Sleep
10 GOOD REASONS TO SHARE THE BED WITH YOUR BABY
AND BREASTFEED DURING THE NIGHT
You don't have to get up and rush to another room to console a cranky, desperate baby. All you have to do is offer the breast to your baby and happily fall back asleep with him/her.
Human babies have small stomachs and they need small and frequent feeds of a perfectly balanced and easy to digest food: breastmilk is all of this - Naturally the same need applies to the night.
When a child sleeps with her mother, she will wake up to breastfeed like all children do but she will fall asleep much faster.
A baby whose cry is promptly responded to and whose need for touch is satisfied will be less irritable and will grow emotionally secure.
Sleeping together and breastfeeding foster your bond with your baby and make you more responsive to her clues.
When mother and baby sleep together their sleeping patterns become synchronized: their phases of light/deep sleep coincide. This makes waking up easier and less stressful for the mother.
While sleeping with their mother, newborn children 'learn' to tune their own breathing patterns on hers. This helps their respiratory system to mature and makes nights safer by reducing episodes of apnea.
Bed sharing and breastfeeding during the night has been associated with lower risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
Breastfeeding during the night raises prolactin levels. Prolactin is the hormone responsible for milk production: night feeding boosts your milk supply.
Too long gaps between feeds might reduce your milk supply and also the effect of lactation amenorrhea (lactation-related infertility). This might expose you to the risk of a new unplanned early pregnancy.
Tips for a Safe Bed Sharing
Make sure you sleep on a flat surface, with no angles and corners where your child might get stuck in
Avoid pillows near/under your child
Avoid overheating your child with excessive clothing and covers
Do not bed share after consuming alcohol
Do not bed share if you or your partner smoke