What is the "standard" way to breastfeed an infant? How many times a night does your baby need to nurse? When should I wake up my baby to nurse at night or just let my baby sleep? Below are the instructions of Dr. Nhi to help mothers better understand the infant's night-feeding habits.
1. Before 6 months, mothers can breastfeed their babies at night according to their baby's needs
With newborn babies, especially babies from 6 weeks old and earlier, most babies need a lot of night-feeding because their stomachs are still small. Babies need to eat continuously to meet nutritional needs.
With full-term babies, if the baby sleeps more than 2 hours, the mother does not need to wake the baby up to eat, but should respect the child's needs.
As for babies born underweight and premature , mothers need to wake up babies to eat every 2 hours because these babies need more milk in the first months.
From 6 months onwards, when the baby has entered the weaning period, the mother should stop feeding the baby at night. This will benefit the baby's weaning process as well as daytime milk feeding.
Many mothers breastfeed at night because of their emotions because they want to bond with their babies. But in reality, night-feeding no longer has much nutritional value at this point.
On the contrary, if a baby breastfeeds continuously at night after 6 months of age, it will often affect a child's sleep continuity. Since then, breastfeeding and weaning become more dripping and ineffective during the day.
How to feed babies at night
2. The "standard" way to breastfeed an infant at night is that the mother should breastfeed in a quiet, dark space.
This will help your baby understand the difference between day and night . Thanks to that, up to about 6 weeks of age, babies can understand that night is the time to sleep. After breastfeeding, babies can resume their sleep without crying and nagging their mothers or lying down to play.
3. Even if it is night feeding, mothers still need to burp the baby
Because of night-feeding, many mothers conveniently lie down to breastfeed and then both mother and baby sleep. However, for babies who are prone to gas and vomiting, this is a habit that should not be.
To help your baby feel comfortable with a night's sleep, without gagging, the mother or father needs to take the trouble to hold the baby and burp before putting the baby back to sleep.
how to feed babies at night
4. Mom should sit and breastfeed instead of lying down
The time to raise a child is always the hardest time for all mothers. Waking up to breastfeed, changing diapers for the baby, ... socks will make mothers feel tired and always in a state of lack of sleep.
This inevitably leads to many mothers choosing a comfortable solution that is lying down to breastfeed.
However, mothers should consider in the long term the issues that may entail such as the baby's addiction to the mother, the addiction to the mother's breath, the snacking all night, and the need for nanny as a tool of reassurance.
That is why the pediatrician advises the mother to be a bit uncomfortable, sit up and breastfeed in the right position, which will benefit both mother and baby later.
How to feed babies at night
5. Breastfeeding at night, mothers should only change diapers when needed
As with breastfeeding, mothers do not need to change diapers when they are not needed. If your baby has a new baby need to change diapers immediately. Or if your baby is sleeping and breastfeeding, that is the time to change diapers to keep the baby more alert while breastfeeding, so it is best to let the baby sleep seamlessly.
6. Always be ready with essential items for baby even when the lights are not on
Mothers should prepare necessary things to breastfeed their babies in their room. Items including clothes, diapers and towels for the baby should be kept as close to the mother as possible and streamlined so that the mother always knows where to look, even in the dark.
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