goldenmama37`s poll Show results | Hide results

mamalala (116.3 days ago)
I gotta say, pumping and feeding bottles of breastmilk is the hardest i think. I wish I could roll over and breastfeed her.. but because she was in the hospital for 2 weeks we never really got the hang out latching so ive been pumping and feeding bottles of breastmilk since she was born. This has me up twice as much. every 3 hours to pump (I have a low supply), and every three hours to feed her.. and they never happen at the same time. urgh. i need sleep.

weeblette (176.6 days ago)
I too have a chronic illness. Although our pregnancy went well the concern was PP, with a major flare being a concern. We had to decide what was more important. Being able to care for my child on my own (lifting, cuddling, bonding) or nursing but with the help of others at all times. Being independant won out. I do wish at times we opted to BF but my bond with Izzy is very close and I couldn`t guarentee that with others helping all the time. I did end up having a small flare but nothing like what we anticipated since I was medicated shortly after delivery. It is a big choice to make!!! Just remember your choice will always be the right one!!

RowanSkysMom (177 days ago)
We co-sleep, so sleep was never an issue. My baby was right there ready to feed whenever she needed to. And I could sleep at the same time:o)

hotpotaaaaato (178.2 days ago)
Many people said it right... I think bottle feeding would be harder at night. I breastfed both my girls, woke up long enough to pull out the boob, then back to sleep. Both my girls slept through the night at 6 weeks. I think making a bottle would be harder and more sleep depriving, also more time consuming to WASH the bottles later. Good luck!

aprilraine (178.2 days ago)
my answer wasn`t there.. I breastfed my daughter for 16 months and was never sleep deprived... I read that breastfed babies that are fed on demand sleep better.. so I fed on demand and she slept a good 6-7 hours every night since we brought her home from the hospital. Same with my son who is now 8 weeks old.

jeff (178.2 days ago)
I missed out on a bit of sleep in the begining when my son was having latch problems. by one month (it was less) it was sorted and we don`t lack sleep at all. i think bottles would be way more work....

debsandgrace (178.2 days ago)
I bf my first two till they were a yr old. Both were sleeping throught the night at 6 and 8 wks. Before that i just popped boob into their mouth and more or less we both went back to sleep. I too co-slept with them both. With my third Grace there were bf problems and she refused the breast because she lost more than 16% of her birth weight she was admitted to hospital and formula was intruduced. Stopped bf and had to bottle feed and i thought that was by far harder. She didnt sleep through till she was 12wks. All the steralising, making up bottles warming or cooling them down, winding baby was and still is so much hassel. Grace was always sick so changes of clothes for both her and me cot and my bed, sometimes wondered how the hell she could sick up so much! I would rather bf DH feels the same.

goldenmama37 (178.3 days ago)
Thank you for your replies all. Most were supportive - a few critical because yes I am scared of lack of sleep but I`m not stupid... I do not expect to get 8 hours when baby is born (not getting that now but managing) Never the less, anything I can do to minimize poor sleep I am looking into. I do not want to co-sleep because I think it's important my husband or I, someone needs to rest so they can help on the weekends while I'm on maternity leave and the bigger issue is I have ulcerative colitis which is aggravated by stress, lack of sleep, poor eating because of it or antibiotics. Once my UC flares, it can be very hard to get it under control without steroids or a hospital stay with IV steroids. I am weighing the risk of UC flare vs risk of formula I guess...

missyv28 (178.3 days ago)
Are you kidding me? Breastfeeding is the only way I could sleep! haha...I would get baby, latch him on and go back to bed while he was still feeding...that`s how I fell into co-sleeping.

xolblondieox (178.4 days ago)
ChristinasWar- you`re right! Well if the mother eats properly, you're right. But my kids were on `NeoSure`, a formula for preemies and the calorie content was higher. It was ridiculously high, actually. They came off it at 8 weeks because they had more than doubled their birth weights LOL! Thank you though, that is a good point for others!

christinaswar (178.4 days ago)
Just some info on calorie content in breastmilk vs formula http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/babyfoodcalories.html They dont need to eat less often because the calorie content is hight (cause it isnt) but because it is harder for the system to digest so it takes longer.

-avasmama- (178.4 days ago)
I breastfed my DD until she was 11 months and the night BF`s were really easy. No mixing bottles or heating anything, it`s always there, always fresh, always the right temp. I would just BF her, change her and we`d both go right back to sleep. I can`t speak for the ease, or lack there of of bottle feeding but that is my experience with BF.

xolblondieox (178.4 days ago)
I was in the same boat as Lou-Li. I had twins. Congrats Lou-Li for even giving it a go! I decided early in my pregnancy that I was not having it. For the first 4 weeks of my babies` lives I did not get up with them at night, not once. I had help at my house from 10pm-6am, and they fed the babies formula bottles so that I could get a solid 8 hours rest, because I was alone all day with them (post c-section too). I could have never gotten this amount of help if I had breastfed. Plus, thanks to the calorie content of the formula, they never woke up more than once a night to eat (even being preemies). At four weeks the help ended and it was on me. They were still waking for one feed per night. I had all the bottles made up and in the fridge so I would just heat them to room temperature (this took 20 seconds) and shake. I never allowed my babies in my room, so even if I was BF I would have been getting up to walk down the hall to feed them in the rocking chair (like I did with bottles anyways). I do not think that it`s good or safe to sleep while BF a baby in your bed, just my opinion. Anywho, they slept through the night, 12 hours, at 7 weeks of age.

