Formula & Breastfeeding

D.,

I breast fed all four of my children for one year (actually my almost 15 month old still nurses morning and night). I don't recommend formula or cereal for the purpose of getting your baby to sleep longer. It is true that those things are hard to digest. The reason your baby wants to eat every two hours is because he is absorbing the nutrients from your milk, digesting it properly and he is ready for more. That is the way it is when you are nursing. My first baby nursed every two hours around the clock for the first 5 months. There was no lack of milk, he just needed it. I was completely exhausted but it was well worth it. I took up residency in our recliner and to be truthful he rarely slept anywhere but in my arms in the recliner in between feedings. And no I didn't have any problems transitioning him to his crib once he was weaned.

You will be more tired as a nursing mom, but you are absolutely doing the best thing for your baby and you are to be commended for that. You will make it through this. I know at times you are so tired that you don't think you can go on, but you can and you will. Nursing moms know that the sacrifices we make in sleep are well worth it in the long run. We don't have to tell you the benefits of nursing, now just consider doing it exclusively no matter what. You can do it!

D.

Ditto what Tara just said...I do exactly the same thing and my baby sleeps from about 11pm to about 4am and she has since she was about 2 months old (she's 5 mos now). And never wake a baby...they need to go through their own sleep cycles. Unfortunately the world doesn't revolve around a proper sleep cycle for humans! Adults can be reasonable, babies aren't. Just let him sleep his sleep and do his thing and soon he'll get it together and do it more regularly. Good luck!

I have never given my baby formula and would not recommend it to a nursing Mom. It may make your baby sleep longer (and it doesnt always work) because it sits in their stomach like a lead brick. It isnt easy to digest and they often become constipated and have other digestive issues. If you can avoid it altogether, that would be the ideal option. Your baby is only 6 weeks old and still developing his own pattern. Sleep when he sleeps. (I know you've probably heard THAT a million times!) What I did is just brought my baby back to bed with me. I would nurse side-lying and we would both fall asleep together. It was great...we were all well rested and he was well fed and my production skyrocketed! Good luck!

Totally normal - I think our boys are kindred spirits. Mine is now 5 months old (I think I responded to another question of yours!). I didn't find a difference between formula and the breast with sleep - I did both. If you do, run with it because I've heard that from other people too. I tried and tried to keep my boy awake during the day so he'd sleep at night, but it doesn't work. And it can backfire if he doesn't sleep enough during the day. They sleep through the night when they're ready, and unfortunately you've got a ways to go.... but he'll do it eventually!!! You're still in the stage where he's the boss.... but this will change. It's so hard to be patient when you're so sleep deprived, but trust me it gets so much better!!!

growth spurts are common at 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months..my daughter did the same thing right on that schedule.

Hi D.
My sister (an OB/GYN RN) suggested I do a formula feeding at night because it will help the baby feel fuller and sleep longer during the night hours. I usually feed my daughter formula at night at some point between 1030 and midnight (roughly). Normally she (8 weeks old) will sleep until about 4am and then eat (at that point I feed her breastmilk) and then sleep again until about 9am.
The pediatrician told me to wake her up if she sleeps for longer than 6 hours at a time. I havent had to wake her up though.
Like your son, I also find that she the only way to get her back to sleep is to hold her and even then, she is prone to waking up and crying no longer than 5 minutes after I put her in the crib. Sometimes I will keep her in the bed with me until she is sleeping for about 10 minutes or so and at that point I will put her in the crib - she will by and large then stay asleep.
Hope it was helpful to know that somebody else is doing the same thing as you.

D.,

I had problems breastfeeding my daughter. I wasn't producing enough for her and she was losing weight. I continued to give as much breast milk as I could, while continuing to supplement with formula as needed. It was very tough, both mentally and physically. If you can breastfeed no problem, I would continue to do so and not worry about the sleeping pattern. It's normal. My daughter still didn't sleep, even with the formula.

If you are having trouble producing, maybe you should consider formula. If this is this case, don't let anyone tell you you're a bad mom or make you feel less of a person. There are plenty of moms out there that can't produce milk and rely on formula. I had a very hard time with this because everyone made me feel like I was trying to harm my child because breastfeeding was difficult for me. Don't let anyone do that to you. Lactation consultants can sometimes be brutal, or at least the ones I worked with!

My mom always said to me "The more they sleep, the more they sleep." True? Not sure, but I've heard not to wake a sleeping baby. This is their time when they grow. I hate to say it, but the sleep deprivation, normally, comes with all new babies. I wouldn't say it gets better or easier, just the sleep does.

Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll figure it out. It takes a little bit to adjust, but give it time, it will happen. Remember, you're a fantastic mom and a caring one, no matter what you choose. You are a mom and will always do what is best for your child and his needs. Congratulations of your new bundle of joy!