How much sleep did you get with a breastfeeding newborn?

[sarahb083]

Hello, I'm pregnant and would like to breastfeed. However, I'm very very concerned about the lack of sleep due to the frequency of breastfeeding. How much sleep did you get early on if you breastfed?

My husband is taking 18 weeks of leave when the baby arrives, and my mum will be staying with us for the first few months. So, theoretically, I'll have enough help to get a full night's sleep every other night or so. If I'm breastfeeding, though, it seems like I'll be up every hour or two for the first 4 months. Is that right? Is there anything I can do to get more sleep? Could I pump enough during the day for my husband or mum to bottlefeed breast milk at night? Any suggestions welcome!

Yes that is right you will most likely be up every couple of hours of so to feed. My lo was a good sleeper at first doing 3 or 4 hour stretches in the night. She has become worse than this despite being night weaned now so I would say that sleep is largely dependent on individual baby and developmental stages. So yes many people say their formula fed baby sleeps better than a breast fed would but there are almost as many whose don't. I had great expectations for sleep after the first few months and now I have none whatsoever. I know that sounds depressing but sadly it's true! You never know you may have a great sleeper though but I would say don't expect too much from a baby they are designed to eat frequently as stomachs so small

Hard to say. My first daughter woke every hour for the first three months. My youngest is 2 months and she has done a 5-6 hour stretch followed by a 2-3 one every night for the last month.

Also you shouldn't really skip night feeds regularly as it will decrease your supply.

Yes could express milk and someone else feed and settle. Lots of people do this successfully

Sorry sent to quick but agree with eels that you need to feed regularly for your supply

You need to feed the baby at night, especially in the early days as it helps to establish your milk supply. Tiny babies feed every few hours, sometimes they ‘cluster feed’ which means they basically feed non stop for a few hours. Make yourself comfortable, get drinks and snacks and the tv remote. It doesn’t last forever!

Initially I would have about 5 hours between 12-7 with a couple of night feeds

Both DS would feed every couple of hours in the day and then maybe 3 at night

When they got a bit older I’d get maybe 4 hour stretches at a time

They were both bottle fed by 8-10 weeks though so I can’t say what it would be like past that point

It really varies a lot. They go through phases of waking up frequently and phases of waking less frequently. So maybe you’ll have a couple weeks where it’s every two hours and then it’ll go to every four-five hours. I found with mine they’d go through growth spurts where they’d have more feeds during the day and at night and other times where they fed far less.

You could be woken anything between every 45 minutes to every 4 hours for the first 3 months or so. What makes the most difference to your quality of sleep is whether baby is happy to sleep in a moses basket/crib/cot or whether they will only sleep on you.
I found it best to let DH get a full night's sleep because in practical terms he wasn't much use for night feeds, then he would take the baby for a few hours in the morning so I could go back to sleep. Also get him to do as much housework as you can, so you can rest.
After 3 months it tends to settle down and get a lot easier, as baby has more efficient less frequent feeds.
I will just say that it feels very tiring at the time but in the grand scheme of things it's a very short time and I have LOVED breastfeeding my two (DS until he was 2.4yo and DD still going at 11mo).

I was feeding every couple of hours for the first eight months with my second until we did some gentle sleep training. With my first I fed every couple of hours until he was about one. I seem to have been unluckier than most people with this though. I could never get on with pumping (even though both babies fed really enthusiastically!), but everyone is different. If your mum or partner could do even one feed in the night or day that will help you.

This is an example of when I kept track of feed in the early weeks. It was hard work to do all night every night for months, because you have to burp, sometimes change the nappy, and then settle after each feed. I would recommend expressing to share the load if you can. Lots of people seem to mix feed very successfully.

I should mention, my HV told me not to offer a bottle until 8 weeks, but my DS refused after this and I exclusively bf. His feeds didn't settle for months and months, and it was really hard to be solely responsible for night feeds, especially when I got gastro! Give yourself options if you can!

My daughter was never up hourly or even two-hourly so it’s not definite. For the first three months she’d sleep 11pm-7am without waking. Then it went a bit downhill so there are no set rules. She’s now 14 months and I still feed her and she pretty reliably sleeps through.
With your husband and mum around, they’ll be able to take the baby in the mornings to allow you a lie in, or take the baby in the evenings to let you have an early night.
Obviously it’s totally your choice, but I wouldn’t base a feeding decision entirely on sleep. Plus, you don’t have to decide now and stick to it. Try breastfeeding if that’s what you’d like, if you decide it’s not working for you, no harm done, and stop.