Night Feeding and Nighttime Sleep – Many Awakenings

As a parent of a newborn, you are undoubtedly familiar with interrupted sleep. A newborn needs to be fed at relatively short intervals, even during the night. Even if your baby sleeps well, the need for food will still wake the baby during the night.

It varies how frequently babies eat, and it often changes throughout the day and as your baby gets older. Many babies have a pattern where they eat quite frequently in the evening and then take one or two longer naps in the beginning of the night. Then they start waking up at shorter intervals during the early morning hours. This is when digestion starts waking up, which can cause the baby to sleep more restlessly, with many sounds and movements—and perhaps a lot of gas needs to be passed.

How can I help my baby sleep more at night?

Generally, it is expected that babies in their first months can sleep a maximum of 3-4 hours at a time. Some can of course sleep longer than that, and others shorter. The intervals will also vary throughout the day and are rarely of equal length.

Generally, it is expected that babies in their first months can sleep a maximum of 3-4 hours at a time. Some can of course sleep longer than that, and others shorter. The intervals will also vary throughout the day and are rarely of equal length.

Here are some tips:

  • Ensure dim lighting - just enough to see
  • Speak in a low voice
  • Avoid unnecessary activity with and around your baby
  • If a diaper change is necessary, do it as gently as possible and have everything you need nearby so you don't have to move yourself and your baby around too much

If your baby wakes up very frequently at night, it might be a good idea to get an overview of the entire day. How frequently does your baby eat throughout the day, how much is he/she awake, how long are the naps during the day, how many hours does your baby sleep overall, etc.? If you learn your baby sleeps a lot during the day and doesn’t have enough waking hours, it might be worth adjusting your baby’s activity level during the day, preventing him/her from being too awake during the night.

You might also find out that your baby doesn’t get many feedings during the day because he/she takes (slightly too) long naps. This can result in needing to catch up on a lot of feeding at night, leading to more frequent breastfeeding during the part of the day when you would prefer to sleep. In such cases, you might consider splitting one or more daytime naps, allowing for an extra feeding and an extra wakeful period during the day.

If you breastfeed your baby, it’s good to be aware that milk production varies throughout the day - there is the most milk in the breasts in the latter part of the night and in the morning/forenoon. The least amount is during the afternoon and evening. Consider if you could help your baby with an extra feeding at the time of day when the most milk is available for your baby.

If your baby wakes up very frequently without needing food, there could be several explanations.

Possible Causes:

  • Baby wakes themselves up with body jerks (Moro reflex)
  • Stomach pain from burps and gas
  • Reflux
  • Ear pain
  • Baby has difficulty transitioning between sleep phases

To promote a calmer and less interrupted night's sleep for you and your baby, you should ensure to help your baby get rid of burps after each meal. Perform stomach-stimulating exercises and baby massage, consider swaddling your baby, and focus (even more) on good bedtime routines.

Many babies sleep well in a baby hammock, where the baby lies slightly curved on their back, has physical boundaries around them, and experiences a movement pattern reminiscent of the familiar environment in the womb.

What Can I Do to Get More Sleep at Night?

Ensure you have everything you need for nighttime feedings at hand, so you also avoid becoming too awake—or at least more awake than necessary. Many mothers find it hard to fall back asleep
after breastfeeding/bottle feeding at night, which can be quite stressful as time ticks towards the baby's next meal. Sleeping in intervals can be exhausting, so it’s essential to make it work as well as possible.

If you have trouble falling asleep or tend to wake up even when your baby is sleeping soundly, try the following tips to help you get better sleep:

  • Get Outside in the Morning Light: Exposure to daylight in the morning helps regulate
    your own circadian rhythm, making it easier to sleep at night.
  • Reduce Caffeine Intake: Caffeine can keep you artificially awake, and its effects can last up to 7-9 hours after consumption. Try to limit caffeine intake to the early part of the day if you have trouble sleeping or don’t want to give it up completely. Caffeine is found mainly in coffee, black tea, cola, and energy drinks.
  • Avoid Screen Time Before Bed: Also, avoid screen time when you are up at night. The body struggles to recognize bedtime when stimulated by the light from screens. Additionally, much of the content we consume from screens stimulates our brains, leading to worries and overthinking, which are not conducive to a good, restful night’s sleep.
  • Listen to Binaural Beats: This sound technique stimulates the brain to produce certain brainwaves. Our various states of consciousness, such as being awake, stressed, relaxed, light sleep, deep sleep, etc., represent different brainwave speeds. Binaural beats can serve as a shortcut to help the brain enter the brainwaves present during sleep. The sound should be listened to through headphones. There are various apps that offer binaural beats with both
    music and nature sounds in the background.

As you can see, there can be many reasons for frequent nighttime awakenings. Therefore, there are also several different solutions that can promote a (more) restful night’s sleep. Sometimes, it can be challenging to understand why your baby wakes frequently, as it is not always obvious and can be a combination of several factors. Hence, it is important to use your intuition and common sense when trying the above suggestions. Do not hesitate to consult a professional if sleep is difficult and hard to understand.