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If you EBF...did you ever use formula to help STTN?
I have never used formula but all of a sudden DD is having trouble STTN...The Dr. said a EBF baby in general will not sleep through the night until 8 maybe 9 months (so do - some don't)...she is only 50% for weight so he is fine with her still nursing one time...which is what she WAS doing. She would go to bed at 8ish...around 2ish and then up for the day at 7ish...
Recenlty...she goes to bed at 6:30 or 7 and is up at 11 wanting to nurse, then again at 2, then again around 4 and up for the day at 6. She has been doing this for a month or more. I had the thought of trying to do formula before she goes to bed but was wondering if anyone had ever done that and is there really any truth to her possibly sleeping through the night? The Dr. said it works for some but not all. Really, I just don't feel like buying the formula and dealing with the possible constipation issues that we just went through after starting food. She is finally regular again. BUT if it is worth a shot and will help her sleep, then I will try.
Any experiences with this??? Thanks!
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Re: If you EBF...did you ever use formula to help STTN?
A Pocket Full Of Dinosaurs
NOPE! It's a total myth.
I've EBF 3 kids (I'm still BFing DS morning and night - in the process of weaning). DD#1 STTN at 9 months, DD#2 at 11 months and DS at 1year old.......
Solids didn't help either. They STTN when they were ready.
I personally, wouldn't do it. And I've been through almost 3 years of no sleep. I feel like it's something that your child has to grow into and do it on their own.
GL whatever you decide!
STTN depends entirely on the individual baby - formula does help some of them, as do solids. But in general, the idea that EBF babies don't sleep as well is a myth. If the solids aren't helping, formula won't either.
And for some perspective, my 13 month old is (obviously) eating solids, and still waking up more than your 7 m/o.
Just don't waste your money.
I'm surprised your pedi told you that.
Yeah, just to ditto what everyone else said, I BF my boys. The older one STTN at 3 months and never stopped. The younger one didn't STTN until 10 or 11 months--even after he was eating tons of solids.
I know allll about this. My LO finally slept through the night at 10 months. Feeding formula or solids will NOT help. I wish it was that easy! hehe. We ended up having to let DS cry. The books I used most were Ferber, Sleepeasy Solution, and Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. My LO is in the 99th percentile and was only getting up to nurse out of habit. Once I helped him drop that habit he STTN no problem! FWIW, I still nurse him before I go to bed at 10pm and I plan on dropping that feeding in the next few months. DS now goes to bed at 7pm, dream feeds at 10pm, and STTN until 7am.
I know allll about this. My LO finally slept through the night at 10 months. Feeding formula or solids will NOT help. I wish it was that easy! hehe. We ended up having to let DS cry. The books I used most were Ferber, Sleepeasy Solution, and Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. My LO is in the 99th percentile and was only getting up to nurse out of habit. Once I helped him drop that habit he STTN no problem! FWIW, I still nurse him before I go to bed at 10pm and I plan on dropping that feeding in the next few months. DS now goes to bed at 7pm, dream feeds at 10pm, and STTN until 7am.
I know allll about this. My LO finally slept through the night at 10 months. Feeding formula or solids will NOT help. I wish it was that easy! hehe. We ended up having to let DS cry. The books I used most were Ferber, Sleepeasy Solution, and Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. My LO is in the 99th percentile and was only getting up to nurse out of habit. Once I helped him drop that habit he STTN no problem! FWIW, I still nurse him before I go to bed at 10pm and I plan on dropping that feeding in the next few months. DS now goes to bed at 7pm, dream feeds at 10pm, and STTN until 7am.
JMO.
This is silly. Not STTN until 8 or 9 months isn't crazy, especially if she gets back to sleep easily after nursing. This is just another that may or may not work...and in the meantime, it cost $$ and effort to deal with bottles and blah blah blah.
On the other hand, if EBF isn't working for you both, then i suppose you have to find a solution.
GL
Nope. I don't know that formula makes one bit of difference since I haven't tried, but I know EBF babies (even tiny ones) can STTN early if they want or not if they want. Every baby is different because of their personality, needs and schedule/routine. The girls were close to the same size at birth (5lbs 12oz and 6lbs respectively) but DD#2 was about a pound heavier than DD#1 from 2 weeks on. Both were EBF. DD#1 STTN at 13 weeks old at about 7 lbs from 9pm to 6/7am. DD#2 didn't STTN until we did CIO at 7 months. (DD#1 stopped STTN at 7 months, though, because we got out of our routine/schedule and we did CIO at 9 months to break the cycle of waking up.)