courtenay (178.4 days ago)
actually ive never had a sleepless night BECAUSE of breastfeeding, when she wakes up she can eat and we both go back to sleep

jendez (178.4 days ago)
I thought it wasn`t safe to sleep while your baby is breast feeding?!?

california-mom (178.4 days ago)
LOL bf is so much easier than getting up and stumbling around to make a bottle. Boobs are always there, at perfect temperature, and you can sleep while doing it!

butterblocksmom (178.4 days ago)
I haven`t read everyone`s responses yet, but in reading your poll...one thing really jumped out....not a single one of your questions doesn`t highlight that you equate BFing with lack of sleep. I would think bottle feeding would be MORE work. True, hubby can help out at night, but trust me, it isn`t going to make THAT much of a difference. Bottle feeding - step 1)sterilize bottles, nipples, collars and water, - step 2) heat water (and not in microwave, must be heated in sterilized pot) - step 3) make VERY precise measurements for formula and water ratios - step 4) feed baby. Breast feeding - step 1) roll over and pop baby on breast. I know I am sounding ridiculous here, but it is true. When I switched to formula at 6 months, it was WAY more work. True, breastmilk goes through a baby more quickly than formula, but other than that I don`t see how much more sleep you would get. I am all for breastfeeding but I am also open to the fact that it isn`t for everyone. Breastfeeding is scary. It is not as natural as one would think (it can hurt). It can be hard, there can be complications. If it isn`t working for you, it isn`t working. But honey, when this new little bugalug shows up, breastfeeding or not, for the first 6 months you are going to be lacking in sleep (unless you have a super baby that sleeps through the night from day one...it can happen...it`s not an urban myth!)

brendalee (178.4 days ago)
It doesn`t really take a toll, you wake up every few hours for like 20 or 30 minutes, then go back to bed.

jenakers (178.4 days ago)
JMO...I would breast feed and have a pumped bottle of breastmilk on standby for the night feed that you are to tired for. Make Daddy do that one! Again...JMO

tommiesmommy (178.4 days ago)
I'm with Neverpreggers, I'm not sure If I understand...You`re going to lose sleep no matter what you feed your baby. IMO, I think you`d lose more sleep bottle feeding because you have to get up, make the bottle and wait for baby to finish before you can go back to sleep. With breastfeeding it`s `put boob in mouth, sleep`

happymommee2kj (178.4 days ago)
I didn`t really find it stressful. You have to get up w/a bottlefed baby also. When you bf it is actually easier because you have what you need right there. You don`t have to go to the kitchen and get a bottle everytime the baby is hungry. It`s a lot cheaper too.

Lou-Li (178.4 days ago)
i breastfed my twins for seven weeks,and yes, I was thoroughly, thoroughly exhausted. Feeding two tiny babies was...I can`t describe it. Some women manage it -- a lot do -- but after 7 weeks including two bouts of mastitis, I succumbed to the chance of rest by bottle-feeding. I have spent a lot of time regretting this, but I can definitely understand now how women resort to bottle-feeding, as they need it less often and usually sleep through the night much earlier than breastfed babies. MY friend down the road recently had her second baby and did not even try to breastfeed; she went straight to bottles, and her baby does sleep through eight hours at only five weeks old. Then, she could just be a placid sleepy baby. Everyone`s different. I think that if I had had only one I would have stuck with the breastfeeding. With two, I was utterly overwhelmed and stressed and exhausted. I never got sleep.

Khloes Mommy (178.5 days ago)
My dd was breastfed & only woke twice a night to eat. I think breastfeeding gave me more sleep! The only thing I can think is that your planning on having DH/SO get up and bottle feed? My husband has to get up at 4 every morning for work so that was not an option for me...

christinaswar (178.5 days ago)
The only thing I can think of is that breastmilk digests faster than formula so a breastfeed baby will eat more often than a formula fed baby. Even with having to nurse every 1-2 hours I still th ink I got plenty of sleep, maybe even more so than other formula feeding moms. My daughter is 11 months and I have yet to have a sleepless night thanks to cosleeping!

megandgrace (178.5 days ago)
You learn to deal with it, your body and mind adjusts to it. No matter what you do, your going to have to get up with the baby and will always have a lack of sleep until they are 18 years old and possible moved out of your house! Bf is the best thing for babies, that alone should be able to push you through all the stress.

NeverPreggers (178.5 days ago)
Maybe I`m not considering something, but I really don`t see how the bottle feeding would afford you more sleep, I would think it would be the opposite since you`d actually have to get out of bed to fix a bottle. Is there something I`m not understanding here?

christinaswar (178.5 days ago)
I breastfeed and dont think you get any less sleep than a formula fed baby. Heck you dont even have to get out of bed to make a bottle, stay awake to feed the baby or spend time washing bottles. I when my daughter woke/wakes at night I just give her to boob and go back to sleep.

summerisis (178.5 days ago)
I got less sleep bottle feeding because you can`t just put the baby on a bottle and go back to sleep like you can with the breast.



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