Breastfeeding at night

Circadian rhythm must be learned

Babies are born without a circadian rhythm. They must therefore learn to tell the difference between night and day. Partly because it is important for you as a mother and for the rest of the family, partly because it is important for the baby to be able to sleep deeply. It is when babies sleep that they grow and a number of important mechanisms take place – the same also applies to us adults. Sleep is both physically and mentally vital. That being said, there is a big difference in how long and how often babies sleep. The “normal” spectrum is broad. And it is so important that you do not compare with other babies you know. It is important to remember that difference is not the same as something being wrong. 

Create good nighttime habits

There is a lot to be gained by creating good nighttime habits; the opposite is exhausting for the whole family. There must be a clear difference between feeding during the day and at night. Have a small, dim lamp that can be turned on when needed in connection with nighttime feeding or diaper changes at night. Avoid talking, cuddling, and waking the baby up further. A dirty diaper should of course be changed, a smaller wet diaper can wait until morning. It can pay to practice lying down while feeding. In this way, as a woman, you do not have to get up, find pillows, etc. Lying down feeding can take place completely without words. If you co-sleep with the baby, you ‘simply’ pull the baby down next to you and help the baby to the breast. Over time, the baby may even catch the breast on their own while asleep. And you can learn to doze off while feeding. For many babies, the longer sleep stretches first arise with a well-functioning feeding – so here is another good reason to prioritize time, calm, and joint effort in relation to establishing breastfeeding. 

Make room for free feeding at night

Just like during the day, it is important that you also take your baby's needs at night as a starting point. There must be free feeding based on the baby's needs. And the baby must be allowed to feed until the baby rejects the breast or is clearly full and falls asleep. The young child may need frequent feedings during the first month. The stomach is only the size of a walnut and therefore empties faster than in an older child.

When the baby turns a month or so, you may experience that the sleep stretches become longer. Many mothers can wake up completely startled and with very tight breasts the first time the baby sleeps 3-4-5 hours straight at night. It can be both relieving and confusing for the adults to get more sleep. If your breasts are completely tight due to the abundance of milk, it can be difficult for the baby to latch on. You can then advantageously hand express the first drops into a cloth diaper and thus ‘take the pressure off’. It will make it easier for the baby to latch on. 

Feeding at night

We women produce more milk at night, which may mean that you leak milk from one or both breasts, that the milk flows faster during the individual nighttime feedings, and that the feedings take less time. Sometimes the baby can also get confused by the faster milk flow – the lying feeding position is good at preventing this. 

There are great individual differences in nighttime feeding. Both in terms of how often and how long. It is also important to remember here that feeding is about much more than food and drink. Among other things, regulation of the nervous system, cuddling, and security. And you should remember that babies can also wake up for reasons other than the need to feed. There may be a dirty diaper, gas in the stomach, restlessness, or something else. Here, dim lighting is also important, if possible no talking, and overall signaling that it is night while at the same time meeting the baby's needs. It can be a good idea to have blackout curtains in the bedroom and overall have everything you might need within reach. Whether it be a diaper, a trash bag, an extra pillow, a cloth diaper, a water bottle, a small dim light source, etc. 

I wish you deep and delicious sleep for both young and old!