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Breastfeeding Myths
The Social Myths of Breastfeeding
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
Myth 2: Breastfed babies will not sleep through the night until weaned.
According to Vickers, one common belief is that a breastfed baby feeds more often, thus, will not and cannot sleep through the night until they are weaned. However, with infants, this may not be a disadvantage. "Breastfed babies do need to eat at night for a few months in order to get the nutrition that they need," Vickers says. "Breast milk is so easily digested that babies want to eat sooner than they would on a heavy meal of formula. Babies tend to sleep very deeply after a meal of formula. While this might seem like an advantage of formula feeding at first, in reality, it is this deep sleep that is thought to contribute to the higher SIDS rates for formula-fed babies. A breastfed baby will be able to rouse itself and be less likely to succumb to sleep apnea." In addition, many mothers have found a solution to frequent night feedings that neither they nor the baby even remember. "Many mothers have found that if they bring the baby to bed with them, or put [the baby] right next to the bed in a 'side car' arrangement, that they can nurse at night without either Mom or baby waking fully. Ask a breastfeeding mother who sleeps with her baby how often her baby nursed during the night, and the likely answer is 'I don't remember.'"
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