doesn't match yours, or agree with keeping on bf even though a person might be struggling ++- not nice, wether you've had wine or not!!

moodymammy · 09/04/2008 20:32

Sorry, just re read your post and you say he won't take a dummy so my advice was a bit useless, sorry!

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