lets dispel the Myth- My BF bubba sleeps the night

[Izy]

Ok, I totally support formula feeding for those who want too or need too. It's a mater of choice but PLEASE PLEASE stop trying to tell me that my baby will sleep better on the bottle.

I had a woman at my dental surgery tell me I should bottle feed after I said something about not knowing when he'd wake up and want a feed. She went on to say at least that way I just get up every 3 hours and I know what he's getting and can have a better routine.

Ummmm, Sounds great... NOT

Xavier sleeps 7-9hours at night, gets up in the morning and has another 3-5hrs sleep. I think I like that much better than every 3 hours!

Anyway... Please share with me. I know I'm not the only one. Who's got a Fully Breastfed Baby that sleeps the night?

[Seacretsquirrel]

DD was sleeping through at 12 weeks (fully BF) from about 7 until 5 am up for a BF then back til about 8am (or 9 sometimes) I agree much better than every 3 hours - though she did decide that a 3am feed was in order once she stared teething at 6 months - so it was a bit shortlived for me!
DS has only just started to sleep through (6.30 till about 6.30) at one! so I think every bub is different and it doesn't matter whether they are BF or FF sleeping through will happen when it happens.

[Izy]

my sentiments exactly SS

[Nomsie]

Well done to you Izy.

Only now at nearly 17 months are the boys starting to sleep for longer stretches... I still get up 2-3 times a night for each of them on average, but I know it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact they are bf.

Switching to ff to make them sleep through the night is a silly myth which then traps the mother in getting up and making bottles, thus having to wake up fully and lose precious sleep time. I hear a baby- I get up and basically sleep walk my way to their room, pluck the wakeful boy from his cot and bf him back to sleep, feel my way back into bed and I am asleep before my head hits the pillow. :)

[Aries7]

When my DD was that age she was sleeping 12hrs a night & I was feeding her 1-2 times during the night (definitely not every 3hrs).

She slept far better then when she was exclusively BF, than she does now when she's on 3 solid meals + snacks & only having 1-2 BF's a day.

What a crock.
Babies are all different. Some sleep through & some don't. It doesn't matter one bit whether they are FF or BF.
It's false rumors like that, that discourage women from BFing. Shame on that woman anyway for putting her nose into your business. :no:

[3BoysBlue]

:iagree:
with you Izy

When DS2 was B/F he slept most of the night (waking in the early morning)
as soon as he went to formula he started waking every 2-4hrs like a newborn to be feed
(he was 5mths and it continued until he was 10mths)

[Mrs Nietzsche]

My first child (bf til 4) slept through from 6 weeks

My second child (now 19 mths) still wakes 3 times a night

My third child (now 4 mths) slept through from 6 weeks

All totally breastfed.

[Tam-I-Am]

Yep, DD was exclusively breastfed until she was 6 months old (and then I continued to breastfeed her until nearly her 2nd birthday). She slept through the night at 9 weeks of age from 11pm until 6am, and then did another 2 - 3 hour stint after I'd BFed her - and has continued to be an awesome sleeper since that time.

DS, on the otherhand, was also exclusively breastfed until he was nearly 9 months old, and is still breastfed now (at 21 months old) and will be for some time. It wasn't until the end of January THIS YEAR (at 19 months of age) that he started sleeping through the night on a fairly regular basis - and only after we deliberately night weaned him.

There were a lot of reasons that factored into DS not sleeping well, and DD sleeping well - but the point is that every baby is different. Some will sleep through (REGARDLESS of feeding method) and some just will not.

I would also like to point out that it's not biologically NORMAL for babies to sleep through at an early age. It's biologically normal for them to wake as soon as their tummies empty, and that is generally speaking every 2 - 3 hours with breastmilk, and perhaps a small amount longer with formula.

[Mathermy]

DD was an exclusively BF horrid sleeper!:laughing:

however, when she wanted to feed she practically didn't need any assistance, she would just latch on by herself and i would go back to sleep :sleeping: so definitely much more convenient than d1cking around with bottles in the middle of the night-what a pain in the bum!

[NonnyMouse]

It's a bit changeable, but lately unless he's teething DS will go to bed at 7pm and wake up again around 6am.

There was a few months where he would wake in the night for feeds, but before then he would sleep a 12 hour night as well.

