Many parents have a specific time frame that they think their baby should be sleeping through the night by and can find it disheartening when they continue to wake during this period. Despite eating solids well and having plenty of protein they still wake up.
But they can’t be hungry so why?
It’s important to understand that babies (not just newborns) feed for reasons other than just to satisfy their hunger and meet their growth demands. Often night wakings will be for the physical contact, feelings of security, pain reduction and the calming effects of oxytocin.
It’s important to understand that babies (not just newborns) feed for reasons other than just to satisfy their hunger and meet their growth demands. Often night wakings will be for the physical contact, feelings of security, pain reduction and the calming effects of oxytocin. When we as parents have set times in our mind that baby should be sleeping and not feeding, and we stop responding to our baby’s cues, they can become stressed. This can lead to negative effects on development as well as prolonged and unpleasant night waking, which is what we want to avoid. This can be managed by being responsive to your baby’s needs. It may not be a consistent pattern but it won’t last forever either. We have all had days and nights that have been tough and it’s amazing to think that over time our minds seem to be very clever at washing away those unhelpful feelings associated with those distant memories.
Just one more baby… it can’t be that hard right?
Amy Sherpa is co-founder of The Baby Sleep Practitioners. Amy and Elspeth Witton are registered nurses, having over ten years’ experience, with a background in neonatal nursing. They both hold Master’s Degrees in Health Science and currently work casually in a Special Care Baby Unit and as Baby Sleep Practitioners. They also hold infant sleep workshops. They’re both parents themselves, each of them mothers to two young boys. They are personable and can relate to the challenges of motherhood.
