How long do your babies sleep at night? Formula before bed??

[Plumfairy]

Just wondering.. Ive been giving a bottle of formula in the evenings as Layla was terrible for comfort sucking/cluster feeding at night so I thought by giving a bottle atleast I'd know she had a full belly before bed. She's been sleeping 5 hours and then wakes for a BF for about an hour and then sleeps again for 3 hours. Ideally I'd like to stop giving the formlua and just let her feed off me, but the one night I tried this she woke after two hours, fed for an hour slept for an hour and then woke again so I just brought her into bed with me again as it was far easier and I was so tired...

We've only just got out of the co-sleeping about 2 weeks ago as I found that neither me nor Layla were getting a proper nights sleep. If I start BFing her before bed again Im pretty sure she wont sleep as long and will literally suck me dry (to the point where my nipples are so sore and Ive been sitting on the sofa for 4 hours and she just falls asleep on me!!)

Any advice??!! Sorry my question is abit of a muddle...!! I feel like I reaaaaaly want to only be giving her breast milk, but was soooo tired and she seemed so unsatidfied at nights that I resorted to formula!! Is this the end of my evening breastfeeding??

 

[Mervs Mum]

Why dont you pump that last feed if you are keen to fill her up??

I've been lucky with Hebe's sleeping habits but I have always pumped for one feed in the evenings. Historically it gave me a much needed mid evening rest from the cluster feeding then I could BF her and get her off to bed for the night about 10/11pm. Now that feed (about 8pm) has turned into her last feed - we didnt consciously do it, it just happened - but it is BM one night and FF the next ask I cant pump as much as I used to. Well TBH I could if I pumped more often. When she was Layla's age I would get up at 6am as she woke between 7.30 and 9am and I would pump both sides for that feed. I could get loooooads - plenty for the 8pm feed. When you get past about 6 months pumping can become harder plus she goes to bed 8.30 and wake earlier now - about 7.30. I'm a bit too lazy to pump more than once a day although I do sometimes pump after she's gone to bed now as she's eating solids so her last BF is often about 3.30pm.

I do miss BFing her in the evenings but the routine works for now. I think I'll change back to BFing her direct once I'm back at work and she's eating more solids. I'm not ready to stop yet....sod her!! JOKE!!

 

[XKatX]

Oliver sleeps for 10-11 hours now, after his night time feed. He used to cluster feed all evening and it drove me mad! Now though, he feeds for about an hour after his bedtime routine, then he's down for the night. Occasionally, he has one feed in the night, but it's not routine.
Could you perhaps pump in the evenings, to re-establish a milk pattern. Then when you established this, then leave her on the boob for her night time feed?
Good luck hun x x