What is 'breastsleeping'?

There’s a new buzz word on the parenting block…‘breastsleeping’. And it kinda says what it is on the tin – co-sleeping while breastfeeding your baby through the night.

Nothing unusual there, but the term hasn’t come without controversy because bed-sharing with baby always seems to spark a debate as parents seek the safest sleeping arrangements for them and their little ones.

Though the phrase might sound new, breastsleeping has actually been practiced by mothers for thousands of years. But the term has been drawing attention lately thanks to Dr James McKenna, director of the Mother-Baby Behavioural Sleep Laboratory at University of Notre Dame. In the journal, Acta Paediatrica, Dr McKenna, along with Dr. Lee Gettler, argued that there is no such thing as infant sleep and there is no such thing as breastfeeding — there is only breastsleeping.

What they are suggesting is that breastsleeping, when practiced safely, can have numerous benefits for both mamas and babies, and even partners and non-nursing parents who share the bed too.

So what are the plus points of breastsleeping? Dr McKenna believes that sharing a bed with a breastfed baby is natural, normal, and healthy. What’s more he believes that breastsleeping = better sleep for everyone.

And the perceived pros don’t stop there as it is also claimed breastsleeping is really good for breastfeeding because not only does it ensure milk supply is high because babies who co-sleep with their mums are more likely to breastfeed frequently at night, it also makes it more likely that mum will continue to breastfeed for longer.

It’s a view shared by many other experts. “Breastfeeding mothers and babies sharing sleep is a biologically normal behaviour,” explains Anna Burbidge, PR & Media Director at La Leche League GB.

“Babies have a biological need to feed during the night, and mothers are hardwired to respond.”

Now you might be thinking, but if that’s the case and you are hardwired to respond to your baby whenever they want to feed, what does this mean for my sleep?

Well, McKenna argues that breastsleeping actually ensures more sleep for mums. Why? Because even though your baby might wake up more often, they will likely be easier to settle back to sleep, and of course you won’t have to get up out of bed to actually see to your baby.

But what about the safety aspect? And the scary headlines which suggest co-sleeping with your baby is dangerous?

“Numerous studies have concluded that breastfeeding your baby can help to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by half. So in our view, any breastfeeding, even for a few days, is better than none,” says Jenny Ward, director of services from The Lullaby Trust.

But parents should be aware of the risks of co-sleeping with their baby, before choosing to ‘breastsleep’. “Co-sleeping increases the risk of SIDS if your baby was born a low birth weight or prematurely,” Jenny continues. “The risk also increases if either you or your partner smokes, have drunk alcohol, taken drugs or medication or are overtired. The Lullaby Trust highly advises against sleeping with your baby on a sofa or armchair. Doing so will increase the risk of SIDS by up to 50 times.”

And in fact Dr McKenna believes there are some safety aspects to breastsleeping, including the fact that breastfeeding mums are more tuned into to their babies, and that a nursing mother is likely to be in a lighter sleep for much of the night so that she is better able to rouse if her baby is in danger.

“Dr James McKenna says that the amount of CO_² the mother expires in her breath acts to stimulate infant breathing,” explains Anna. “Expelled CO_² appears to act as a potential back-up should the baby’s own internal drive to breathe falter or slow, since the baby’s nasal regions can both detect and respond to the presence of this gas by breathing faster.”

“He also says that babies who sleep with their mothers and breastfeed spend less time in the deepest stages of sleep (three and four), from which arousal is more difficult should the baby need to awaken quickly to terminate a dangerous apnoea. Instead, co-sleeping babies spend more time in lighter stages of sleep (one and two) which is thought to be physiologically more appropriate for young infants, and more natural and conducive to safe sleep for babies. The shorter durations of deeper stage sleep promoted by co-sleeping can potentially protect those infants born with arousal deficiencies (suspected to be involved in SIDS),” Anna continues.

But what if you still don’t like the idea of breastsleeping or your baby is bottle-fed? Dr McKenna’s research wasn’t mean to be an attack on parental feeding or indeed sleeping choices. As with most parenting advice, you have to do what you believe is right for you and your baby. But if you do choose to breastsleep it’s nice to know that there are some experts who believe the practice to be safe (when the correct guidelines are followed) and who think it could lead to more sleep. Because more sleep is the holy grail of new parenthood, right?

Have you tried breastsleeping? Let us know @YahooStyleUK

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