Dear all:

I just finished reviewing the article by Theresa Doan bout how "Breast-feeding Increases Sleep Duration of New Parents"  (the hyphen is not mine -- it is the journal -- I never hyphenate).  I have a vague memory that it was Esther Grunis who first posted this article. 

Just like I find James McKenna's research far more convincing because he doesn't just try to confirm his own opinions through self-reported sleep, he actually watches how mothers and babies sleep, this article was brilliant in its design.  Too often I find that meta-analyses don't really go deep enough into research quality.  The Doan article really is quite brilliant -- using sleep monitors.  

Babies do NOT sleep longer with formula -- it is actually the reverse.  Or perhaps to put it in its more important context -- parents have a 40-45 minute sleep deficit when they give A BOTTLE of formula at night.  This did NOT compare a little bit of breastfeeding versus formula (where you could be washing out the effect of breastfeeding because parents were giving bottles of formula at night.  This showed what that extra formula did at night.  AND it showed that BOTH parents were affected.  Since most of the rest of the research is based on self-reported sleep -- it is completely suspect.  Studies of the sleep deprived show that they are NOT reliable in reporting how long they sleep.

I think we are often perpetuating myths from the formula feeding years.  I just read many of the breastfeeding books on the shelf at Barnes and Nobles and found this myth perpetuated in some of these books.  

I believe that the reason why  the perception that formula makes babies sleep better (which really translates to parents that they will sleep better) is that the hospital procedures and parenting culture that arose during the formula feeding years put babies on extremely artificial schedules that interfered with establishment of breastfeeding. Milk SUPPLIES were low, not due to any fundamental physiologic problem, but because of a "scheduling" problem.  The along comes the source of extra calories from a baby that had a deficit of time at the breast they appeared to sleep better. I actually believe that there are many women who really truly develop low supply because of the surprisingly resilient artificial feeding schedules.

I also think that there is another component of the "super-sized" feedings.  I love that term that I picked up here on Lactnet.  I actually tell parents to try the liter of water on themselves in the same way most baby books describe bottle feeding and then they start to comprehend what it does to pour any milk down a baby's throat in the same manner.  I think ALL women who are formula feeding should be taught to bottle feed properly AND to give their babies a minimum of 160 minutes of skin to skin time.  I know you can create the same problem of supersized feeding followed by long stretches of the baby not eating with breastmilk -- a set up for eating disorders. Early on, I think the artificial schedules create sleep deficits.  Just like initially, giving too much juice slows the growth of toddlers.  Later on, I think the abandonement of babies at night then put them in a depressed state where they sleep much longer than they should.  Just like continuing to overuse juice and other artifiically sugary drinks causes obesity.

So, I know gastric emptying time has been used as the excuse for why formula feeding lets parents sleep longer.  I now no longer believe that myth.  I don't think formula fed infants allow parents to sleep longer at all.  I think artificial schedules and formula feeding together create sleep deficits in parents.

Best, Susan

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