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May 2015 Moms
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Eating / Sleeping EBF

nolababybabynolababybaby member
in May 2015 Moms
So our babe went from sleeping all night to waking a ton to waking up once a night and now is back to waking a bunch. We exclusively breastfeed.
My husband keeps saying that everyone he talks to says formula fed babies sleep more. Any EBF babes out there sleeping well?
My supply is great,so that's not the issue. I just have a gut reaction not wanting to do formula. Am I crazy? All the science I read says this makes no difference in sleep patterns. Will my babe never sleep well again unless I cave?
I'm just really health conscious and a naturalist for myself and selective with my nutrition, so I feel like I want to be with my child as well. But I'm tired. Oh so tired.
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Re: Eating / Sleeping EBF

  • supersarah77supersarah77 member
    Everything I've read says formula fed babies go longer between feeding. I'm a STM, EBFing a second time, and in my experience the days are long but the years are short. Hang in there through these tough nights. Your LO will be sleeping through the night soon enough. That said, no judgement either way. Do what's best for you and your family.
    Me: 38, DH: 35
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  • kailanickkailanick member
    My EBF LO sleeps 7.5 hours straight with a 3:30 wake. That's a pretty good stretch IMO!

    Your little one could be experiencing 4-month sleep regression or a growth spurt interrupting sleep. Go with your gut, mama!
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  • courtneylevesquecourtneylevesque member
    Go with your gut. I don't really believe that formula fed babies sleep longer, but that's just my opinion. Like pp said above it could be a sleep regression your baby is going through - sure sounds like it.

    My DS is an excellent sleeper (not counting that week and a half he was going through his four month sleep regression) and he is EBF. He sleeps 6-8 hour stretches. Tonight he shocked me with a 10 hour stretch
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  • erinjason11erinjason11 member
    My LO is EBF and sleeps 6-8 hours a night! She is 20 weeks on Sunday. We did go through a 3 day sleep regression a few weeks ago.

    Hang in there!
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  • Buckles0528Buckles0528 member
    I was ebf but the past few days I felt like something was wrong. LO was having crying fits like I'd never seen every afternoon. We gave him a bottle of formula and he calmed down immediately. He slept better that night. The next day after nursing I offered 2 oz formula, he gulped it and took a 3 hour nap . So....I feel like for us even though I have a great supply, I am still getting engorged, at this time he needs more. My milk wasn't satisfying him anymore.

    I plan to start solids at 6 months, not 4, so I'm seeing the maybe 6 oz or so of formula as his "starting solids". Anyway, I have a terrible sleeper and yes, formula did seem to keep him happier and asleep longer. Its not the end of the world to give formula and you can still nurse.
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  • SmrBrd2012SmrBrd2012 member
    edited September 2015
    I use both and sometimes try formula instead of BF before bed time. I have noticed absolutely no difference in how long he sleeps. He always wakes up around the same times either way.
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  • whitpadgettwhitpadgett member
    At 16 weeks, we EBF and have 10-12 hour stetches. It's been a gradual process, but we are there. I'm very grateful since he demands a 615 bedtime so now when he wakes up from his long stretch it isn't quite so early!
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  • CaileybugCaileybug member
    My EBF babe is 20 weeks old today and he's been sleeping 10-11 hours straight with no wake ups at all for about a month. Before this, he would wake up around 4am to eat but now he sleeps straight through until 7am usually. I say keep up the BFing and the sleep will work itself out eventually!!! I know it's hard and tiring but breatsmilk is amazing and if you have the supply, keep breastfeeding. There is absolutely nothing wrong with formula, but I don't think your LO needs it to sleep. I tend to nurse more in the evenings and I don't know if that helps fill him up but he doesn't wake up until the next day. Good luck and keep up the good work!!!
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  • nolababybabynolababybaby member
    Thanks. I was just starting to feel bullied by everyone but I have my heart set on only nursing if I'm able to.
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  • CanadaMom17CanadaMom17 member
    There's no reason why your breast milk won't satisfy your LO, if you have lots and they feed well.  I suspect too it's part of the sleep regression.  Mine had been sleeping 7:30 to 3:30 before a feed, but she's been up every hour or two for a bit of a nurse.  We bed share so she doesn't really 'wake up', just roots around and whines.  Hoping it passes too!  (And, I don't have enough milk in the late afternoon/evening, so she gets formula mainly for those two feeds - has never made one bit of difference in when she woke up.)
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  • kkokeefekkokeefe member
    Ebf here and she has been sleeping 8-10 hours a night since she was 10 weeks...
    BabyFruit Ticker ~Karen ~ tied the knot 5-10-03 ~ DS born 3-21-07 ~ expecting our 2nd
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  • jessmaydvmjessmaydvm member
    Trust your gut! Even if formula makes them sleep longer, that doesn't mean that it is a good thing. That's why formula feeding is often listed as an early risk factor for SIDS...it keeps them from waking as often as they should. It is so hard, don't get me wrong. My 4 mo is waking every 45 minutes at night right now and I work 40 hrs a week. But breastfeeding is really important to me, so we are hanging in there! You can do it!!
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  • firsttimer86firsttimer86 member
    From what I read 4 month old los have a wakefull period where they wanna play at night. So when this happens try to get them to go back to sleep w/o picking them up or if u think he/she is hungry feed until they fall asleep not til their full
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