A Study Suggests That Babies Wake At Night To Delay The Birth of Younger Siblings
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Every parent knows the frustration and pain of endless sleepless nights with their newborn. If you haven’t been woken up at least 7 times a night to a very loud crying baby, are you even a caretaker? One of the common reasons for your baby’s loud wails at 2 AM is hunger. But it turns out that an empty stomach isn’t the only thing that can push them to this. And no, it’s not dirty diapers or colic either. According to a new study, it could be due to the unwillingness to have younger siblings (1). How wild is that! As unbelievable as it may seem, we were all children once and didn’t let our parents get the rest that they needed and quite honestly deserved. But there’s a new possible reason for this behavior. Would you like to delve deeper and know more? Read on!
A Baby Waking Up At Night
The level of crying and waking at night can vary from baby to baby and it changes with time. Think about it. Newborn babies have to get up more often to feed every other hour. So, for the first few weeks, parents, especially the mother, are going to be up at least every two hours nursing the baby. But over time, they stop having to be fed so often and sleep for 3 to 4 hours at a time. This way parents are finally able to have a nap or two during the night. It is important to note that breastfeeding plays a huge role here as well. According to a study, babies who were breastfed woke at night more often than those who were fed from a bottle. The amount increased even more when paired with a longer duration of nursing. So, these are all factors to consider when trying to make sense of how often your baby is waking up at night and why.
A Mom’s Infertility
Breastfeeding, in its turn, has also been known to cause postpartum infertility that prevents women from getting pregnant as long as they breastfeed exclusively. And the more intense the suckling, the longer this infertility lasts. Usually, it lasts up to 6 months but sometimes it takes as long as 2 years.
How It’s Connected To Siblings
The conclusion of all of the points is that: we have a baby that wakes at night, they cry, and their mom nurses them. This cycle repeats again and again. And as a result, parents can’t have more kids during this period. Infact, many parents find it difficult to spend any quality time with each other as partners during this time. That’s because all their time is gone taking care of the new baby. No matter if it is your first baby or your fifth, a new baby always poses a challenge. Learning to cater to their wants and needs all while trying to balance chores and me time can be strenuous. So making another baby is the last thing on the parent’s mind. But it is interesting to see how their baby also plays a role in this setback.
Why Do Babies Feel The Need To Do This?
But, why does your baby feel the need to keep you awake in order to delay younger siblings? It’s simply because of evolution (2). It’s because they need their parents to put all their effort into their upbringing. More offspring can influence the baby’s survival so they try to manage it.
Prepare Your Child For A New Sibling Well
Your goal should be to make your children best friends before your baby is born. One way to ensure that your older kids are ready for the new baby is to tell them about the baby as soon as possible. Don’t wait too long to tell your kids that there is another baby on the way. This will give them more time to adjust to the information and become comfortable with the idea of a new family member. So, having that conversation is a must. The key is to indicate that the inclusion of a new baby is a good thing for the family. If you’re excited, your kids will join in and share your reaction in no time.
Let them touch your belly and feel the baby kick. Let them talk or sing to them during bedtime. Include them while decorating the nursery and planning fun stuff for your kids to do together. Moreover, if anything in your child’s life needs to be shifted around, be it their schedule or their room, do it well in advance so that they have a chance to settle down before the baby arrives.
So, how often does your baby keep you up at night? And has it deterred you from having another baby soon? Let us know in the comments section!
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