[TurnedBatty]

I cant remember wit hBS, But i dont think he slept well. But....my sisters baby is totally breastfeed at five weeks old, and she sleeps through. The other night it was from 10:30 until 6:30. She is so lucky....lol

[LeeJ]

Well ds has had formula from birth, and he has only JUST started sleeping through a few weeks out from his first bday!
(I know it's not what you asked, but kind of supports the OP ;) )

At mums group, there are 3 still breastfeeding, and their bubs sleep very well!!

stoopid myths!

[Izy]

Lol, Thanks Lee.
And this is totally not a formula bashing post. I think it's fabulous that formula recipes are getting better and better. And it was required for DS for the first day he was in this big wide world for me. Others have so many reasons to choose FF and good on them for knowing whats right for them.

But it's not some magical cure for sleep despite what some may believe.

Thanks everyone for helping me in my endeavour to show that some babies sleep the night, some babies don't. Just cause they are BF or FF don't mean they will be one or the other!

[Gabi]

My baby (2mo) wakes only once overnight for a feed.:thumbsup: He's a brilliant sleeper.

DS1 on the other hand...:no::laughing:

[LeeJ]

I certainly didn't think I would be writting 'ds had formula from day dot', lol, thems the breaks in certain situations though. ;)

And certainly isn't a FF bashing thread!

I think the new motto of 'breastfeeding is normal' sums it up x

[susieq1969]

I agree with you Izy, Formula is not a magical cure!

DS was BF exclusively when he was younger, but because I was using shields he wasn't getting as much milk as needed, so I gave him a bottle of Formula as his last feed of the day.........nope, didn't work, still woke up bloody loads!!

When I came off the shields I dropped the FF, he did sleep beta at night, but he's only eva slept thru 3 times in his life. :no:

As I said on FB are you really sure your beautiful DS wouldn't like to give my DS some lessons :laughing:

[Izy]

Susie- I am sooooooo scared that your DS would teach mine instead! Cuddles are lovely, but at 3am I enjoy my sleep :p

[susieq1969]

Susie- I am sooooooo scared that your DS would teach mine instead! Cuddles are lovely, but at 3am I enjoy my sleep :p

Oh well it was worth a try :laughing:

[GraceUnhearing]

Rylan did from 3 weeks of age
Zeke a bit later around 8 weeks until he got whooping cough

[SammiAnn]

Hi :wave:,

DD1 - from ten months
DD2 - from five weeks
DS - currently waking once a night at eight and a half months

All BF. Though I was kinda (OK HEAPS!) hopeing DS would take after his closest sister :rolleyes: but hey as PP pointed out it's a whole lot easier now he attaches himself in the dark!

Great idea for a thread :thumbsup:.

Sam :sunshine:

[Lemonhead]

Thanks so much for this thread!!

One of my biggest worries with trying to BF my next is:

- That they wont sleep through the night early like DS did.
- That they wont be chubby like DS was (formula bub).

I saw photos of MJ410s bubby girl last night wo is stunningly gorgeous and OMG such a chubba!! And I am pretty sure she BFs. So that wiped oe myth and this thread just helped clear up another :).

[Tam-I-Am]

DD was the biggest chubba bubba out. I'll try to find a photo of her chunky thighs later.

DS was leaner.

It's just genetics :)

[MummaMilk]

Mine are/where those horrid BF children that don't sleep, so we co-sleep now ;) I sleep, bub feeds :D

You wait till starlet sees this *shakes fist*

[allycat06]

DS was exclusively BF from birth to 7.5mths he slept through the night from about 2-6months, he now wakes up around 3-4 times a night, I don't think he's necessarily hungry when he wakes but I just feed him as it's quicker and easier than rocking. All babies are different, I don't think it has anything to do with how they are fed that determines whether they will sleep through the night. Some just sleep more than others, it's the luck of the draw so to speak.

Another thing, why are strangers and people you don't really know that well always so concerned with how your baby is sleeping. They're BABIES they're supposed to be hard work. Sorry to vent but when did how well your baby sleeps become a reflection of how capable a mother you are?! The next person who shakes their head and tells me I should have a good routine is going to get an earful haha, i'm raising a child not a trained monkey!

ok rant over :laughing:

[Bambibambino]

Great news for your X man on the sleep front Izy!

