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do bf babies ever sleep through like bottlefed babies?

as the title says do they? my son went onto formula at 5 weeks old last time and slept from 7 weeks he now sleeps 12 hours or more at 2 years old i am very blessed i know this! my daughter is 4 weeks old and bf and we are having a nightmare of a time at night with her at the mo but determined not to give up like i did last time. but i wonder will her sleep pattern ever settle down? im not sure i could still be waking in the night ina few months time i am exhausted with my son to look after during the day! any advice please ladies! x

Replies

  • A breastfed baby is more likely to wake during the night as that is when your prolactin levels are at their highest and thereofer you make most of your milk between the hours of 1 and 4am. Night waking in a breastfed baby is also a very healthy thing to do for baby as it is due to smaller amounts of REM sleep. The lesser the deep sleep, the lesser the chance of SIDS. Have you thought about feeding lying down so you can snooze while baby feeds? This is one art i learnt from very early on and it is a life saver. Means your body still gets a rest and baby is happy as they are attached and feeding while you snooze. Try getting hold a proper cosleeping leaflet as it may be of some use to you. Go with the flow. They all sleep through at different points and wont do that until they are all good and ready. Some are ready MUCH sooner than others. I am a mum of 4, 2 of which slept all night early on and 2 that didnt. no difference is feeding method, just different little people
  • thanks hun. i do lie down to feed her the problem is that she has terrible wind problems and i have to sit back up anyway to wind her sometimes half way through so i cant snooze grr! the sids point is very valid and does make me feel better i must say. oh well x
  • Hi Hayley, I have had 2 that bottlefed and 2 breastfed and can honestly say it really didnt make much difference, Megan was b/f for a few weeks then I switched to bottle, it did make a bit of a difference at first but then she ws back to feeding and crying etc. Alice and Isaac were b/f from birth and tbh although they fed more frequently I found it easier, I never managed to feed laying down but if I propped myself up well with pillows I would often doze off whilst feeding them. Isaac was very windy and would squirm about and grunt and make wierd noises for ages after a feed but he did eventually settle. I think if you can get to about 6 weeks that is a real turning point (it was for me both times).

    Just a suggestion but have you tried keeping her as upright as possible in the day, Isaac was either in a sling or in his rocker chair, he hated being flat. I also used to prop up the top of his matress with a rolled up blaket so he was more upright, that seemed to help a bit, as did not putting his straight down when he had finished feeding.

    I really hope she setlles down for you soon as I remember how upset you were last time you gave up feeding, but do try to remember that if it doesnt work for you, that you have given it a go and you have a toddler to run around after too so it is really hard work. xxx
  • Zach, was bf until he was 11 months and he (and still does) sleeps through 99% of the time - 7pm until 6:30/7am

    Molly is also fully bf and the last 6 nights in a row she has slept through - 7pm til 7am, feeds and goes back to sleep until 9ish! Before this she was waking heaps during the night for feeds but suddenly at 16 weeks things seem to have slotted into place. She now has 2 set naps during the day and is put down to sleep after a feed awake so she has been winded.

    I hope it works out for you soon! x
  • yes they can!!all babies are different u must remember that and i dnt think the way they are fed has anything to do with it.As for formula staying in their tums longer,its only about half hr longer so wnt make much difference!!i only bf my 1st dd for a mth and then switched to ff and she didnt start sleeping thru til she was 6 mths old!!grace is fully bf and is now 8 mths and sleeps a dream!she started sleeping thru at 9 weeks old so ALOT sooner than my 1st ff baby so that just proves the theory that ff babies sleep better is a load of crap!excuse my french!!Im sure shel be sleeping thru soon,i used to give grace a dream feed when i went 2 bed at about 10.30-11pm which helped in the early days xxx
  • Darcy is bf and has slept through since 8 weeks old. She sleeps 8pm til 8/8.30am
  • Hi
    I bf my elder daughter (22 months) she slept 7/8 hrs from 7 weeks and 12 hrs from 12 weeks, she now sleeps 11-12 hrs at night. My other daughter is now 7 wks old and has just started sleeping 7/8 hours at night. She has an expressed bottle feed last thing at night (like her sister) and it seems to do the trick. I also used a dummy when she woke for a couple of nights to settle her back to sleep and she now sleeps without waking. Hope this helps,
    Sarah
  • They're all so different, my sister's baby is 11 weeks and sleeps about 11 hours and if fully breast fed, and my friend't little boy who is now 1 slept through 12 hours from 8 weeks after being bf every 2 hours day and night up until then.

    my little boy used to wake once or twice in the night until he was about 5 months and was bf

    they are more likely to wake only because breast milk is easier to digest,
  • Oh I meant to say at 5 months i decided to just stop feeding through the night, made the baby settle instead without milk, luckily it worked. Only had to revert back occationally if he was poorly.
  • Hi
    My breastfed daughter slept through much earlier than my son who was f/f so I think it can depend on the baby.
    I found if I kept my lo in her sleeping bag and breast fed lying down she just popped straight back to sleep no problems when she was waking for a feed
    xx
  • Louise started to sleep through the night from 5 1/2 months.

    As others have said, breastmilk is digested more quickly than formula so bf babies are more likely to get hungry again more quickly. It will settle into a pattern though and then your body will settle int the same pattern. I found that i'd wake a couple of mins before my lo at night quite often!
  • Lucas was ebf and slept thru from 6 weeks so it does happen!
  • oh this makes me feel better ladies! it seems there are no set rules! she did seem more settled last night but its so hit and miss that i just take each night as it comes at moment. she gets disturbed also by us well rather hubby snoring and me trying to turn him over! soon as she sleeps through better she will be put in her own room but not just yet. x
  • I can totally understand that you want her to sleep better before you put her in her own room - I was the same and had Louise in our room till 5 1/2 months. BUT, she's only slept through since going in her own room......not sure what i'll do if I have another one though coz of sids guidlines....
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