Night Breastfeeding - Why It Is So Important

One of the most difficult aspects of caring for a newborn baby is the sleep deprivation that comes with it. The world is full of tired and exhausted parents looking for information about why their babies wake up at night and want to be fed instead of sleeping until morning.

When you start to feel like you're not asleep every day, you may question the importance of breastfeeding. The truth is that night breastfeeding is very exhausting.

However, understanding why it is so helpful and important to you and your baby can help you cope with lack of sleep.

Babies wake up to drink breast milk because nature has arranged it that way. After birth, their stomach collects about 20 ml of milk and gradually with growth this amount increases. Breastfed babies wake up even more often than their formula-fed peers because breast milk is absorbed faster (in about an hour).

But if you think it's better to offer formula at night so that your baby can sleep peacefully and awake, then you're not quite right. We offer you to learn what are the benefits of breastfeeding at night and why it is so important, then make your choice.

The benefits of breastfeeding at night

Did you know that studies show that breastfeeding mothers actually get more sleep than those who offer their children an adapted formula. Yes, you are tired, but you have read very correctly! According to a study, parents of breastfed babies get an average of 40-45 minutes more sleep at night in the first 3 months after birth. Studies also show that this extra sleep is much more important for the mother's mental health and reduces the risk of postpartum depression.

Prolactin is a hormone responsible for supporting alveolar cells in the breast, producing and maintaining breast milk. This hormone regulates the amount of milk your body needs to produce to meet your baby's nutritional needs. The higher its levels, the more milk is produced. Hormone levels rise during breastfeeding and at night. Therefore, breastfeeding in the late hours of the day helps to establish a good supply of milk and maintain lactation. Babies often want to be breastfed at this time simply because there is more milk.

Every time your baby sucks, it signals your body to produce more milk. This is the law of supply and demand. An empty breast produces more milk. If you breastfeed your baby when he is hungry, the secretion of milk will continue, but if you offer a bottle with an adapted formula, it will negatively affect its production (because there will be no signal for production). Therefore, feed your baby on request and the amount of breast milk will be regulated by itself.

Babies are born without an established circadian rhythm (biological clock). They do not know when it is day and when it is night. It takes them several months to set up their biological clocks. Night breastfeeding stimulates the development of the circadian rhythm.

Newborns do not produce melatonin (a sleep-inducing hormone) early in life. And do you know where it is contained? In the night milk! Therefore, scientists believe that melatonin-rich night milk helps babies develop their circadian rhythm and sleep longer at night. Evening milk also contains more tryptophan (a sleep-inducing amino acid). Tryptophan is a precursor of serotonin - a hormone involved in the development of brain function, maintaining good mood and supporting the cycles of sleep and wakefulness.

Nocturnal breastfeeding is involved in the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome. Waking babies at night, feeding them, changing their body position are part of the prevention of the syndrome.

Lactational amenorrhea is a form of birth control that is 98% effective if used properly. If your baby is less than 6 months old and is exclusively breastfed on demand, and if your period has not returned, you can use the birth control method. Often the menstrual cycle returns with a significant reduction or elimination of night breastfeeding.

Feeding your baby at night is important. It absorbs 20% of the daily volume of breast milk at night. This is essential not only for maintaining lactation, but also for the growth and development of the child. Almost 2/3 of babies up to 6 months of age wake up at night to be breastfed. This is a need they feel. So do not plan how the baby will sleep awake, but make a plan on how to manage night feedings so that you and the baby are calm and rested.

Why not offer a bottle at night?

Adapted milk is difficult to digest - it takes twice as long to digest. This may seem good to you, as the baby may sleep longer between feedings, but in reality you are making it harder for his body as he works harder to process formula. This is also the reason why the baby eats less often.

Offering an adapted formula may be an easier option for good sleep, but it carries risks of obesity in the baby in the future, and also leads to a reduction in breast milk.

In addition to the reasons already mentioned, formula requires time to be prepared, after which the bottles must be cleaned and sterilized, which takes time for sleep. It would be much more comfortable if the mother breastfeeds her baby in bed, while she can rest.

How to easily combine night breastfeeding and sleep?

Many mothers prefer to sleep with their babies. For some, this is the time when mothers and babies rest from each other and everyone should have their own bed, but when it comes to breastfeeding and restful sleep, the best solution is to sleep together. This will help for more sleep at night and more frequent breastfeeding at the same time. If you still do not feel comfortable sleeping with the baby, worry about his safety or other children / pets sleep in the bed, then at least have the newborn's crib in your room.

Only you as a mother can breastfeed your baby. So let your partner be responsible for changing diapers; for getting up at night if you need something (like a glass of water) or just take the baby out of the crib and bring him to bed with you. If it helps you with these things you will be able to relax comfortably at night without having to get up constantly.

When possible during the day, try to sleep in the hours when the baby does. This can be a challenge if you have older children, but during the time when the house is quiet and the baby is sleeping, try to rest yourself.

And the next time you hear your baby cry at 2:00 at night, think of nighttime breastfeeding not as a lack of sleep, but as an exchange of gifts - you stimulate the growth and development of your child, reduce the risk of sudden death syndrome, help the development of his biological clock, and at the same time you maintain your lactation and reduce the risk of postpartum depression for you!

If you have tried all the tips and still feel sleep deprived, remember that you have a newborn baby and he will grow up very soon. One day you will look back and want to support your child at night… Now the sleepless nights seem long to you, but these moments of parenthood are actually too short. Enjoy them!