Benefits of night breastfeeding

Over the past decades, a certain stereotype of a "comfortable" child has developed in families. One of the key points in this look is the baby's uninterrupted night sleep. That is why a young mother is often asked whether the child eats at night, and if so, the mother receives a whole list of tips on how to get the baby to sleep all night and not disturb the parents.

Why is night feedings okay?

In fact, those parents should be worried whose babies are capable of sleeping for 8-10 hours continuously and not begging for breasts. For a child under one year old, eating 3-4 times a night is more than normal. Being in the mother's belly, the baby was continuously fed with blood flow, therefore, having been born, it is not so easy for him to reorganize to the "adult" regime. In addition, breast milk is quickly absorbed, so the baby needs to eat several times a night.

In cold weather, the frequency of nighttime applications may increase, since central heating dries the air very much, and the baby begins to be thirsty.

If the child sleeps continuously for 8-10 hours, parents should pay attention to this. For breastfed babies, this is only possible with deep, stressful sleep. Usually, the child gets used to sleeping like this after several times the mother categorically refused to feed at night, that is, she ignored the baby's need.

Another case when children really hardly wake up at night is those of artificial people. They are actually able to sleep longer than babies because the formula they get instead of breast milk is hard to digest. After the mixture, the child quickly falls asleep and all the forces of his body are transferred to the work of the digestive tract. True, there is nothing useful for the baby in this, because the mixture does not even half reproduce the composition of mother's milk.

Benefits of night feeds

The advantages of night feedings are palpable for both mom and baby. If a mother is determined to breastfeed and maintain lactation, she definitely needs to know what the value of nighttime attachments is.

The most important and tangible plus is the maintenance of lactation. The production of milk in the female body is controlled by the hormone prolactin, which is produced 2 times more at night than during the day. The time of increased production of prolactin is from 3 am to 8 am, therefore, during this time period, it is imperative to apply the baby to the breast. No matter how simple this rule may seem, it is very important to observe it, because you cannot go against physiology. On night feeds alone, lactation can be maintained even when the baby is almost no longer breastfeeding during the day. (See more tips on how to increase lactation)
Night feedings save the mother from breast overflow and lactostasis. For the breast, especially at first, such long intervals between sucking are not at all useful. The most harmless consequence is simply the painful feeling of overcrowding. However, lying in an uncomfortable position with a crowded chest, you can squeeze the ducts and get lactostasis, and this is already a more serious problem. Sometimes women cannot cope with stagnation and strain their breasts on their own; they have to contact a doctor or a HB counselor. (we read about how to express your breast with your hands or how to express your breast with a breast pump)
The baby, having the opportunity to refresh himself at night, fully saturates his needs for food and drink, as well as for sucking and in tactile contact with his mother. The latter is especially important if during the day the mother is often forced to be distracted by household chores or absent from work, leaving the baby with a grandmother or nanny.
Night feedings help a mother to cope with childhood malaise or restless sleep with minimal losses for herself. Usually, children do not sleep well during teething or illness, some react to weather changes, the full moon. With the breast, babies calm down more easily and fall asleep again. It may not be easy to calm a baby without a breast: mothers and fathers have to rock the baby in their arms for a long time so that an hour later he wakes up crying again.

Breastfeeding consultant talks about night feedings, how to improve lactation, how to feed your newborn more conveniently.

Night feedings: a compromise

Some babies are out of the general statistics and wake up 10 times a night, arranging real night marathons at the chest. In such a situation, it is difficult for mom to get enough sleep and stay calm, so you need to find a compromise between the child's needs and mom's capabilities. You can slightly reduce the number of night applications with the help of some tricks.

If the baby quickly fell asleep after receiving the breast - do not wait until he releases the nipple, carefully remove the breast yourself. Sometimes the baby just needs to feel that mom is near.
If you go to bed later than the child, offer him the breast before falling asleep by herself, as if ahead of his need. This will help delay awakening and give Mom several hours of uninterrupted sleep.
If the baby is already receiving complementary foods, shift the time of complementary foods to the evening. Sleep better on a full stomach, so at night the baby will wake up less often than usual.

These measures are intended to only slightly reduce nighttime feedings, but not eliminate them altogether. By the way, when weaning, night feedings are the last to go, and this does not always go smoothly. Only the awareness of the importance of nighttime attachments helps the mother to gain patience and not deprive the baby of such an important link.

And finally, look at the article on how to start weaning a baby from night feedings - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/kormlenie-grudyu/nochnoe-kormlenie-grudyu.html