5 Reasons Why Breastfeeding Your Baby At Night Is Beneficial
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Breastfeeding is one of those important aspects of motherhood which a new mother prepares herself from the moment she settles into pregnancy. While we are mostly aware of the emotional aspects of breastfeeding, some of its technicalities may catch us off guard if we are ignorant about them! Yes, you’ve read it right, breastfeeding does have technicalities. And, if followed correctly, it could go a long way in creating a comfortable breastfeeding experience. For instance, learning the right technique of latching your baby can help you breastfeed better and for a longer duration. Proper nipple care and correct feeding postures for mothers also help to a great extent. Yet, breastfeeding can at times become tiring for the mothers, especially during the nights. However, there is a reason why breastfeeding at night could prove to be beneficial, both for you and the baby, as compared to day-time feeding sessions. We list 5 such reasons here:
1. Dedicated Feeding Time
A new mother’s daily to-do list may be chock-a-block with a million errands. So, chances are that whenever she sits down to breastfeed during the day, her mind would be preoccupied with other activities at home which she might be multitasking. At night, however, she’s at peace while feeding the baby since most of her errands for the day are done with. This is the time when a mother breastfeeds the baby with total dedication and can indulge in some affectionate bonding activities like caressing the infant’s soft hair or playing with his/her tiny feet.
2. Improves Baby’s Sleep And Body Clock
Sounds unbelievable, right? But it’s true. Breast milk contains melatonin, a hormone which is known to induce sleep. During initial days of their life, infants are unaware of the day-night changes. Having slept through the day, the only activity they can indulge in at night is breastfeeding. However, with a regular increase in night-time breastfeeding, the melatonin induces deeper and longer sleep in infants and eventually helps them set up the right body clock.
3. Mood Control
In the initial days, infants are generally cranky and cry a lot to express their need for milk. Over a period of time, their cranky nature begins to wear off. One of the reasons for this could be the amino acid, tryptophan, which is present in breastmilk. Tryptophan helps generate serotonin hormone in infants. Serotonin hormone is known to control mood and helps the infant remain cheerful for longer periods of time. Your baby’s good mood, in turn, helps you bond better with him/her.
4. Improved Quantity and Quality
There is an increase in milk-producing hormone prolactin at night, which directly results in an increase in the amount of breastmilk. Also, all the healthy, vitamin-rich food that the mother eats during the day starts showing results during the night in the form of more fat in the breast milk. This considerably improved quality of milk is easily deciphered by infants which makes them feed more during the night.
5. Helps You De-Stress
Breastfeeding releases the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is responsible for producing feelings of love and affection. During a busy day, when you breastfeed in the middle of your chores, you may not be able to effectively appreciate the good effects of oxytocin on you. However, during the night when you are breastfeeding in a relatively relaxed state of mind, the oxytocin released helps you bond better with your baby by inducing feelings of love. When you feel loved, you automatically feel relaxed and de-stressed, which in turn helps you sleep well too.
Now that you know the beneficial effects of breastfeeding at night, we hope you will now look forward to it more than ever. While you are at it, enjoy those precious moments with your baby because they’ll grow up sooner than you realize!
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