Hi all,
A fellow NMAA Counsellor has been helping a mum with epilepsy with her
3-week-old baby. She is OK about the drugs she is on (Carbamazepine), but
she maintains that she has been told (by a health professional, we presume)
that she *needs* to get 8 hours of unbroken sleep each night. To achieve
this, she has been giving the baby a bottle of formula and he sleeps for
the required time. She is now concerned about her supply, which may have
little to do with the epilepsy, of course, but is in a dilemma about the
sleep issue. Obviously the formula supplement, and the 8 hours of no breast
drainage is not helping here. We are also thinking that there is no
guarantee that the baby will continue to sleep for the 8 hours as he grows
and develops. This is the mum's second baby. The first ended up
artificially fed (not sure from when), and she is very determined to
breastfeed this one.

Does anyone know whether this idea of 8 hours' unbroken sleep is as
important as she is making out? If it is, how do other mothers cope with
wakeful (or just normal) babies? Any ideas or stories about mothers'
experiences with this issue gratefully received.

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Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC
Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia Breastfeeding Counsellor
Perth, Western Australia.   mailto:[log in to unmask]
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