I know a lot of people don't agree with CIO, but at about 6-7 months, we do CIO to stop feeding in the middle of the night. If you don't want to do that, can you try offering a paci a few times instead of feeding? Or having your DH go in there and offer a paci and sooth your DD rather than feeding her? I know my kids always expected a boob from me to comfort, but would let DH comfort without a bottle or anything.
I do CIO, but not to cut out feedings. I do CIO (I am a CIO mom) in order to get my kids to sleep own their own, without me having to nurse them. I don't believe in CIO to eliminate a feeding unless they are much older (close to a year) and you know they're getting up for comfort. My kids are also on the low end of the weight charts (10% or less), so I know that they need food.....
I'm not a paci mom and my kids don't take them, and I tried having DH go in with all 3 kids, but in the middle of the night, they only wanted me......
I got used to it, and I knew that it would stop eventually. Just giving you my experience.
I take one 4 oz bottle of formula up to bed with me every night. I've found that if I offer some formula after BFing to fill him up some more and with something that takes longer to digest he'll sleep in 3 hour stretches instead of waking every hour or so. I generally try to go without it first and if he wakes after I put him in the crib that is when I take him out and offer the formula. Then back on the breast until he's asleep. It has really helped us but definitely no where near STTN.
I think I'm going to start making 2 oz bottles though since he doesn't seem to take more than that. I got the formula for free and have 4 jars of it so it should last.
I would not.
DD was EBF for the first 3 months or so. Then I had to start supplementing and did an BM/formula combo for 2 months. Then she was strictly on formula. She slept the same either way.
Are you sure that it's hunger every time? If she's not in a growth spurt, she may just be waking up out of habit or for comfort. Will she take a paci? Or your DH coming in to soothe her? I'm assuming that if you haven't tried ferber yet, you aren't open to it, but I'd suggest reading it for general sleep knowledge, and also some other sleep books. I never got a perfect sleeper with any technique, but some did help. Baby Whisperer, The No Cry Sleep Solution are a couple of them.
My doctor told me she'd sleep through the night once I started solids. Didn't happen. Then she told me to do formula (same as you were told). I didn't try it.
I think she was about 10 mos when she finally started to sleep in longer stretches on her own. We got to the point where she would wake up but I wouldn't offer nor refuse. I mean, if she really acted hungry I would nurse. But I just started rocking her back to sleep and not offering and eventually she stopped looking for it.
I am of the same opinion as Harriet - they'll sleep through when they are ready.
Ditto. And neither will solids.
Solids did not affect either of my kids' sleep patterns. My DS had to supplement with formula and that did nothing to help him STTN.
Thanks for all the tips/advice...my pediatrician didn't suggest the formula but I asked (on the advice of a friend) and he said it may or may not help her sleep...depends on the baby. However she is not waking to nurse everytime...just waking a lot. I can usually rock her and get her back to sleep except for the 11 o'clock feeding and 4am feeding. I do nurse her for those 2 and then again at 6 when she wakes up for the day. We do offer a paci and DH does go into soothe her. 8 out of 10 times she will go back to sleep. Really, every night has been different. Some nights she is up every hour and others...every 3 hours; it varies. In my OP I just put the average times she wakes at night.
I am not an advocate of CIO so I have read No Cry Sleep Solution and we have used some of the suggestions in that book. I may try the Baby Whisperer as I have had others suggest that book as well. I know it all depends on the baby, just thought I would see what others may or may not have tried.
I wonder if your baby is eating less during the day than she used to since she was sleeping more/eating less at night than she is now.
Around 7-8mo a lot of babies start getting more interested in the world around them and are just too distracted by stuff going on to nurse as much as they really need. So they make up the difference by nursing at night when there's nothing else going on. If you think this might be happening, you can try nursing in the nursery with dim lights so there's less to distract baby. Or get a nursing necklace (any baby-safe necklace on a sturdy cord to hold her interest), these work by keeping baby focused on you, giving her something to play with/look at that they only get to play with while nursing.
I have not & will not. & my LO is similar to yours in that he was getting up only 1x and now it is at least 2x sometimes 3x. However, we are at 8 months so I figure it will get better sooner or later. I just don't want to spend money on formula & he is eating now so...GL however you proceed, it is really hard.
BTW, does she eat a full amount each feeding? Have you let her try to soothe herself back to sleep? I have some ideas for you...