FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I am still BF but I was thinking of starting formula at night only to see if it would help AJ sleep longer. Currently he is waking up every two hours to feed. I’ve tried the pacifier and that only helps for a few minutes until he spits it out. This seems to have started since I went back to work. He is still in the bassinet in our room and won’t be out for at least a couple of weeks. It also doesn’t help that in the evenings I am so exhausted once I BF AJ for the bedtime feeding, I pass out feeding him or rocking him to sleep. Once I get up I have no energy whatsoever to do anything so I’m running around the next morning taking care of everything. I feel like I need to do something. DH and I are barely sleeping and I am such a beatch in the morning and so miserable. I can’t keep going on like this much longer. By the time I get to work I need a nap and want to pull my hair out.

What do other BF moms do with infants that won’t STTN and you are a FTWM? Coffee is my best friend while at work so I can function. But once home, I crash and don’t do a thing.

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I am not back at work yet, but I will be a FTWM in 2 weeks. MY DS was doing the same thing, up constantly throughout the night to eat (he is EBF except for his last bottle before bed). I was completely exhausted and freaking out about going back to work on no sleep so I called the Ped and she said to try formula when he wakes up at night. I only started 2 nights ago, but it has been amazing. He went from waking up 3-4 times a night to last night and the night before he woke up once! It does make me sad to not be BFing at night but I am getting so much more sleep. I just hope he keeps it up and I didn't just jinx it!

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I just went for a few years without sleeping well and living on coffee.

My daughters are 13 mths apart. I BF'd both, and they didn't sleep through the night for a long time. I didn't start getting a full night of sleep on a regular basis from the time I got pregnant with DD1 in March 2008 (I had terrible insomnia when I was pregnant with her), until DD2 was about 12 mths--Jan 2011.

I did notice a difference with my short term memory, but I think it is coming back now that I am getting more sleep again.

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I don't want to bring you down, but my DS didn't sleep any better when I switched him to formula. He didn't STTN until he was 8 months old.. I EBF for the first 3 months, did a combo for the next 1 and then FF for the rest of the time. He slept when he was ready to sleep.

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

Honestly, with DS #2, after he was up once, I let him sleep in the curve of my arm for the rest of the night so if he needed to nurse again I was right there. For some reason, it helped me not feel AS tired the next morning when I did this...

I experimented too with formula at night here and there and never noticed a difference... You could try it, or maybe nurse him and then top him off with a little formula afterwards?

Good luck. I have been there, and it sux.

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I set DH with bottles of EBM and go to sleep

If I have to eventually do formula overnight, so be it

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I don't have any advice since I'm STILL doing it. With all 3 kids I have always worked FT and BF. My 1st son was the worst and I nursed him the longest. I BF him for a year and he was up every 2.5-3 hours ALL NIGHT long for a YEAR!! I have no idea how I functioned? I basically just got used to it. With my 2nd child, he was up a lot too. I BF him until 6 months, but he STILL got up during the night. And with my 3rd, she is now over 11 months old and still gets up at night. I stopped BF her around 8 months. For me, formula at night still didn't help. With the first I got used to it, with the second it got harder, but now with my 3rd, I honestly can't function at work or at home. I am constantly exhausted. I'm having a VERY hard time functioning lately. And the other bad thing is that I don't drink coffee! Just yesterday at work I spent 3 hours trying not to fall asleep!

ETA: I can say in all honesty that I haven't had a night in 8 years that I have slept more than 5 hours in a row even on the weekends. But it's amazing that my DH gets to sleep!

Message edited 11/2/2011 11:09:39 AM.

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I am no help, but wanted you to know that the exact same thing happened with us. DD was STTN before I went back to work, and ever since I went back she wakes up every 2-3 hours at night. I was actually just reading an email from Pampers that said moms who work often feed their babies more frequently at night since they are making up for you being gone during the day. We co-sleep, so I just wake up and fall back asleep as soon as she starts eating. I know people have different feelings toward co-sleeping, but it works for us - gives us the bonding time we miss during the day, and makes nighttime feedings much easier. I don't know how I function - I just got used to it. Hope it gets better for you soon.

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I just transferred DD from the bassinet to the crib, she is 3.5 months, and she is back to STTN. I guess she wanted more room.

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I know it’s a 50/50 shot DS will actually sleep more with formula. I’m hoping he will but he likes to eat… A LOT my little guy. It seems when he is around me he chomps even more. Which I don’t mind at all but I just wish he would take a break at night so mommy can get some serious sleep. He is getting tight in arm space in the bassinet now that I remember from looking at him this morning. But DH can’t get to finish the nursery until next weekend FINALLY… I really don’t want to put DS2 in our bed. If DS1 wakes up earlier than usual I bring him to our bed to cuddle and I don’t want to take that time away from him and us just yet. I think I will start the formula feeding this weekend and see how it goes. It’s just such a tough situation all around. I don’t want to let go of the BF at night but for my sanity and my family I need to. And the thought that he may be my last child as much as I want a third but we may not have a third, makes me

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

Formula doesn't help babies STTN. It's a myth left over from our parent's generation.

In the 50's, formula was kind of terrible. Babies would sleep longer, but that was because the formula would sit in undigested globs in their stomachs. Now, formula is made better and is digested more easily... which means a FF baby has the same chance of waking at night as a BF baby.

Can you pump for an overnight bottle and take turns with your DH?

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

my son started sleeping through the night at about 20 months. I started back to work at 6 weeks...

coffee was my friend. it wasn't till I weaned him off the breast that we would sleep through. now he sleeps as a rule at least 7-8 hours before he wakes up..then he normally goes back down.

I used the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and I really liked it.

good luck!

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I am not a FTWM...

But I BF both kiddies and one was STTN at 3 months and the other was not until 6 months..

I think it has to do with the indiv kid and their sleeping habits and patterns....

good luck! hopefully your time will come soon!

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I didn't BF but, DS was a horrible sleeper once I went back to work so I feel your pain!!!

I didn't do much and most of his first year was a blur.

It gets better though, I promise!!!

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

Thanks! It is rough… Xavier was a breeze compared to AJ. STTN at 8 weeks. As much as I don’t like comparing them to each other, they are like night and day when it comes to sleep. I hope that it ends soon but only time will tell I guess. It also doesn’t help that I have to be up by 4:30 some mornings because I have to be in at work by 8 so I can leave at 4pm. This allows me to spend some time with the boys before bedtime and I REFUSE to go back to 9-5 and lose an extra hour with the boys before bedtime. I know before I realize it, this will probably be a big blur but right now but I just wish I had a full night’s rest some days.

I can’t give DH a bottle Because 1. I don’t pump as much as I should or want TBH and 2. Because DH works so many hours he is on much less sleep than me. I don’t want to burden him with feeding the baby when he may have just walked in the door at 2/3 am.

Re: FTWM who BF and DC still doesn’t STTN

I nurse dd at 8:00pm, then pump at 9;45pm - DH gives DD a bottle that is half formula and half BM at 11 - while I sleep - sometimes she sleeps until 3 am - sometimes its 2am - formula didn't make much difference. but having DH give the bottle gives me a solid block of sleep that is heavenly...

If you do try formula, be sure to start it a little bit in the bottle at a time. I gave her a whole bottle the first time and she threw most of it up an hour later - she had such a belly ache and didn't eat for hours - I felt so bad for her and couldn't sleep myself b/c I thought she might choke on her vomit....

Then I introduced it a half ounce the first night, and ounce the second and so on and now she is fine with formula.
eta - the bottle was mostly breastmilk with a little bit of formula...

Message edited 11/3/2011 4:44:48 PM.