Night Waking
For parents, night waking sucks. It’s true. No one ever had a baby and looked forward to feeding their tiny creature at 3am. And 4. And 5. And 5:30. And 6. Try to look at it this way: night waking protects your baby.
Babies are hard wired to wake frequently at night. It’s a conveniently built-in safety feature that ensures parents tend to their needs. Frequent waking arouses the brain regularly which is protective against SIDS. Sleeping longer before your baby’s brain is ready (sleep training) can be dangerous. Breastfeeding is also protective against SIDS for this very reason.
Breast milk is digested quite easily and completely by the baby because it was designed specifically for them. Human milk is designed for human babies but also, my milk is designed for my baby. Your milk is designed for your baby. Human milk is very easy on a baby’s gut. It digests in an hour or so which triggers babies to wake frequently for more food. Breastfeeding moms have a physical reminder to feed frequently…full boobs! Has you baby ever slept longer than expected? Did you wake up before your baby did because your breasts were full? Nature at it's finest. A unique, biological system to keep each other healthy. Baby wakes up frequently for nourishment and safety, mom doesn’t get mastitis. Win, win!!
Prolactin (milk-making hormone) levels are higher at night and in the early morning. Babies are very smart. They know this. They request food when it’s most readily available. Night feedings are important to optimize weight gain and brain growth! Breastmilk = brain food! Breastfeeding hormones also help a mother wake easily and respond to her baby’s noises and movement. The instinct to protect your baby is very powerful.
Tips for going with the flow:
Babies tend to sleep well from 6-10ish in the am. Try to nap during this time.
Schedule appointments for late morning or afternoons.
Have visitors come for lunch...with food.
Instead of showering during morning nap time, bathe at night when your partner is home. It can help you relax at the end of the day.
Phones down! It’s amazing how fast you can fall asleep when you ignore your phone.
Close your eyes and sniff your baby to calm your nerves and remind your 3am self this phase won’t last forever!
My favorite thing to help with sleep deprivation: COFFEE! Drink up!
**Caffeine is safe for breastfed babies but know that how they are affected by it is dose dependent. The average cup (8oz) is 100-150mg of caffeine and takes 1-2 hrs to reach peak levels in your milk. Babies absorb 6-25% of what mom ingests. Some babies may not be bothered by it at all. If coffee is your indulgence, bottoms up! If you notice your baby is irritable, jittery or having a hard time sleeping (← caused by so. many. things), drink less next time...it doesn’t mean you have to stop!
Room sharing and bed sharing (breast sleeping) are two other ways encourage more sleep for the family. However, bed sharing must be made as safe as possible and is not for everyone, particularly if baby is formula feeding or someone in the house smokes or mom smoked in pregnancy. For more information on co-sleeping, visit Dr. James McKenna’s website. Watch this video. The info is very useful for anyone with a baby, not only if you were planning on co-sleeping.
Want a bit more (easy to read) info? Check out this Buzzfeed article. It’s well written and has great info. The author did his research!