We all know once we have our little one, life as we know it just doesn’t exist anymore. We become on call 24/7 and it can be a bit of a shock. Being a parent isn’t a typical 9-5 job since we don’t get to simply “clock out” and relax. Babies require lots of time and patience. You’ll be sure to get interrupted sleep because your baby needs to eat. If you are breastfeeding you can more easily stay in bed since you have no need to go prepare a bottle for your bundle of joy.

1. Find a comfortable position

There’s ways to relax while breastfeeding when you simply cannot sleep because you need to feed your baby. Learn to breastfeed lying down. At least you’re able to relax a bit since you have to be awake.

The best way I’ve found to do this is to lay on my side. I’ll place a pillow between my legs and have my head on another. I position my daughter so her nose is level with my nipple. This of course is comfortable for us both and helps her get a good latch. Keep baby close so the chin is on your breast and tip the head back just a little. If she decides she doesn’t wanna latch, you can stroke the upper lip with your nipple to help get her to latch.

When you go to change sides you can either roll over or, what I prefer is to put her on a pillow and I’ll roll myself so my top breast is lower and closer to her mouth so she can latch.

2. Hide the clock

Whenever I have to get up to feed, I prefer not to see the current time. It is worse when I see the time. I then realise how little sleep I’ve gotten since the previous feeding. That then makes me even more tired than I already am. So if you have a bedside clock, turning it around can help. It also helps to not grab your phone to check the time or anything else.

3. Keep it dark

When your baby wakes up to feed, keep the room as dark and quiet as possible. This will help baby to learn these nighttime feedings (sometimes called dream feeds) are to only eat and then return to sleep. Need light to ensure a good latch? Use a nightlight or a dim flashlight to keep the light very minimal. Once latched, turn the light out.

4. Nighttime feedings are key

It’s important to know and understand that these night feedings are essential. This is because your body produces more prolactin at night. This will help keep your milk production up. Another reason is that everyone’s breasts vary with how my milk they can hold. Some mother’s will find these night feedings more helpful to keep up with the milk baby needs.

5. Be a helping hand

If your baby seems to wake frequently in the night, you can help by doing breast expressions while baby is latched. This will help give them a little more milk. Plus it’ll remind them to stay awake to eat until full so they should wake less frequently. Hand expressing can also help them get more of the fat producing milk (hindmilk) that comes as the breast empties.

6. Get organised

You won’t want to climb out of bed except to grab your baby most likely. Keeping diapers, wipes, water, and even a snack or two by your bedside is a good idea. This is helpful so you don’t have to go anywhere to get what you will need at night.

Remember that as your baby grows and gets bigger, the nighttime feedings will be less crucial. The constant feedings throughout the night will slow down and soon they will sleep all night. I know we all typically wait for the morning where we wake up, breasts full of milk, and realise that our little one hasn’t nursed all night. Until that happens, just relax and keep working on strategies that’ll help you get the most rest.

Have other tips or ideas to get through the nighttime feedings? Share them below in the comments section.