Newborn babies need to feed every two or three hours, which means a breastfeeding mum’s chances of getting a decent night’s sleep are practically zero.
So how can you get enough sleep during the early weeks of motherhood to retain your mental wellbeing?
Sleep when your baby does
We know it’s easier said than done, but any catnaps you can catch throughout the day while your baby is sleeping can make a big difference. Enlist family and friends to do the chores or take the baby for a walk so you can focus on yourself for a while.
Resist the temptation to feed in bed
Co-sleeping is a proven risk factor in Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUDI), also known as cot death, so it’s safest not to bring your baby into bed with you. Sit up in bed or in a chair to feed (make sure you have good back support), keeping the lights low, then return your baby to their cot or sleeping pod nearby – you’ll sleep better knowing they are safe.
Track your night production
The good news is that if your baby is waking during the night in the first year, this is really normal! While many babies may ‘sleep through the night’ (between six and eight hours in a row) by the age of three months, most babies make the transition gradually, sleeping a little longer between feeds each night. And others might just suddenly sleep through a feed. Keep in mind that your breasts will keep producing milk based on your baby’s past feeding patterns, so it might take a few nights to readjust. This is when a good set of nursing pads will be your ‘new breast friends’.
Just’nCase nursing pads
There’s nothing more frustrating than when your baby sleeps through the night, but you wake up anyway – in a puddle of breastmilk.
Until recently, breastfeeding mums have had a choice between single-use nursing pads, which generally did the trick but were highly polluting for the planet, or reusable ‘natural’ breast pads, which were environmentally friendly but often leaked.
Aware that heavy let-down and night-time leakage can be real issues in causing sleep deprivation and therefore affecting maternal mental health, Kiwi brand Just’nCase by Confitex is committed to making breastfeeding more comfortable, more sustainable and less stressful for new mums. They’ve invented an eco-friendly new waterproof textile that’s free of nasty PU plastics, and used it to create leakproof, reusable nursing pads and a range of period and pee-proof undies that are perfect for any little leaks during pregnancy, as well as providing protection postpartum and when your period eventually returns.
About Just’nCase eco-friendly washable nursing pads:
- They provide reliable protection for heavy let-down – Confitex Technology’s unique patented GravityDri™ design has been lab-verified as ultra-absorbent and leakproof.
- Because they don’t contain a layer of PU plastic, you can machine wash and tumble dry them with the family laundry.
- Their contoured shape and silicone grip design mean they won’t scrunch up and slip around in your bra or nursing tank.
- They are a more sustainable choice – save the world from your sofa!
“These are the Superwomen of Nursing Pads.”
“For me, the story that says it all about how impressive these nursing pads are is when my two-month-old baby slept through the night for 12 hours. She was exhausted from a long car journey; otherwise she would usually have woken twice for full feeds. Instead, I was woken at 5am by my sore, very full, leaky boobs. Incredibly, the bed was completely dry – these amazing nursing pads had caught every drop. They were absolutely soaked, but a quick wash and dry and they were good to go again. I recommend these nursing pads to all my mum-to-be friends. 6/5 stars!” – Natalie M
Find out more at www.justncase.co.nz