My b/f X man slept through from 6-14 weeks. He was a machine, going 10-12 hours no feeds :eek:

and then......


he stopped :laughing:

now we are up so many times at night I have banned myself from checking the time as it was damaging my mental health :rolleyes:

[SpecialPatrolGroup]

My DD sleeps through too. She was going 6 hour stretches from about 5 weeks and steadily increased and she now cluster feeds before bed and then sleeps for 10 hours, has a feed and goes for another couple of hours. Even if I was getting up for her every 3 hours, putting her on the boob seems so much easier than heating up bottles. I find it really strange and presumptuous that a stranger would tell you how to feed your baby.

[Starlet]

I don't think feeding method has anything to do with how long babies sleep. My breastfed/co-sleeping babies were sleeping through from 6 weeks old. DS1 was formula fed from 4 weeks and also slept through from 6 weeks and DS2 was formula fed from 8 weeks and he NEVER slept through until he was THREE.

As for breastfed babies not being chubby. PFFT to that! DS3 was the most chubbiest roley poley baby and he was breastfed! And I have plenty of friend with breastfed babes who are also very chubby! :)

[MummaBear03]

Mine slept through from day 1, waking on the odd occasion through the night. She slept from 6pm to 10pm then didn't wake again til 6am (sleeping through, by definition, is a 5 hour stretch) then from around 8 weeks dropped the 10pm feed and slept from 6 to 6, had a nappy change, feed, then back to sleep til 8. No, she did not sleep in the day, but with that much overnight sleep who cares! She was happy, active, alert, not grizzly or anything so she just didn't need it through the day.

DD's god-mother is a twin. Both were breastfed. Her twin slept through the night from birth, as have all 3 of her children. She didn't sleep through til she was about 5 years old, and her daughter was the same, and her daughter was formula fed. She has a boy as well, fully breastfed til 8 months, then continued breastfeeding with water and solids til just over 2. He slept through from 6 weeks.

[Lilahh]

I agree with the OP on almost everything except the title! It is awful that you are encouraged to FF for ANY reason when you are doing well with BFing. But its not a myth that BF babies sleep more poorly/are less likely to sleep through then FF babies. There are so many studies that show that fully BF babies are significantly more likely to be poorer sleepers.

I think its great so many posters here have fully BF babies sleeping well. :yes::wave:

[lozie2]

My dd slept through from 6 weeks, i mean 12 hours 7pm til 7am!
She wakes occasionally,

[crazymuma]

Damm maybe I should have breastfed my daughter!!! My fully formula fed daughter (from day 1) is now over 2 and still not sleeping through the night :sleeping:

[EquineMum]

Thanks so much for this thread!!

One of my biggest worries with trying to BF my next is:

- That they wont sleep through the night early like DS did.
- That they wont be chubby like DS was (formula bub).

I saw photos of MJ410s bubby girl last night wo is stunningly gorgeous and OMG such a chubba!! And I am pretty sure she BFs. So that wiped oe myth and this thread just helped clear up another .


Firstly - in response to the above -

I BF my DS - he weighed 9lb3ozs at birth and STILL at 18 months (and 13kgs) has the chubbiest cheeks and thighs the world has ever seen! The first thing anyone does when they meet him is squeeze his poor little cheeks "just coz they're so squeezable!!" :laughing: Even at daycare last week, the Carer was doing flash cards with the kids (they have a single word on them, then a picture inside - helps the kids learn). She held up the card for "CHEEKS" and then flipped the cover over to show the picture and THREE of the kids yelled "BRANDON!!" (my son's name) :p Oy vey. Lemme tell ya - BF is not responsible for skinny babies!!

Ok - now, onto the main topic :D

DS slept through from 8 months when he dropped his night feeds. Prior to that, he'd wake, DH would stumble to the end of our bed and get him, bring him to me, I'd latch him, he'd feed for 10 mins, I'd fall asleep LOL and then DH would change him and put him back in his bassinette and he'd be asleep. Night feeds were never a big issue for us! We ended up practically doing them in our sleep! Looking forward to the same with #2 but I bet it doesn't happen! :devil:

[Clarabelle]

#1 BOY - slept through about 10 months
#2 BOY - 11 months
#3 BOY - 11 months
#4 GIRL - 19 months
#5 GIRL - 10 weeks

All completely breastfed. Interestingly, my last baby was the only one I had feeding difficulties with, and she slept through the earliest! Generally she'll sleep from about 7am to 5am, I then lie down with her and she'll sleep with me til 6.30am or so.

