Presented by Eight Sleep

Welcome to our newsletter! In this first issue, we've broken down a potentially obvious but often overlooked tip, curated some resources, and provided a quick review of one of our favorite splurges that makes parenthood a bit easier.

Tell us about your experiences. Just reply to this email or leave a comment. We don’t purport to be experts nor do we assume things that worked for us will work for you. Every Baby Is Different Anyways #EBIDA

Answer the poll at the end. We’ll share the results in the next issue!

Why switching to formula at night was a game changer

Baby formula secrets: How to leverage the benefits of formula for night weaning, even when you are breastfeeding

If you asked us before birth, we were determined to exclusively breastfeed our baby, but the first lesson you learn as parents is things often don’t go as planned. Baby arrived 20 days earlier than expected and had jaundice, while mom struggled with low milk production in the early weeks. Faced with the need to ensure our baby gained weight and had regular bowel movements to combat jaundice, we found ourselves unexpectedly introducing formula.

Being somewhat "crunchy" parents, we opted for European-inspired formulas like Bobbie and Byheart, both of which proved to be good choices. Interestingly, most recommended high-end formulas share similar ingredients. We discovered that breastfeeding isn't all-or-nothing, and any amount of breastfeeding is beneficial for both mom and baby. Supplementation with a “breastfeeding-friendly” bottle does not ruin breastfeeding; instead, recent studies suggest it might even help preserve it.

Here's the tip for both exclusive breastfeeders and those supplementing: We initially introduced formula somewhat haphazardly, relying on it when our breast milk supply ran low. Struggling with our baby's sleep patterns despite trying various strategies like the Snoo and skin-to-skin routines, we stumbled upon a game-changer – formula feeding at night and/or in the mornings. Couple this with the Sitback method of sleep training and you’ll be sleeping all night long.

TLDR: Formula takes longer to digest, resulting in our baby sleeping almost through the night. We transitioned from waking up every two hours between 8 pm and 8 am to just twice with a 4 week old – once at 12 am and again at 4 am. Plus there's the added benefit of early coparenting at night meaning one partner takes the 12am feed while the other takes the 4am. So, if you're looking for better sleep, consider incorporating formula feeding into your nighttime routine. As a rule of thumb, your baby can sleep the number of hours corresponding to their age in weeks, plus 1. For instance, a 4-week-old baby can sleep for 5-hour stretches during the night. Also remember, formula isn’t the only solution, babies that are fed well during the day tend to sleep longer at night.

Eight Sleep’s Intelligent Sleep System

While the Eight Sleep system comes with a higher price tag, it's well worth the investment. The climate-controlled mattress topper can reduce heating and cooling costs at night and quality sleep is a preventative measure to avoid medical issues. For new parents, we are constantly trying to fall back asleep, or catch some zzz's while baby is sleeping. Slipping into a warmed bed in winter is a game changer – we fall asleep in under 5 mins. On average, you'll spend 229,961 hours in our bed during your lifetime. Wouldn't you want to make them count?

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