How to change #1 cause of newborn sleep problems: hunger
These newborn sleep pages are intended to get you started in the first challenging few weeks of life. But this sleep work will be most useful in your family's life if you quickly move on to the comprehensive Possums Baby Sleep Program, starting with The essentials, here!
In the very first weeks of life, a baby who is not receiving as much milk as he or she needs may wake excessively, or be awake and unsettled for long periods in the night. If you think your baby is hungry in the night in the first days and weeks, please reach out to your local GP or breastfeeding support professional, who will
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Check your baby over to ensure health and safety
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Check your baby has a good throughput of milk
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Check your baby is gaining weight well
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Help with breastfeeding challenges.
The first days and weeks after your baby is born are often unbelievably challenging and short on sleep, as your newborn settles into life and you all get to know each other. Things really will get easier! Parents often say to me that nothing could have prepared them for the enormity of it all, especially the first time around.
Getting milk into your newborn’s tummy is one of the great areas of exploration and experimentation right from the start. Actually, babies don’t need a lot of milk in the first few days because their stomach is still very small. They have a hardwired need for very frequent suckling opportunities, though, and frequent suckling helps ensure a good supply of milk later on.
It's possible, for instance, that the lady who is breastfeeding in the picture at the top of this page could have certain problems, like nipple pain or the baby fussing at the breast, which result from her baby being held in an unstable position as she feeds. This might even affect how the little one transfers milk, which could in turn result in hunger and night-time sleep problems. You can find out more here.
If you're needing to use a bottle, you can find out about paced bottle feeding here. Paced bottle-feeding helps you use the bottle, whether expressed breast milk or formula, in a way that keeps your little one dialled down and satiated.
Settling into your breastfeeding relationship with your baby is a huge topic. You can find out more here. There are so many questions to ask, so many challenges, so much conflicting advice!
However, once you’re sure your newborn is getting enough milk, then very often you'll discover that the night-waking problem is not to do with hunger, but because your little one's body clock is still very immature.
If this is the case, it's important to know how to bring your newborn's body clock into sync with your own just as quickly possible! You can find out how to do this here.
Recommended resources
The body clock: baby sleep regulator #1
Sleep pressure: baby sleep regulator #2
How to change #1 cause of newborn sleep problems: hunger
How to change #2 cause of newborn sleep problems: body clock not in sync with yours yet
When you're in a sleep emergency and lying awake even though baby is asleep.
The Australian Breastfeeding Association website is an excellent resource.