If a mother is finding night feeding exhausting you could encourage her to rest during the day, to try feeding lying down and to keep baby close at night so she doesn’t have to get up. Some mothers express milk for their partner, or another support person, to give but expressing takes more effort than simply breastfeeding. Giving formula affects a mother’s milk production since a baby will take less breastmilk. What about bottles and dummies? Bottles or dummies can confuse a baby’s sucking technique, so if a supplement is needed, a spoon, flexible feeding cup or syringe can be used. In the meantime, they will wake and be likely to need the comfort of mother, her co-parent or other family member’s presence to help them relax and fall back to sleep. As a baby grows their sleep cycles will naturally get longer. Consider whether you sleep through the night now? Many adults wake, turn over and go back to sleep as a matter of course. Just as there’s no fixed age for when a baby is ready to walk or talk, there’s no real way of knowing when they will be ready to sleep through the night. When will a baby sleep through the night?Ī baby will need to breastfeed during the night for a number of months to ensure they take in enough milk and to maintain their mother’s milk production. Many babies who start on solid foods from around six months quickly learn to feed themselves and enjoy sitting up with the family at mealtimes. If a baby seems hungry, more breastmilk usually does the trick-mothers could breastfeed more often, offering both sides. There’s no benefit to be found in introducing solid foods before this time. After all, no one notices a baby nestled in mum’s arms but a crying baby guarantees an audience! When can a baby start eating solid food?īreastmilk is a complete food so a healthy baby needs only breastmilk until about the middle of the first year. She can spot early feeding cues and offer a feed before her baby gets frantic-well before those around her are even aware. What about breastfeeding in public places?īabies often want to breastfeed when people around them are eating and drinking-and why not? Mothers breastfeed in many public places and tend to be so discreet you may not even have noticed.īreastfeeding is also convenient when a mother is out and about. Research shows that a baby who is not breastfed is more likely to suffer from health problems, both as a child and throughout adulthood. Infant formula increases a child’s risk of (amongst many other health problems): SIDS, Cancer, Obesity, Diabetes, and Allergies. When a mum has no support Why breastfeed?īreastmilk has everything a growing baby needs in exactly the right amounts and is easy to digest. What breastfeeding mothers say when asked what would help When will a baby sleep through the night? By meeting your baby’s needs a mother gives them a secure attachment so they can develop into a confident child. A baby’s wants are a baby’s needs-they can’t wait like an adult can. This way, babies get what they need to thrive. A breastfeeding mother generally feels an intense connection with her baby, both emotionally and physically, due to breastfeeding hormones and the practical need to stay close to nurse her baby. The security of a baby’s bond with their mother is the basis for all other relationships. At first their mother and nursing will be at the centre of a baby’s world. At this stage, a mother may only be managing to eat, sleep and nurse the baby. In the early days, a baby will probably want to breastfeed a lot of the time they are awake. Even experienced mothers can have difficulties juggling the needs of the new baby with those of older children.Īt this time a pair of practical helping hands can make a big difference by allowing a mother time to recover from the birth and establish breastfeeding. Life may change dramatically, especially for a first time mother-many women say they didn’t feel prepared for the emotional upheaval they experienced on becoming a mother. New parents need time to adjust to their new roles.
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