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Night feeding

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Night Time Feeding
As a dutiful mother, you constantly find yourself spending more time with nursing, burping, changing nappy. Managing domestic chores takes a backseat for a while and at certain times it’s even drifting away from catching up your wonder sleep. Well, this is how your daily schedule would look like initially. But you would soon seek solace in switching back to your normal routine after you have successfully weathered the many challenges of parenthood.

Needs of a Newborn
  • It’s true like adults, babies too need their share of good sleep but they also need to curb their frequent hunger pangs at regular intervals. So initially, you would observe your baby waking up quite often for several feeds i.e. around 6-8 times every 24 hours. This is also well supported by the fact that frequent feeding your newborn would also help stimulate an adequate milk supply.
  • She might wake up two to three times during the night but this would gradually reduce as she starts feeding more during the daytime.This could then be indicative that your baby is storing up enough reserves of energy so that she can sleep well in the night.
  • General feeding patterns of a baby:-
  • By around four months, most babies would sleep comfortably through the night. But this would be possible only if they have had been sufficiently breastfed during the day. Demand feeding begins when your baby grows a little older by few more weeks. You now need not be strict in following the 2-3 hour gap for every feed, the way you did in the initial days of your baby’s birth.




  • You could let your baby set the pace for feedings, once you observe that your baby is gaining weight well and has normal urine and stool output.
  • Babies of around three to six months usually require a feeding during the night. So make sure, you nurse her well apart from showering the much needed attention during the same. This is equally important as it would help you interpret your baby’s anxiety, to know if she is crying or uncomfortable for any reason other than hunger.
Encourage nursing in a Sleepy Baby
  • Babies usually tend to be in an active sleep state. You can easily sense that they have yet not entered a deep sleep stage by checking for the following:-
  • Your baby’s eyelids would be partially closed along with some rapid eye movements.
  • You could also observe involuntary movements of arms, legs and notice a sucking reflex.
  • Gently massage his hands and feet using your thumb. Support her back while you hold her in the feeding position. Communicate to your baby that she now needs to be fed, maintaining an eye contact while you initiate the process.
  • You could also make use of a small amount of expressed milk. With the help of a dropper, just dribble some amount into her mouth to help swallowing while feeding.
Weaning from Night Feeding
  • Weaning your baby from night feeds should be gradually followed after six months of exclusive breastfeeding. Discuss your baby’s sleep patterns with her pediatrician and then opt for reducing the number of feeds during the night. You could let your baby nurse only one breast to slowly reduce the amount of milk she would take during nighttime feeds.
  • Some babies may take up easily to the process and sleep peacefully when they are about five to six months old. But for some toddlers, it won’t work in the similar way. They woke up during the night because they were used to having night feeds. So an abrupt change in their schedule would make them more anxious resulting in heightened crying spells. Be patient. See how it works for your baby and then try to let her adapt to this change smoothly.
  • Before taking your baby to sleep, always ensure to have a desired atmosphere favourable for good sleep. Have dim lights in your baby’s room. Sing a calming lullaby, affectionately cuddle her before you place your baby in her crib. The one she may be used to hearing before sleep would actually make her sense that it’s time to sleep.



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With 27 Vital Nutrients including Choline and DHA For Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
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