Night feeds

[babyblue32]

I'm a new mum (he's 2weeks old today)

Any advice on best formula?
I know breast is best - I've had it drummed into me and I so desperately want to keep BF... but I can't deal with the night. He feeds more little and often on breast at night, where as in day he seems to go a little longer. Also has bad colic (I believe at night)

My mum actually came up and woke me up because he's fallen asleep on me, and I'd called asleep holding him 😬 I'm trying to be safe.... but I'm exhausted now.

So back to my point 😂 which formula is recommended? I'm using cow and gage first milk as a top up at the moment

Thanks x

Also this is sleep related because during night feeds he will not settle or sleep unless it's on me...

OP your baby is normal - babies feed often at night to boost supply.

I co-slept with both of mine and fed them lying down - it's the best way to get sleep.

Www.kellymom.com is a really useful link for BF questions.

It's totally normal also for babies to want to be close to mum - google '4th trimester'.

Sleep when baby sleeps during the day and forget about routines etc.

Babyblue it's quite common for babies to mix up night and day for the first couple of weeks - it honestly does pass. Just make sure you are keeping the lights dim at night, and limit talking and eye-contact, and doing the opposite during the day (radio on, lots of talking, singing and cooing, and sunshine and fresh air) and your baby will eventually get the message.

If you want to pursue formula, there's no shame in that (to answer your question, anything that's made specifically for newborn infants is safe as long as you make it up according to the instructions), but it sounds like it's a sleep problem, as you say, not a feeding one.

I second Shack - that's exactly how I sleep with my baby. Found it to be a game changer with night feeds.

For gods sake, not everyone can sleep when the baby sleeps. Do me a favour

@happymummy12345 I agree! 9 months of broken sleep and I can count on one hand the number of times I've managed to sleep during the day.

happy it was a suggestion, not some edict. Please don't start a fight on a thread asking for helpful suggestions.

Just coming out the other side of this with DS2 now 12 weeks and sleeping five hour at a time. Same with DS1. They feed more than at night in the the early days but will go longer and longer. It gets easier soon. As pp have said, you can formula feed if that's what you want, but baby will still be awake and want cuddles andbholding in night. Would suggest very kindly that making decisions in the the night after a bad night might lead to a choice you regret later? If you decide bf is what you want to do, try co sleeping or anything that gets you rest in the day. Good luck. It's really tough. X

It’s so tough at the beginning but everything shackup said is right. Push through this bit and BF at night becomes so easy and lazy compared with FF.

But of course no problem in switching if that’s what you want. If you do combo feed try to do at least one night feed or you’ll fine your milk supply with dry up.

Agree with trying side lying to feed.

If you want to switch just make sure it's because you want to generally and not just because of sleep. A friend has a lot of regret because she was advised by her maternity nanny to switch to formula to get her child to sleep. Caused him massive digestive problems requiring to switch different brands for months, and then he didn't sleep through until almost 2 years old anyway.

DD2 is 12 weeks old and was breastfed until a week ago. I was simply exhausted and still in a lot of pain due to tongue tie issues and switched to cow and gate infant formula and we’ve never looked back. She sleeps so much better, day and night. I hope things settle got you soon op x

Just another one echoing what PPs have already said. Your baby is very normal. This is the hardest part of BFing that no one tells you about. Cluster feeding is essential to establish supply and a lot of this this done at night. Also it’s normal for babies to have nights and days mixed up when they are so tiny- they have no concept of time. It is absolutely draining and hard but it does pass and you will come out the other side! Make life as easy as you can for yourself, don’t worry about house work, eat easy food, co sleep safely and feed lying down. It was a life saver in the early days.

If you want to switch to formula of course you can, but there is no guarantee it will help at this early stage. Breastfeeding is bloody hard, but you’re doing a fab job!

My little man had colic and tongue tie was so hard so feel for you! Colic is so emotional but unfortunately formula won't fix it! Mines 5 months and because was poorly was up every hour in night feeding him! Breast is amazing for comfort and things when sick if you kept a day feed or two? Obviously whatever you want to do though but that's an option! If you're on cow and gate now id stay with that as it's better not to disrupt his new baby tummy with lots of different types :)

If you are keen to breastfeed but want a bit more sleep (presumably DP can give a bottle at night?), can you try expressing? My DH used to give my DD a bottle on occasion. I used to pump one side while she was having the other side so I didn't have to set aside time to pump. Or I'd relax with some tv to do it while she slept. It might avoid supply issues.

Otherwise, feeding on your side is a godsend! Baby may just be after comfort rather than food for some of those feeds.

This stage passes, you probably don't have much longer to go.

For what it's worth, we got cow and gate, but DD wouldn't touch it so we gave up on that idea pretty quickly!

Hi all thanks for replies

Well, I stayed with breast as with formula he just gets chronic wind, which I can't get up. I can be winding him for over an hour and he won't bring it up.

I'm trying to stick with breast and top up with formula as and when. But I feel like my supply is low. I can't express as he's feeding so often on boob 😐 it's pretty much every hour, and I know he needs it in this heat!

So I have 8oz in total as a back up, which is frozen now I want to get a supply but just don't seem to mange it atm

I used aptimil but..despite feeding formula from 3 months my son still didn't sleep through the night until he was 2

Your supply is probably fine and pumping is not working a good measure of supply's as it doesn't work the same as a baby feeding. Good explanation here leaflet [[https://abm.me.uk/breastfeeding-information/low-milk-supply/]] Look after yourself.

Link fail! leaflet

Keep it up! Honestly I know it is hard but baby will settle down eventually. Mine hardly gave me time to pump/ think in our first few months (she was a bottle refuser). I would feed her and hand her over to Dad to wind and change etc to allow me to go straight back to sleep in another room. Not for every feed but just enough to stop me going mad. And then he would bring me the baby when she woke for the next feed and he’d go to sleep.