How To Survive Breastfeeding A Newborn At Night

I don’t know why but I find it so much harder breastfeeding a newborn at night than breastfeeding a newborn during the day.

Breastfeeding is not for the weak that is for sure.

Now, don’t get me wrong.

I breastfeed my daughter for 18 months and I loved the experience of bonding with her through feeding and getting those extra cuddles.

But I would be lying if I told you that my experience didn’t have me ready to pull my hair out at times.

This was especially true while breastfeeding her at night.

As a first-time mom, nothing could have prepared me for that type of exhaustion when you are nursing throughout the night.

• Read More: What To Expect Becoming A First-Time Mom

Mommas, y’all know exactly what I am talking about.

You are literally running off of pure adrenaline from the lack of sleep you are getting.

Days blur together and somehow you are still providing everything that your little one needs.

This is normally the time that most people get that much-needed rest to wake up feeling refreshed.

However, when you have a newborn, that rest is really hard to come by.

And when you are breastfeeding a newborn, it feels even harder since you are the primary feeding source.

Well with all the practice that I had with my daughter, I want to share how I got through those long nights in hopes that it will help another struggling momma.

Here, I will dive into how I survived breastfeeding a newborn at night.

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Should I Wake Up My Newborn To Breastfeed At Night?

Before I get into my tips on breastfeeding a newborn through the night, let’s answer this question.

Should you wake up your newborn to breastfeed them at night?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is one that no one likes to hear and that is it depends.

According to New Mom Collective, it is recommended that you feed your baby at least every 2 or 3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night until your baby is 2 weeks old and back to birth weight.

Which is exactly what our pediatrician had us do as well.

She wanted me to wake the baby every 3 hours at night for the first 2 weeks to ensure that she was getting enough milk and also maintaining my supply.

After the first 2 weeks and when my daughter returned to her birth weight is when I was told to not wake her and let her wake me up.

Which she did on her own every 3-4 hours.

So if you are looking for the answer to whether or not you should wake your baby at night to feed, it is yes and no.

Make sure you are listening to what your pediatrician is telling you to do and if you need to wake your baby at night, set a timer for yourself to get up every 3 or so hours.

That was what I did for those first 2 weeks to ensure I got up to feed my daughter.

And if I had to wake her up, I would always change her diaper beforehand to kind of wake her up in order to nurse.

If that didn’t work, then I would try to express some milk and place my nipple by her lips.

As I said above, breastfeeding is not for the weak which is why you must be prepared.

Now let’s get into those tips on nursing a baby at night.

How To Survive Breastfeeding A Newborn At Night

Wear the Right Clothing

The first thing to do when surviving breastfeeding a newborn at night is to be prepared by having the proper pajamas on.

The last thing you want to be doing at 3 in the morning is fumbling with your clothes with a crying baby.

Wear something nursing-friendly that is loose and easy to maneuver.

Amazon and Target both have nursing-friendly button-down pajamas that I love that are really comfortable, affordable and allow me to get my breast out without exposing all of myself.

The pajamas that I like to get from Target can be found below.

When I’m wearing these button-down pajamas, I like to keep the top two buttons loose at night so I can pull out my breast with ease to nurse her.

There is no struggle with my clothes and I don’t have to worry about a crying baby too long.

Keep Baby Close

According to many studies, if your baby is sleeping in the same room as the parent, their risk of SIDS decreases.

Having your baby near will instantly make the nights easier and you will avoid stumbling around at night into a room with a crying baby.

You can do this by creating a nursery nook in your bedroom where the baby can sleep at night.

If the baby is already in the room with you, that is a few steps you can save and you will save even more if you decide to co-sleep.

This may be controversial but I made the decision to co-sleep for the first few months of my daughter’s life.

I was completely against it at first because of all the articles that said it was linked to SIDS.

I’m not going to encourage you to sleep with your baby if you don’t want to, but I found myself getting the most sleep I ever got when she was lying right next to me in the bed.

I didn’t have to get up and I found myself falling back to sleep a lot quicker.

There are many benefits to cosleeping such as getting more sleep as I said above and I will even venture to say better sleep.

• Read More: Safe Ways To Bedshare With A Newborn

And it will make breastfeeding an absolute breeze because your baby will already be lying next to you.

If you are uncomfortable with lying right next to your child, there are many cosleepers on the market that you can put your baby in to further reduce the risk of SIDS.

I will link a cosleeper below that has many good reviews on Amazon and can be placed in the bed beside you.

Keep the Room Dark (Dim)

You will see this tip in many books and blogs when they discuss some of the best ways to breastfeed a baby through the night.

Because there is a lot of truth to this.

Once a baby gets here, they do not know the difference between day and night, and the way to combat that is by keeping the days bright and the nights dark.

Changing their diaper might wake them up, but a bright overhead light will definitely do it.

Make sure to utilize a nightlight that allows you to see while moving about your room and while you are changing the baby’s diaper.

We used the Munchkin Projector And Sound Machine because not only does it double as sound machine and projector, but it also has night light feature.

Get (Quality) Sleep While They Are Sleeping

This should be obvious right?

You are supposed to be doing this during the day but you aren’t, are you?

This is why it’s even more important that you do this at night.

When my daughter came home from the hospital, I put her in her crib for the first two nights and I barely slept either of those nights.

Not because I was getting up every 2-3 hours, but because she was so far away.

I would get up and go to her room, feed her, burp her, and then walk back to my room to get in bed.

By the time I got back in bed, I was wide awake and had such a hard time going back to sleep.

And then by the time I fell back asleep, my baby was up again and would need me to repeat the cycle all over again.

I was literally exhausted from nursing my newborn all night.

• Read More: Overcoming Postpartum Insomnia As A New Parent

This was the main reason I chose to cosleep because the sleep I was getting left me feeling more rested than when she was in her crib in her room.

The quality of sleep matters when you taking care of a baby throughout the day so make sure you getting good sleep in between feeds

Ask for Help

Another obvious thing to do, but doesn’t get utilized enough.

It is ok as a breastfeeding momma to have someone else feed your baby.

Pump some milk earlier in the day and have a couple of bottles ready to go so you can have someone else take on a night feed.

Get your husband to help you with the baby by having him either take on one of the night feeds or change the baby during the night.

• Read More: How Your Husband Can Help With A Newborn

If you have a grandparent or a friend that is wanting to help, have them spend the right to help or come over during the day so you can take a nap.

There are many ways that you can get help as a mom, but you won’t get it if you keep telling yourself that you are fine when you are not.

I honestly wish I had utilized this more myself.

I thought if I couldn’t feed her, then what kind of mom does that make me?

Well, I am here to tell you that it makes you a great mom who deserves rest.

Motherhood never stops, but you can’t pour into your child from an empty cup.

Your Turn

Remember, you will not be breastfeeding your newborn at night forever. You will look back at those nights and realize that you lived to tell the tale. Might even miss them. You will survive breastfeeding at night and better sleep will come. I would love to hear your tips on nursing your baby at night in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous blog post below. Until next time!

• Read More: My Simple Morning Routine As A Stay Home Mom

Love,

Just Jass