Babies who do not breastfeed at night are malnourished?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by MSc.BS.Huynh Bao Toan - Neonatologist, Vinmec Nha Trang General Hospital. The doctor has 13 years of experience in the field of Pediatrics.
Babies who refuse to breastfeed at night make many mothers worry whether the baby is malnourished or not. In fact, at night, babies feed on demand and sometimes because they are already asleep, they are more likely to skip this feeding. But according to pediatricians, regular night feeding is still essential for the development of the child.

1. Why do babies need night feedings?

Regular night feeding not only maximizes the growth of the baby, but also gives the mother many unexpected benefits.
1.1 A baby's stomach is small A newborn's stomach is very small. At birth, a baby's stomach only holds about 20ml of liquid, and that gradually increases after that. So, within about 1-2 hours after breastfeeding, your baby's stomach will be empty again.
A night usually lasts more than 5 hours. During this time, if you do not breastfeed your baby, his growth will be disrupted. Therefore, night feeding is extremely necessary in the first months of life.
1.2. Baby sleeps better Circadian rhythms in the body are regulated by hormones. These hormones help your baby wake up healthy and at the same time allow for a deep sleep at night.
Breast milk contains tryptophan - an amino acid used by the body to make melatonin. The hormone melatonin has a sleep-regulating effect. Therefore, the baby's sleep will take place longer and deeper when breastfed before sleeping.

1.3. Deeper Maternal Sleep One study found that exclusively breastfed mothers slept 40-45 minutes longer than formula-fed mothers. This makes a relatively large difference in women with sleep deprivation.
1.4. Maternal birth control LAM is a typical form of birth control that is up to 98% effective if used correctly.
When infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed (day and night) and if the mother's menstrual cycle has not returned, you can prevent pregnancy naturally during this time. Many mothers find that when they stop breastfeeding their baby at night, their periods return.
1.5. Stimulate more milk production Feeding your baby at night can stimulate your body to make more breast milk. This is explained because at night, the level of prolactin - a hormone that stimulates milk production - in the body will be at a high concentration.
Therefore, when breastfeeding at this time, the milk supply will be promoted more than when breastfeeding during the day.

2. Is the baby not feeding at night malnourished?

The answer depends on the age of your baby's development.
Before solid foods can be introduced, your baby's main source of nutrition is breast milk. Therefore, full feeding as well as night feeding is extremely important for your baby's growth during this time. Babies who refuse to breastfeed at night are less likely to gain weight and are weaker than those who receive adequate breast milk, and are also at higher risk of malnutrition.
However, after starting solid foods, the baby's nutritional source is no longer completely concentrated in breast milk, but breast milk is still the main source. So, night feeding shouldn't have too much of an impact on your baby's growth, as long as he's getting enough nutrients and energy to gain weight throughout the day.

3. Good tips to help babies breastfeed more often at night

The problem of infant night feeding (in the first years of life) has a relatively large influence on the likelihood of infant malnutrition. Therefore, some of the following tips can help you make night feedings easier and more regular.
3.1. Use a lying position Use a pillow to raise your head, lie on your side and put your baby in your arms, then tilt your baby so that his chin touches your chest, his head is tilted slightly back so he can suck the nipple.
3.2. Avoid watching the clock Watching the clock and determining the time will sometimes make the mother feel more tired, irritable and sleepy due to psychology. Therefore, you should avoid watching the clock to limit negative emotions when breastfeeding at night.
3.3. Turn off the lights when breastfeeding. Keep the room as dark and quiet as possible so that your baby can go back to sleep after breastfeeding.
3.4. Choose comfortable, open-button sleepwear that opens from the front. This will make it easier for you to breastfeed and also help your baby access your breast milk more easily. In addition, the mother should not wear a bra when sleeping to avoid mastitis, blocked milk...
3.5. You should take a nap An afternoon nap will help you feel less tired at night and so night feeding is no longer a nightmare for you.

4. How to wake the baby up at night?

Newborns often wake up on their own when hungry in search of breast milk. This is called a baby's need and this waking process happens naturally. Therefore, it is not necessary to wake the child at night.
However, in case the baby is premature or underweight, if the baby sleeps more than 5 hours (doesn't wake up in the middle of the night), night feeding plays an important role in avoiding malnutrition. nutrition in infants. Therefore, you should wake your baby up on a scheduled time and give him enough breast milk.
In general, to the question of whether babies who do not feed at night are malnourished, the answer depends on each baby. In babies who are underweight or born prematurely, the answer is yes. However, in fact, in any case, night feeding is also an important process to promote the comprehensive development of the baby later. If you are having problems taking care of your baby, especially those born prematurely, with symptoms of malnutrition, you should take your baby to the pediatric department of a reputable and high-quality hospital.
To prevent and improve malnutrition in children, parents should supplement with supporting products containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, B vitamins to help meet meet the nutritional needs of the child. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well. Parents can also apply dietary supplements and functional foods derived from nature for easy absorption by the baby. The most important thing is that the improvement of the baby's symptoms must take place over the long term. The combination of many types of functional foods at the same time or continuously changing many types in a short time can cause the baby's digestive system not to adapt and completely not good. Therefore, parents must be really persistent with their children and regularly visit the website vimec.com to update useful baby care information.