Is there a best time to breastfeed a baby?
Have you ever read that the food you eat in the evening could determine how your night sleep will turn out?
If you have heard this, think about the breast milk and ask the same question.
Is it possible that breast milk comes with different nutrients per time of the day?
Yes!
When we say yes, we are talking about high nutrient density in the breast milk that you are feeding your child.
One thing a mother wants to see is a baby that is looking healthy. But that desire is wrapped in the breast milk that the mother offers the baby.
Best Time To Breastfeed A Baby
This is where best time to breastfeed a baby comes in.
Studies have shown that the composition of your breast milk changes over the course of the 24-hour day (1).
In fact, study say there is a circadian variation in their concentration of nutrients in your breast milk.
According to a study breast milk expressed or pumped at night has more melatonin — the hormone of drowsiness — and higher levels of nucleotides thought to promote sleep.
On the other hand, breast milk pumped in the morning contains higher concentration of cortisol (2).
According to studies, cortisol is a stress hormone (3) (4).
This hormone helps a baby stay alert.
Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues.
Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or harmful in a fight-or-flight situation (5).
It is important to know that the compounds in your breast milk changes. This should determine how you feed your baby.
Also, you need to know the best milk to give to your baby per time.
If you want your baby to stay alert, feed the baby with breast milk pumped from morning till before night fall.
But we know that you want the baby to begin to adjust to sleeping at night as soon as possible. As a result, we recommend that you begin to feed baby with breast milk expressed at night from evening time.
Furthermore, experts recommend that as a very rough guide, your baby should feed at least 8 to 12 times, or more, every 24 hours during the first few weeks.
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How To Achieve A Good Feeding Plant For Baby
One way to go about achieving a good breast feeding plan for your baby is to have a good support system.
The truth is that you need sleep to be able to produce enough breast milk to pump and store for your baby.
So, expressing night time breast milk and store for your baby to take before night fall will help.
Ask your partner to assist with feeding the baby where necessary while you take a nap.
You see, experts say a new mum needs sleep to stay healthy.
They agree that while sleep may be harder than ever to come by for a nursing mum, it’s still an important part of keeping a new mom healthy
When you rest, you decrease stress level and these are necessary to keep your milk supply up.
Please, share this helpful findings with your loved ones to help them nurse their babies better. The world needs healthier babies and adults.