Do FF Babies Eat Frequently Like Breastfed Babies?!

[Anonymous]

I’ve been thinking of quitting breastfeeding because my baby eats every two hours and I’m exhausted. I was going to switch to formula but read that formula fed newborns still eat every 2-3 hours too. Is this true? Will my baby sleep longer at night if I switch to formula, or we will be still wake up every 2-3 hours to eat? He’s two weeks old.

[Anonymous]

My FF infant didn't sleep for two hours until he was 6 months old.

But formula means your DH can help if that's an option.

[Anonymous]

Really depends on the kid. My first BF kid slept long stretches almost from birth. Second didn't until about 6 mos.

Agree with the PP about FF making it easier for a DH to help. You could also just supplement with formula in the MOTN to give yourself a longer stretch of sleep.

[Anonymous]

I breastfed one kid and pumped/formula fed the other. Both ate 2-3 hours around the clock until they were a month old. Formula fed baby was a little better sleeper, but both kids slept 8 hours by 8 weeks and 11 hours by 4 months old.

The formula thing is a myth. It’s about your baby getting in the calories. A two week has a very tiny stomach and can only hold a small amount. You can’t really expect more than a 3-4 hour stretch at night. Feeding every two hours during the day actually will help them get in their calories and they can start sleeping better. I fed every two hours during the day and let them wake up on their own after they regained their birth weight. They slowly started sleeping longer stretches as they ate more during the day. You can switch to formula if breastfeeding isn’t working or not something you want to do, but I wouldn’t expect a two week old to suddenly stop eating frequently or start sleeping longer stretches because you switch to formula.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, they eat just as often. My formula fed child didn’t sleep longer than 3 hours in a row until he was 2 years old (this is not common! He is just extremely low sleep needs.)

[Anonymous]

Yes. It’s not the formula/breastmilk, it’s the size of their tummies.

[Anonymous]

Hugs. The first two months suck no matter what. The only advantage to FF is that it goes in faster, and your not pinned to the chair with a baby attached to your body for half an hour or more each time. But if you aren’t feeling it with BF, do a bit of both. Have bottles ready and let someone else take a feeding or two while you sleep,

[Anonymous]

DH needs to take one of the night feeds so you get a 4 hour stretch, whether that is pumped BM or formula, that is up to you.

Make sure you get at least one nap in, two would be better because you seem really tired. If DH can physically take her out of the house that would help turn off your mommy brain and let you sleep.

The situation is probably worse than you realize so if you have people who can help you now is the time to call in favors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Feeding every two hours during the day actually will help them get in their calories and they can start sleeping better.

Yes! Embrace the evening clusterfeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH needs to take one of the night feeds so you get a 4 hour stretch, whether that is pumped BM or formula, that is up to you.

Make sure you get at least one nap in, two would be better because you seem really tired. If DH can physically take her out of the house that would help turn off your mommy brain and let you sleep.

The situation is probably worse than you realize so if you have people who can help you now is the time to call in favors.

A single 4 hour BF break will not hurt your milk supply, so if walking away from the pump and opening the can of formula is what keeps you sane the next few weeks, just do it. Just mix the formula for the first time other than at 3am with a screaming hungry baby. ^_-

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been thinking of quitting breastfeeding because my baby eats every two hours and I’m exhausted. I was going to switch to formula but read that formula fed newborns still eat every 2-3 hours too. Is this true? Will my baby sleep longer at night if I switch to formula, or we will be still wake up every 2-3 hours to eat? He’s two weeks old.

Sorry, OP, but formula doesn’t help. Someone else giving the baby a bottle will definitely help but switching to formula won’t make the duration between feedings longer. That said, there is nothing at all wrong with tossing in a couple ready-to-feed bottles while you get some sleep.

[Anonymous]

At two weeks they eat just as often. It isn't until much later that formula babies have less feeds, but by that point, both ff and bf babies are likely to be night weaned. The extra feeds for bf babies are during the day.

For the most part, the formula babies sleep better thing is a myth, except in one situation. If you actually aren't producing enough milk, it can cause sleep problems. Topping the baby off with formula can help.

What you're describing, however, is normal for both. Newborn sleep is just hard. Hope it gets better sooner rather than later for you, OP.

[Anonymous]

Is it just the sleep or what? I gave up at 4 weeks and switched to formula. Being the only one to feed the baby, feeding every 2-3 hours around the clock, and having multiple issues with latch and weight gain was too much. I bought a good quality formula and a baby Brezza and never looked back. Instead of 1 feeding, my husband was able to do 4-5 feedings a day. Don’t feel guilty about quitting.

[Anonymous]

Wait... 2 weeks old?

I was totally on board with this post until I realized you are talking about a 2 week old. You really can't know what to expect from a baby's feeding and sleeping pattern at that age, whether FF or BF.

[Anonymous]

Every 3 hours for a newborn