[SassyMummy]

Thanks for this thread - it gives me comfort.

DD slept through from 3 weeks of age - the same age that I put her onto a bottle. I try not to point this out as I don't want people to associate the two... but I've never been sure if it WAS the result of the bottle, kwim?

It's the one thing I'm scared of when it comes to my next baby - because I plan to BF, but dunno how the hell I'll cope not getting any sleep. I'm someone who needs about 9-10 hours a night or I'm a feral b*tch.

So you guys have made me realise there is hope...

[CazHazKidz]

I agree. Every bub is different, and feeding formula isn't a magical way of making a baby sleep through the night.

I have a fully breast fed baby, and he is a shocking sleeper, sleeps 3 hours at the most. BUT



however, when she wanted to feed she practically didn't need any assistance, she would just latch on by herself and i would go back to sleep :sleeping: so definitely much more convenient than d1cking around with bottles in the middle of the night-what a pain in the bum!

:iagree: Now when Hayden wakes through the night I just put pop him on and go back to sleep :D


Thanks so much for this thread!!

One of my biggest worries with trying to BF my next is:

- That they wont sleep through the night early like DS did.
- That they wont be chubby like DS was (formula bub).

Check out the chub rolls on my fully breastfed bub!!

Hayden (http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/picture.php?albumid=1316&pictureid=10033)

[Izy]

yep :iagree: on the weight caz. X has more than doubled his weight. 2.5 @ birth, over 6 @ 12 weeks

[Gabi]

Ooh Izy, I'm glad I'm not alone. DS2 is just shy of 6kg at 10 weeks old. He is a chubba bubba:D It's a new experience for me!:laughing:

And as for sleep - he just keeps getting better and better. What a dream baby! I can't believe how well rested I feel.:D

[IndigoJ]

DS slept through from 3mths. He would sleep from 9-9 with a dream feed at about 4 in the morning. Fully BF.

[TheCatsMeow]

My bub is another super chubby BF baby! 11 weeks and nearly 7 kilos :eek: I'm putting away more 000 clothes each day because she simply doesnt fit into them now :D

DD however still wakes up once a night for a feed. Doesn't bother me in the slightest really. Breast milk is the epitome of fast food, and I'm asleep before you know it!

[RedPanda]

Geez I hope my new baby is like the bf babies in this thread!

DS1 - FF, slept through at three months
DS2 - BF, slept through at nine months

Here's hoping DD (bf) will sleep through early!

[SomewhereOverTheRainbow]

One of my biggest worries with trying to BF my next is:

- That they wont sleep through the night early like DS did.
- That they wont be chubby like DS was (formula bub).



I wouldn't worry on the chubby front.. particularly if you demand feed! If they are 'designed' to be chubby they will be. Amaya is 8mths and I think around 10kg now, and BF (also on solids of course too though).


I have to say though...and I realise that this is going against the way I *should* feel...but I DO believe that for my children formula does make them sleep longer. :o DS was formula fed from about 2 weeks old and slept wonderfully. DD is fully BF but had to be FF for a week when I was sick and on meds and couldn't feed her. And she slept really well. Normally she wakes a minimum of 2-3times night and often co-sleeps with us as I feed her in bed and we fall asleep together.
I think for her though boobs are more of a comfort thing than a hunger thing, and even though she still wakes me up I don't mind as it's the nicest feeling knowing that I can comfort her in that way, and that noone else in the world can do that for her.

I *DO* feel that being BF (and boobs= comfort) has a lot to do with A's poor sleeping habits but I still wouldn't stop BFing for the world. I don't mind the wake ups, you do get used to them after a while and the cuddles are worth it! :cloud9::cloud9:

[Izy]

Awe Nic, don't worry about what you 'should' feel. How you feel is how you should feel!

There is reasons that alot of bubbas do sleep a bit longer on formula, I started this thread more as a bit of a vent to people automatically assuming demand BF = non-stop feeding when it isn't always the case.

[1+1=5]

Owen was a FF bed baby and he was a shocking, shocking sleeper. he did not improve when we switched from breast to ff.

Noah wasn't a brilliant sleeper but he was so so much better and he was fully breastfed.

its not the feeding, its the individual child.