Breast or Bottle - Does breastfeeding make you more tired????

[cupcake78]

day 13 and baby is making his mark. So far I am beyond exhausted!!! and brestfeeding. We are suplimenting night feeds with a bottle but I am beginning to wonder if bottle feeding is actually easier. He is a big hungry baby and feeds every two hours for at least 40 mins. He takes a bottle in 20 mins and lasts 3 hrs between bottle feeds.

Please can tell me what you have found. I am a new mum on the edge!!!!

Ds2 was 10 lb 12.5 and he fed CONSTANTLY!!
It knackered me out no end and he never seemed satisfied. I co slept with him and he would latch on himself in the night and wouldn't wake me so I know it was not getting up all the time that tired me out, it seemed to be just making the milk.
Eventually my milk dried up, despite doing everything I was told on here and feeding on demand - He was attached almost 24/7.

Although, I suffered post partum haemorrage (sp?) after his birth and was almost at deaths door. Apparently this affects milk production and I am sure this is themain reason I was tired for so long.
I lost so much blood I think they should have replaced more than they did.

First, you're doing a great job . 2 hour feeds are absolutely normal at that age. Yes, bf does use up energy but that means it is great for losing weight .

At day 13, your hormones are all over the place and you're still recovering from the birth, so be kind to yourself. Stay in bed (or on the sofa) and concentrate on feeding - everything else can wait.

It gets a lot easier. BF is harder in the early days, but if you carry on you'll find it much easier not to have to worry about bottles and sterilising etc.

thank you, I thought as much. Having a new baby is hard enough

I don't think one or other necessarily makes you more tired - it really just depends on the demands of your baby and how frequently you need to feed, be it breast or bottle.

I personally found bfeeding easier at night because I didn't have to get up! But if you are ffing already and not finding it a problem then that's not an issue for you.

It's really up to you, but it is early days and while he is so tiny it is normal for him to feed this frequently and for you to be exhausted.

Good luck x

I don't find that bfing made makes me tired in itself (and am tandem feeding). It's the baby's night-feeds and running around after a toddler that does that!

You might well find that once bottlefeeding becomes his regular method of getting milk, he slows down when he takes it.

Day 12 is typical growth spurt time though. I'd try and hang on in there until you get through this - next one then won't be until 6 weeks or so.

ah yes, forgot about the growth spurt (and DS seems to having ANOTHER one, sigh). They go through stages of feedings loads for a few days, then your milk supply catches up and it settled down again.

Honestly, I'd stick with it if poss, esp as this time of year (great at proteting against colds and other bugs).

I did find it exhausting at times but it does get easier and I never envied the mums that had to sterilise and make up bottles before they could go to bed when I could just crash at anytime - make sure you are eating well enough, don't worry about dieting, I don't know if its true but my mum always told me I was responsible for the quality of my milk so I made sure I ate enough and rested when I could

good luck x

I think in the first few weeks breast feeding is probably more tiring, as you (obviously) can't get someone else to take over, but if you can last the first 6 weeks or so, it suddenly seems so much easier. I loved not having to get out of bed for night feeds.

Good luck with your new baby boy and keep up the good work with the feeding

it made me exhausted. I think its coz the oxytocin is released and that euphoric/day dreamy feeling you get from it takes over. I used to fall asleep regularly after feeding my LO!
Its gets less worse as you go on, but even now, when I FF LO, I still get a bit sleepy....that may be due to lack of sleep though!

It made me utterly exhausted (make that beyond exhausted). DS fed constantly for the first 10 weeks, particularly in the evening and night. I gave up at the point where I was starting to have hallucinations and keeled over whilst holding ds.

I found bottle feeding infinitely easier, and it made both me and ds so much happier, but that was just us. Do what feels right for you.

I know lots of people have much more positive experiences of bf.

I think having a new baby is tiring full-stop. Regardless of breast/bottle fed (this is anecdotal though, as have only done the breast feeding, but have friends that exclusively bottle fed and were as drawn looking as me).

Think there's a lot to be said for "lying in" like the confinements of olden days. My midwife was cross with me for going for a walk at day 9 - she felt, and now I agree, that was important to do NOTHING but rest, relax and eat for as long as possible. In days of yore, would have been about a month, during which one would not have been expected to to ANYTHING or go ANYWHERE. Just time to concentrate on physical and mental recovery and attend to the needs of the baby.

Of course, with NO. 2 is harder to achieve

But by then, you're used to tiredness and I personally found it much easier to cope with second time round.

congratulations on making a good start cupcake. You've already got lots of good advice on here. I just wanted to reiterate - it does get easier, particularly once you get past 6 weeks - and just think of the protection you're giving ds against the upcoming winter bugs. Also please remember that HVs do recommend strongly against co-sleeping, especially if you feel over tired.
good luck

well i read somewhere that it takes a few weeks for milk 2 change to mature milk. it should fill baby up more then?????