Sleep and breastfeeding
Depending on the way you approach sleep for your breastfed baby, there is really no reason why you should not get a good night-time routine going. One of the things that is generally frowned upon, is breastfeeding your baby until he falls asleep. The reason for this is that your baby should be able to sleep without ‘sleep associations’ or ‘cues’ like your breast.
If you feed your baby to sleep every night, it is thought that you will be making a rod for your own back as every night he will need to be breastfed to sleep. He will not be able to sleep without the comfort of your breast, which could mean you are the only person able to comfort him when he wakes in the wee hours.
Feeding your baby to sleep every night could also mean that he's merely suckling on the breast and not really taking in enough milk to keep him satisfied. Some people suggest that your baby should be fully awake when you feed him. If your baby is particularly sleepy while feeding and keeps drifting off, it might be worth breaking the pattern by changing his nappy or walking round the room with him, so that he's then awake enough to finish his feed and doesn't wake up two hours later hungry for more!
Some mothers disagree that feeding their baby to sleep every night is a bad thing, and are happy to start a feeding precedent and establish this routine. This is a matter of personal opinion and, if, for example, you are co-sleeping with your baby, breastfeeding can actually be a wonderful bonding time that hardly disturbs your night anyway. At any rate, night feeding helps to maintain your milk production, although by missing one feed each night, your body will probably adapt accordingly. If you want to learn more about co-sleeping, watch our video on safe co-sleeping and, if you're keen to make the break from co-sleeping, read how can I stop co-sleeping?
On the other hand, if your baby will take a bottle, your partner could give your baby his night-time feed with a bottle of expressed milk, thus ensuring you are not the only person leaping around after midnight and giving you the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. You will learn what works best for you and your baby.
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