Baby Sleep and Breastfeeding

In general, breastfeeding moms do not need to limit their diet. Even if you are drinking caffeine in moderation, if your baby is unusually fussy try cutting back caffeine to rule it out as a culprit. All in all, your diet has little influence on your breast milk and your breastfeeding baby will get the nutrition she needs.
If you’re a breastfeeding mom, you do have to be careful about some medications you might take. The APP does have a large list of approved drugs for breastfeeding.



Some cold medications are not advised when you are breastfeeding. Keep in mind any cold medication can affect your milk supply, so if you notice a dip, once you stop using it, your milk supply should go back up. If medication is temporary, always keep in mind that you can “pump and dump.” If you need ongoing medication, don’t assume your sleep struggles are due to the medication and definitely talk to your doctor about it.

Whether it’s diet or medication, there are many things breastfeeding moms have to worry about. When there are so many variables, it’s easy to blame breastfeeding and wonder whether if you stopped breastfeeding if all your sleep troubles would disappear. Don’t wean.

There are a few things that breastfeeding families should keep in mind when helping their babies learn to sleep unassisted, but in general, I do not change my recommendations that much from formula-feeding families and here’s why:
1.    Babies become dependent on bottles and pacifiers just as much as breastfeeding mom. Do not wean to try to fix sleep problems.
2.    Breastfeeding moms need sleep too.


Breastfeeding is about more than just food. You will likely need to feed your baby more often at night and for longer than formula-feeding moms, because breast milk digests faster than formula. This does depend on the baby, too, though.


No cry sleep coaching methods are the first place to start when you are attempting to help your baby learn to sleep. If you can’t really hack the sleep deprivation, then maybe you shouldn’t breast feed.

Please just know there is a lot in between sleep deprivation and don’t-go-in-until-dawn-hard-core-sleep-training-you-will-sleep-or-else. The first mistake people make is they call any form of helping your baby to learn to self-sooth “sleep training”. Does cry it out cause long-term damage? Relationships are complex and if your baby’s needs are not met day and night, that will surely cause damage. 
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