What if I give the baby a bottle at night so the mother can sleep?

This is a question many parents ask in the first few weeks after birth, and we completely understand the intention. Wanting the mother to be able to rest and looking for a way to share care during the night is an excellent concern. The answer, however, is not a simple yes or no.

In the first few weeks, the breast and the baby are still "learning" to work together. Every time the baby feeds, they send a message to the mother's body: "I need this much milk." The more effective and frequent this stimulation is, the more information the breast receives to adjust production to that baby's needs. Night-time feeds also play a part in this process.

Each feed is a learning opportunity for both of you. The baby refines how they search for, latch onto, and draw milk from the breast, and the mother learns to recognise their cues, positions, and the strategies that work best. Introducing a bottle doesn't necessarily mean that breastfeeding will go wrong, but the way of getting milk through a teat and the flow they encounter can be different, so it is worth considering when and how we do it.

This doesn't mean that you can never express milk or that your partner cannot offer it. Every family has different needs. There may be times when this is a useful or necessary solution, and in those cases, we can help you find the most suitable strategy, while at the same time protecting breastfeeding.

A message for you

At this stage, sharing the night doesn't necessarily have to mean sharing the feeds. You can fetch the baby, change the nappy when needed, help position them, bring water or something for the mother to eat, settle the baby back to sleep, and take on other care. Sometimes, protecting the mother's rest means allowing her to wake up only for what, at that moment, only she can do: breastfeed.