Success stories switching to formula

[Camomileandhoney]

I have a nearly 7 month old who has never sleep ‘good’ but I can cope with 3/4 wakings as long as he settles quickly which I do by nursing him.
However the past week or so he has been waking 6/7 times and one of these waking, normally around 1 am, he will not go back to sleep for 2 hours.
He’s breastfed and that’s how he falls asleep but willing to switch to formula if it means he will sleep better.
The lack of sleep has started to affect my physical health lately, constant headaches and the shivers.
Any one care to share their experience with switching from bf to ff and if they saw an improvement with sleep.

I always gave my BF babies a bottle before bed, to get them to sleep a bit longer.
Is he hungry and needing supper ?

Switching to formula meant I got more sleep, even if DC didn't sleep more, because it meant my DH could feed the baby. Immediately I was able to sleep six hours straight, then we swapped so he could get some sleep too. I also got to take a whole night off to myself in a hotel at the weekend.

I would definitely give it a go. I think when breastfeeding to sleep sometimes the comfort sends them to sleep before they've had the chance to fill up.

My daughter slept better once a stopped feeding to sleep and gave her a bottle and bum pats to settle her. I really hope you find something to help it sounds utterly exhausting!

It’s unlikely to make him sleep more, sleep is just very up and down in the first year and it’s more to do with development than food. Bedsharing and feeding lying down helps as you don’t have to really move/wake up much to deal with most wakes, but multiple hours up in the night is an absolute killer. Do you have a partner who could help with those?

sarahockwell-smith.com/2017/07/24/the-rollercoaster-of-real-baby-sleep/

OP, how about combi-feeding? Breast milk is great and the boob is very comforting, but formula takes longer to digest (because different cow proteins) and so it definitely kept my 2 fuller for longer - which seemed to make them sleep longer during the night.

Could you still BF on demand/during the day, and then give a bottle before bed and have one ready on the nightstand to offer during the night?

Best of luck x

Thankyou all for your comments.
I gave him a bottle of formula at 7 and haven’t fed him since. He has woken up twice but I settled him back to sleep in other ways.
We do co sleep and at night I breastfeed lying down but I think he often wakes up with gas because I am feeding him so much at night and after feeding him I can’t manage to burp him whilst he is asleep.
I’m gonna try cut down the night feeds down to 2 or 3 and see if that helps.
I say this now lol but I’m sure at 3 am when I’m half asleep I will just give him the boob. And then again at 4 and 5 lol
sigh 🥱

As for my partner helping, that would be lush but I think I need to crack the feed to sleep association before he can put baby to bed.
Last night I was wishing I could go to sleep in my car because I was so tired but I know that wouldn’t be fair on my baby until he’s familiar with dad putting him to sleep.

@BuffaloCauliflower thanks for sending that link, it’s really helpful to know and made me feel a lot better.

My friend did and noticed a big difference, despite everyone appearing to hate the idea that it helps sleep 🙈 I formula fed and loosely followed Gina Ford ( minus the own room from day 1 bit - slept in our room til 8 months) but I think the number one thing that has made him SUCH a good sleeper is the fact he can put himself back to sleep at the drop of a hat. He sucks his thumb which I think must help and has never had a dummy. I think being able to soothe ourselves to sleep is a skill we as humans need to learn, we aren’t born able to do it. I think the act of breastfeeding and the comfort rather than the actual milk type in their tummy is probably the thing that affects it most