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How to Cope With Night Feeds
Breastfeeding your baby as a beginner is not an easy task, especially when you are exhausted from lack of sleep.
Breastfeeding your baby overnight can be challenging as a beginner.
Today I am going to give you 7 overnight breastfeeding tips to help you and your baby get through the night together.
You will find shortcuts or best practices in the list, so this is a must-see overnight breastfeeding tips list for beginners.
Without wasting any time, let’s get to it.
#1) Nighttime feeding is important.
It is important to know that nocturnal feeding is important for babies, and for you too.
When you breastfeed in the night, more prolactin is produced in your body, (this is the hormone that promotes the production of milk).
Night feeding, therefore, helps to maintain milk production.
In addition, the volume of milk mothers can store in the breast varies from one mother to another.
Thus, for many breastfeeding mamas, night feeding is an essential thing to do to meet the needs of your baby.
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#2) Find a comfortable position
As soon as possible, learn how to breastfeed as you lie down.
If you are unable to sleep because of the baby, you should at least be able to get some rest in a horizontal position.
It’s simple to do, here is how to do so:
Lay on one side, support your head using one or two pillows.
Putting a pillow like this between your knees can also make you feel more comfortable.
Place your baby, lying on their side too, so that their nose is at the same level as your nipple.
If your breasts are quite small, you may place a firm pillow under your baby, this brings them up to the level of your nipple.
#3) Remain close to your baby
Keep your baby near you at night. It’s not only easier to feed your baby at night if you do not have to walk down the hall or walkway to get your crying baby, but research has also shown that having your baby share your room helps reduce the risk of SIDS.
You should consider bed-sharing for maximum ease of breastfeeding.
Recommended: 7 Things You Need to Know The First Week of Breastfeeding
#4) Don’t look at your clock
Knowing you haven’t slept more than 2 hours the whole night is not going to help matters.
So you may have to turn your bedside clock so you do not see the clock or what time it is.
#5) Keep the lights off
To encourage your baby to go right back to sleep, ensure the light in the room is off, the room is dark and as quiet as possible, and avoid eye contact with your baby so you do not stimulate them during a feed.
We know you may need light to have a good view of what you’re doing, I recommend getting you a night light to help. Check out this super cute chick one on Amazon here.
This is a better option than having the light in the room ON.
#6) Wear clothes that allow easy access.
It is important to wear clothing that is open in the front, such as PJs or nightgowns, instead of clothes that you have to pull up or down to give your baby access to the boob.
You should get breastfeeding nightgowns or tank tops like these I found on Amazon. This will allow easy access for the baby. Some women may prefer to wear a nursing bra during the night, which is totally OK too.
Recommended: 8 Beautiful Tank Tops for Breastfeeding
#7) Whenever possible, take a Nap
You have to take a nap whenever possible, although this can get a lot more difficult if you have more than 1 child.
But it will make a difference if you are able to nap when the baby naps, your older child may take that time to watch a video or play games if you feel confident enough to let them.
Your partner may also take charge of the baby while you get a little sleep if they’re home from work.
GET EDUCATED
If you found this information helpful and want to learn even more. I absolutely love this popular online course called the Ultimate Breastfeeding Class by Milkology. It has everything you need to know about latching and positioning, mastering and protecting your milk supply, troubleshooting common breastfeeding issues and so much more…
Stacey (the instructor) is a certified lactation educator and has taught lactation to thousands of women all over the world. Click here to check out the Ultimate Breastfeeding Class for yourself.
These are simple overnight breastfeeding tips for beginners. Hopefully, these tips help you out mama! PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND 🙂
