My daughter is breastfeed and she wakes up every 2 hours to eat and she is two and a half months old. I have given her formula a few times and she sleeps like 4 to 5 hours. She stays full longer!! What can i do to get more sleep? Should i switch to formula because i dont think she is getting enough... HELP?
2007-02-20 10:54:58 · 7 answers · asked by NaVy WiFeY 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
That is VERY normal for a breastfed infant, especially at 2 months old.
Babies system is made for breast milk and so they can digest it more quickly. That's good for them, they can get more vitamins out of it and it causes less gas and other problems, its hard on the parents though because they have to be up a lot.
Please don't give up nursing just because she wants to eat more often, that is very normal and healthy.
"The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthy, full-term newborns should breastfeed eight to twelve times in each 24-hour period. This equates to feedings two to three hours apart. "
I know its hard to be up often but as she gets older you will not have this problem so much, you just have to get yourself through it just like other stages of development. When shes a little older (around 3-4 months of age) you can start her on a schedule by just slowly stretching your nursing apart. (if shes hungry just try and hold her and keep her busy for an extra 15 minutes at first, and then try and slowly make it longer until she reaches a set time for each night time feeding.)
But at 2 months of age she needs to eat when shes hungry, and needs to eat a lot, and your milk is helping her grow very healthy.
Another idea, which is what I did, is try buying a bassinet or a bed-side co-sleeper (these attach to the side of your bed but have their own sleep space for the baby)
That way at night you don't have to get up much, you just pick her up, nurse her, and then lay her back down in her bassinet.
Another good idea is to go here and look and see if there is a support group in your area.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/
These support groups are lead by a la leche league trained nursing proffessional (who is also always a mom who nursed at some point herself) and full of other nursing women of all sorts. You can go with your kid, its free to attend, and they can help you answer all your questions. As well you might meet a few mom friends.
2007-02-20 11:06:41 · answer #1 · answered by slawsayssss 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
You will only get an extra 2 hours...
Breast milk is better for the baby and there are some good formulas but I had the same problem with my son and switched to formula. For the first few months he slept 5-7 hours everyone told me how lucky I was but I knew one day I'd pay. That day came at about 7 months he decided to get up every 3-4 hours. I am lucky if I get 5 hours sleep a night. Not sure if that helps your decision.
Good Luck!
2007-02-20 11:35:35 · answer #2 · answered by bellaofjersey 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Co-sleep. Have your newborn in bed with you so he can nurse while you sleep. When your 2 year old goes to bed, lay down with the baby in your bed and just cuddle and nurse. See if your mom/sister/friend can come over for a few hours one day and take both kids for a bit. You can pump a bottle ahead for the baby and then get a solid 3 hour nap in. It should refresh you. You can also start giving your daughter a movie time once a day, where you, your daughter, and your son all pile into mommy and daddy's bed to watch a movie. Except you and baby nap, and your 2 year old is the one watching the movie. Make it special. If you really need the sleep, you do what you gotta do. Maybe your daughter gets to have a cookie during movie time, so she looks forward to it. I dunno. We are TTC #2 right now, and my daughter is about to turn 2 as well. We already have an arm's reach co-sleeper on our "to buy" list. There is no way I could possible handle 2 kids unless I co-slept with the baby and got some sleep at night.
2016-05-24 00:03:31 · answer #3 · answered by Vernieke 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Co-sleeping is the answer.You should not switch to formula because your daughter is digesting her perfect food at the appropriate rate. Infant stomachs are tiny and breastmilk digests perfectly, so they need to eat more often. That is a good thing! They don't have lumps of milk meant for calves churning in their stomachs for hours. just cozy her up next to you and she will latch on as needed.
2007-02-20 14:44:46 · answer #4 · answered by Terrible Threes 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Iam dealing with the same thing.. i went to the breastfeeding clinic today actually and they told me my milk was running low and that is why my baby wants to feed every 2 hours she is also 2 months old. I also tried formula and it really does keep them full longer.. iam trying this drug domperidone that the breastfeeding clinic perscribed to me.. ill see how it works if she still feeds every 2 hours im just gonna have to go with formula. good luck girl!
2007-02-20 11:02:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Lack of sleep in children can cause serious
health problems.If parents follow some simple
techniques for making their children sleep,
it can be avoided. I found useful information
at http://nosleep.in/sleepchildren.html
2007-02-21 03:55:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Pump milk and feed her from the bottle at night. Thats what I do with my son and it actually works, he only wakes up once at night now. If it doesn't work, add cereal to the bottle with expressed milk.
2007-02-20 12:05:26 · answer #7 · answered by Matahari 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