There are few publications on physiological infant daytime sleep in the context of breastfeeding. Sleep is one of the topics of most concern to families. Common expressions such as “sleeping like a baby” are a clear example of the fact that babies are often thought to have deep and continuous sleep. This causes endless concerns for their caregivers because they are not valid. Infant sleep is a physiological process that begins in the fetal stage and evolves until the child…
How should I sleep with my baby? Frequently asked questions about co-sleeping and bed-sharing Many LactApp users have asked about babies and sleep, and it’s no surprise that nighttime, co-sleeping, and breastfeeding are two of the issues that most concern families with children up to 3 years old. So today, we will talk about co-sleeping and bed-sharing. This is a surprisingly controversial topic in Western culture, both for families and the scientific community, despite the fact that major health…
“I put her to the breast, she is awake and eager to feed. She starts to suckle, but after two minutes or so she falls asleep. And no matter what I do, she stays asleep. What can I do to stop her from falling asleep at the breast?” All babies, up to about three months of age, seem to “fall asleep” within a few minutes of starting to nurse at the breast. This surprises most new mothers, and in addition,…
“My baby is 5 weeks old and I don’t understand what’s wrong with him. Breastfeeding is going really well, and he relaxes and falls asleep at the breast, but the problem comes when I leave him in his crib. He just won’t sleep! He wakes up after a short time, and it starts all over again. I don’t understand why he doesn’t stay quiet in his crib. It’s as if he has a sort of radar. On the other hand,…
Much has been written about how to sleep safely with a baby. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been, and continues to be, a major fear for families and professionals alike. SIDS is estimated to have an incidence of between 1 and 4 per 1000 live births. The epidemiology of SIDS is still unknown, and its diagnosis is reached by ruling out other causes. Some studies associate how and where the baby sleeps with the increase of this syndrome. For…
Babies have different sleep patterns than adults. Their sleep patterns involve a more superficial rest, with more frequent awakenings, so they can make sure their mother is by their side and that everything is going well. Even though most parents know that this means little sleep, you can’t help but be surprised by the way your baby sleeps, when it’s your first. The popular saying “You sleep like a baby!” should be more realistically changed to “You sleep like a…
Infant sleep is one of the most worrying issues for families with a newborn or older baby. Certainly, the lack of knowledge of the physiology of infant sleep and its evolution as a developmental process makes families experience night awakenings as something out of the ordinary, in addition to the resulting fatigue that discontinuous sleep brings with it. To date, the relationship between breastfeeding and the development of infant sleep is not clear: it is, in fact, a very controversial…
“I have a question. My 8-week-old baby breastfeeds to sleep. He doesn’t seem to know how to sleep any other way, and everyone tells me I should get him to fall asleep on his own. Is it bad for him to fall asleep at the breast?” When a baby comes into our lives, one thing that generates the most questions is the baby’s sleep. And even if we have been warned that babies do not sleep too much, when reality…
Breastfeeding and sleep – are they connected? Why doesn’t my baby sleep better? Will they start sleeping better if I wean? Is there anything I can do to improve their sleep? When your baby wakes up what seems to be a thousand times a night and doesn’t allow you to rest, these questions often come up. Fact: babies must wake up. It is healthy and safe for them to do so. But for us and our bodies to rest, whether…
How to put a baby to sleep is one of the most asked questions in our mobile app LactApp. Today we can report on a brand new scientific study that proposes a step-by-step method for putting a baby to sleep and leaving them in their cot without waking them up. It is hard to accept that babies have different sleep patterns than adults and have different needs than adults. Their first and most important need: contact at all times, yes,…