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December 2015 Moms
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Formula before bed for longer sleep?

grkgdss00grkgdss00 member
in December 2015 Moms
LO is 2 months and EBF, she's still up every 2 hours :( someone told me formula before bed helps them sleep longer. Thoughts? Has anyone done this and does it work? If so, what formula brand/type do we start with for EBF babies? I go back to work in a few weeks and need sleep...
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Re: Formula before bed for longer sleep?

  • ammnam14ammnam14 member
    DD is formula fed and sleeps a solid 8 hours at night. It could be that she is either a good sleeper or formula fills her up, who knows. Every baby is different! Similac makes a formula for supplementation, maybe try that? Good luck, I hope you get some rest!
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  • MomofEv+1MomofEv+1 member
    If the baby is waking up from hunger, I have heard that as well. But is that why she is waking up? There could be other reasons she is waking so frequently. 
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  • chodge29chodge29 member
    edited March 2016
    I have BF/supplemented since 2 weeks due to supply issues and some babies do go longer between feedings with formula. I've heard from my doctor and lactation consultant that it takes longer to digest. We use Similac sensitive.
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  • kdoak2015kdoak2015 member
    chodge29 said:
    I have BF/supplemented since 2 weeks due to supply issues and some babies do go longer between feedings with formula. I've heard from my doctor and lactation consultant that it takes longer to digest. We use Similac sensitive.
    I am also BF and supplementing. I personally don't think my DD would stay down long if she didn't get formula at night. We get between 4-6hours Max. We also just started dream feeding yesterday so well see if that helps.
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  • Lucy1108Lucy1108 member
    I was breastfeeding and supplementing so I tried it and it made no difference. He still woke every two hours. He's 12 weeks now and is completely on formula (Similac Sensitive RTF) and has one 3-4 stretch and then wakes up ever 2-3 hrs. I don't think it's because of the formula but age because it's been a gradual process.
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  • RSB1982RSB1982 member
    Lucy1108 said:
    I was breastfeeding and supplementing so I tried it and it made no difference. He still woke every two hours. He's 12 weeks now and is completely on formula (Similac Sensitive RTF) and has one 3-4 stretch and then wakes up ever 2-3 hrs. I don't think it's because of the formula but age because it's been a gradual process.
    This.  I am breastfeeding and supplementing and still up multiple times a night.  DD is still tiny, was just 9 lbs 4 oz at her 2 month check.  She  may be approaching 10 lbs now.  I'm hopeful once she gains a little more weight she'll go longer at night.
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  • mistycraymistycray member
    A baby will sleep longer when they're ready. My ebf 15 week old son sleeps 8-10 hours straight each night (it's heavenly!). He literally went from waking up 3-5 times a night to sleeping 8 hours through, with no changes to his feeding or anything else being changed.
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  • taysuntaysun member
    DD has gone from being supplemented at night to EBF and there is no discernible change. In fact now that she's 3 months and finally over 10 lbs she seems to sleep better at night even being EBF. 
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  • preggoandglowingpreggoandglowing member
    I do this. DD is EBF except for a bottle of formula before bed. She sleeps a 4.5 hour stretch. Then I give her pumped milk and she sleeps another 2.5 hours then again and this time 1.5 hours. 

    When I tried a bottle of pumped milk in place of the formula before bed, her first stretch was only 2.5 hours. That was a few weeks ago though so I've been meaning to try it again now that she's been on this schedule longer. I'll do it tonight and report back :)

    As for formula, I use Similac Advance. I was supplementing in the beginning and have used this formula since. Never really had any problems with it. 
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  • angelicac06angelicac06 member
    Babies sleep longer due to age, weight, metabolism etc not formula even if it takes longer to digest. My son's EBF and before the 4 mo regression, he slept 7-9 straight every single night since about week 8. There was thread not too long ago where several moms of FF babies expressed no difference in longer sleep. I feel you though this waking up every 1-2 hours is BRUTAL. I pray every night this regression is the last night. Hang in there, as your LO gets older you'll hopefully see longer stretches of sleep.
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  • MomofEv+1MomofEv+1 member
    My 10 lb, 13 week old, EBF daughter is sleeping 9 hours through the night. My older daughter, who was just as tiny, woke up frequently for a long time. It really depends on a lot of factors,  although I'd be willing to try different strategies to get through. 
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  • grkgdss00grkgdss00 member
    Thanks guys. She's 13+lbs so has weight on her side (80th% and 99th% for height), but maybe not age yet. I'll just be patient and hope she starts stretching soon. I really don't want to introduce formula unless I hear an overwhelming "yes it works" since we have a good eating routine going.
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  • colsen4colsen4 member
    My little guy is ebf and is sleeping through the night. It started with a longer feed and a good routine. Try finding what works for you before throwing in formula. We had to supplement in the beginning and formula seemed to give him trouble. Every baby is different and will sleep when they need it. 
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  • Knottie65841689Knottie65841689 member
    My LO sleeps 6 to 7 hour stretches some nights and its EBF. She is 10 weeks. I think that they sleep longer when they are ready. Their tummies are still small so regardless of what you feed them. They might need to get up multiple times to refill ;)
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