A big resounding FALSE! I recently spoke to 11 beautiful women about teaching their children how to sleep well and I was astounded by how many of them believed that they could not teach their children how to sleep well if they had chosen to breastfeed. Breastfeeding and Good Sleep are not mutually exclusive. You can be successful at both!
Breastfeeding and Sleeping: A fresh perspective:
- You can breastfeed and teach your children good sleeping habits as well.
- Breastfeeding your baby to sleep ALL the time will make your baby rely on feeding to fall sleep, resulting in them waking up more frequently at night.
- A baby might be able to drop night feeds (healthily) from as early as between 10 and 12 weeks.
- Even if you breastfeed, it is advisable that you do not co-sleep with your baby as it increases your baby’s risk of SIDS.
- Breastfeeding in public is one of the most controversial subjects in our society: Recently Facebook has come under fire for removing photos of mothers’ breastfeeding their children, citing offensive content in violation of the Facebook Terms of Service. Facebook claimed that these photos violated their decency code by showing an exposed breast, even when the baby covered the nipple. This action was described as hypocritical, since Facebook took several days to respond to calls to deactivate a paid advertisement for a dating service that used a photo of a topless model.
- Dads can make or break breastfeeding: Studies show that the more supportive partners are, the longer the mother is likely to continue.
- Supplementing or TOP-UP feeding will not make your baby sleep better (insert gasp here!).
- The amount of lactose in breast milk is not affected by the mother’s diet. This means the mother cannot influence the amount of lactose in her milk by reducing or eliminating dairy foods
- When it comes to sleep, nutrition plays a vital role in your child’s sleep habits. It isimperative to provide adequate feeding to your baby.
Petro Thamm is a mom, and founder of Good Night, a certified Sleep Sense Consultancy as well the director for Africa for the International Association of Professional Sleep Consultants.
For more help on sleep related matters for your baby and/or toddler, contact [email protected], www.goodnightbaby.co.za or like the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/GoodNightbabyrsa
For more help on sleep related matters for your baby and/or toddler, contact [email protected], www.goodnightbaby.co.za or like the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/GoodNightbabyrsa
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