Night feeding: What you need to know

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by resident Doctor Ho Thi Hong Tho - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital. The doctor has 10 years of experience in the field of pediatrics and neonatology.
Many mothers are often worried that their baby is hungry, so they often wake them up at night to feed. However, that is a misconception, mothers need to learn what they need to know when breastfeeding their babies at night.

1. Is night feeding good for babies?

Mothers make the mistake of waking their babies up at night to feed. Many parents wake up their babies every night to breastfeed because they are afraid that their baby will sleep until morning, will be hungry, have low blood sugar and fear not to grow up. Many mothers want their baby to be chubby and cute, so they also try to wake the baby up a few more times at night.
In fact, babies who are breastfed a lot at night will be fat, but there are risks attached:
Increased risk of aspiration because the baby is nursing in a lying position or lying down after feeding is easy to risk reflux and aspiration into the lungs Difficulty sleep more: When mothers are constantly woken up to feed, when the baby is full, it will make it more difficult for the baby to sleep Increase the risk of tooth decay And most importantly, if the baby is not sleeping If the child sleeps straight at least from 10pm to 2am, the child will be short in height and intelligence. Because the time from 10 pm to 2 am is the time when growth hormone is most strongly secreted. If you keep waking the baby at this time, it can make the baby shorter and less intelligent.

2. Should babies be breastfed at night?

2.1 Neonatal period

The neonatal period is the period in the first 28 days of life, the newborn should not be woken up to feed at night because the baby is in the acclimatization phase, so it sleeps a lot. Babies need to get 10 hours of sleep, because waking up at night can make children underdeveloped in height and intelligence. On the other hand, in the neonatal period, the liver has already stored quite a bit of sugar to use at night, so there is no need to wake the baby up.
2.2 Post-infant period In addition to the neonatal period, mothers need to wake up their babies to feed every 2-3 hours. If the baby is left to sleep for too long, there is a risk of low blood sugar or jaundice due to insufficient breastfeeding. However, mothers need to pay attention to feeding their babies enough, not too full because it will make it difficult for the baby to fall asleep. Remember to clean your baby's teeth after each feed to reduce the risk of tooth decay.
During infancy, babies need 10 hours of sleep. Therefore, it is not advisable to wake up babies to feed at night because it can make the baby underdeveloped in height and intelligence.
For children to be healthy and develop well, it is necessary to have a nutritious diet in terms of quantity and quality balance. If children are not provided with adequate and balanced nutrients, it will lead to diseases of excess or lack of nutrients, which adversely affect the comprehensive development of children in terms of physical, mental and motor skills.
Children who do not eat properly are at risk of micro-mineral deficiency causing anorexia, growth retardation, malabsorption,... If they notice the above signs, parents should supplement their children with products. The supplement contains lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
Parents can learn more:
Signs of zinc deficiency in children
Micronutrient deficiency and failure to gain weight in children
Please regularly visit Vinmec.com website and update useful information to take care of your child. Take care of the baby and the whole family.