12 week old feeding every 2 hours through the night. Will formula help.

[Belleende]

I have been blessed with an imcredibly easy (and cute) baby. She seems to have naturally very good habits (breast fed like a pro From the off, can self Soothe, Goes to Sleep on her own etc). However she is still Waking like clockwork every 2 to 2.5 hours through the night to feed (I think waking is due to hunger as mentioned she can and does self soothe). Will tanking her up on formula work? If so, how much and should I give at her bedtime (7.30ish) or when I go to bed 10.30ish?

I am reluctant to introduce Formula unless it helps her sleep for longer stretches. any experience/advice.

Her bf affects your supply so if you do give formula you may need to pump if you want to keep your supply. That said I've known lots of people just give one bottle in the evening (or rather your oh does it when your asleep) and carry on bf the rest of the time fine. It won't necessarily make her sleep longer but could give you a break.
What's her weight as that can give you a general guide to how much formula. At a guess id say make 4ozs but don't expect her to finish it all. As a rule you want a bit left in the bottle so you know they are full. Don't try to twist the bottle etc to coax them to take the extra bit.

I read on the isis website that they showed in a study theres no difference in sleep for formula fed babies. Mine is nearly 6 months and does the same!

Try to pack in more feeds during the day so she gets most of her calories then. It's a phase and will pass. Mine was like that 2 weeks ago and is now down to one or two feeds a night (at 14 weeks)

2 - 2.5 hours is normal for many

You can try to offer more during the day.

At 12 weeks baby could be teething and needing the sucking action and / comfort of you to help her.

If you wished to give formula, you have the decision to make if this is permanent solution as your milk will begin to decrease during the night unless you pump. The risk then is that you are feeding formula during this night as baby is genuinely hungry and all you've done is switch method.

I'd be inclined to wait as babies have so much growing to do during their first 12 months (they triple their body weight) that means they may well eat during the night too.

Hope you get some sleep yourself - try napping when you can or get in some help for you to take an hour off during the day. You'd be surprised how positive you feel about what to do next if you're not as sleep deprived yourself.

Does your baby have a dummy maybe she's using you as a dummy substitute. At 12 weeks my ds was probably having 5 or 6oz bottles, I'd say it's worth a try to get him sleeping a bit longer at night it can't do any harm if it doesn't help then stop it

Her sorry not him

I think some studies show that formula babies don't sleep any better.

I can only tell you my experience, I mix feed during the day and it hasn't affected my supply at night (yet). DS has a bottle before bed (7ozs and he is 6 months) and this does seem to have helped his sleep. He was waking every 2-3 hours for a feed but has recently started to do 11 hour stretches, 7-6.

That said, it could easily be his age rather than the formula.

Maybe just give it a try?

Thanks all

Unfortunately she won't take a dummy, despite being a very sucky baby, she seems to prefer my little finger. She has found her fist which helps. She is 13lbs or so. Easily takes 4oz of expressed bm.
I also don't think this is a phase, she settled into this pattern pretty much from the off. I thought it was a great start and she would stretch time between feeds gradually, but she is like clockwork. The only night she went longer was jab day when she was dosed up on calpol.
I have tried increasing the day feeds but she is having none of it. If I try a feed her aminute before she is absolutely ready she goes mental and refuses to feed at all.

I am tending towards giving it a go and seeing what happens. I do feel abit funny about it. My body has been completely sustaining her for a year now and she seems to be thriving But it would be fantastic to have the odd stretch of more than 2 hours sleep.

I went back and checked isis, itactually says that although formula fed babies sleep lobger stretches/deeper the total amount of sleep is the same. sorry misquoted, not helpful at all!