Circadian rhythm must be learned

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

Create good nighttime habits

There is much to be gained by creating good nighttime habits; the opposite is exhausting for the whole family. There should be a clear difference between breastfeeding during the day and at night. Have a small, dimmed lamp that can be turned on when needed in connection with nighttime feeding or diaper changes at night. Avoid talking, comforting, and waking up baby further. A dirty diaper should of course be changed, a smaller wet diaper can wait until the morning. It is worth practicing breastfeeding lying down. That way, as a woman, you don't have to sit up, find pillows, etc. Breastfeeding lying down can take place completely without words. If you co-sleep with your baby, it is 'simply' to pull the baby down next to you and help the baby to the breast. Over time, the baby may even be able to catch the breast in his sleep. And you can learn to doze off while you are breastfeeding. For many babies, the longer sleep stretches occur first, with well-functioning breastfeeding - here is another good reason to prioritize time, calm, and joint effort in relation to breastfeeding establishment.

Make room for free milk bar at night

Just like during the day, it is important that you also take your baby's needs into account at night. There should be free milk available based on the baby's needs. And the baby should be allowed to breastfeed until the baby rejects the breast or is clearly full and falls asleep. The infant may need frequent breastfeeding during the first month. The stomach is only the size of a walnut and therefore empties faster than in a larger child.

When baby is a month or so old, you may find that the sleep stretches become longer. Many mothers may wake up completely startled and with large, tense breasts, the first time that baby sleeps 3-4-5 hours straight at night. It can be both liberating and confusing for adults to get more sleep. If your breasts are completely tense due to the large amount of milk, it can be difficult for baby to latch on. You can then hand express the first drops into a cloth diaper and thus 'take the pressure'. This will make it easier for baby to latch on.

Breastfeeding at night

We women produce more milk at night, which can mean that you leak milk from one or both breasts, that the milk flows faster during individual night feeds and that the feeds take shorter. Sometimes the baby can also get choked by the faster milk let-down – this is something that the lying-down breastfeeding position is good at preventing.

There are big individual differences in breastfeeding at night. Both in terms of how often and for how long. It is also important to remember that breastfeeding is about much more than food and drink. Among other things, regulation of the nervous system, comfort and security. And you should remember that babies can also wake up for reasons other than the need to breastfeed. There may be a dirty diaper, flatulence, restlessness or something else. Here it is also important to have dim lighting, if possible no talking and in general to signal that it is night while at the same time meeting the baby's needs. It may be an idea to have blackout curtains in the bedroom and generally have everything you may need within reach. Be it a diaper, garbage bag, an extra pillow, cloth diaper, water bottle, small dim light source, etc.

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