Here is my commonsensical reason, ie not evidence based, as to why
babies are awake and wild at night in the first week or 2;
When moms are pregnant, they have increased uterine blood flow at night
as they get off their feet and lie down at night to sleep. As soon as
they go to bed, the baby starts jumping around and becoming wild.
Ergo, when the baby is born, the baby's circadian rhythm continues in
this way. They are most awake and alert between 11pm and 3-4 am. They
crash between 3-4 am until 9am.
I warn my patients ahead of time that the first several nights with the
baby will be wild, and if the baby wakes up close to midnight and wants
to have a feeding frenzy, it is a sign that the baby is a normal,
thriving, neurologically intact baby who is on a different but expected
schedule than the parents. When I walk into the room in the am and I
hear that the baby was wild and feeding nonstop, I congratulate the
parents that the baby is just so normal, its wonderful.
I remind parents that because of this behavior, the parents need to rest
in the daytime with the baby, and ask people not to visit, so that they
can be up with the baby at night. I then teach parents how to 'turn the
babies around' to have more of a daytime schedule in the next week or 2.
By providing this information, I am able to empower parents to
understand what is happening, so that they can make a decision to
support the baby at the breast, and avoid the hospital nurses' offers
for a pacifier.
Anne
Anne Eglash MD
Clinical Associate Professor
Dept of Family Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
600 N. 8th St.
Mount Horeb, WI, 53572
608-437-3064 (O)
608-437-4542 (fax)
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