The Newborn Sleep Book and Getting NEWBORNS To Sleep Through the Night?

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Complete night weaning at birth?

This doesn’t sound good. I know humans (even human infants) are very adaptable and no doubt we can “reset the hunger cues” in an infant.

But just because we can, does it mean we should?

The Newborn Sleep Book

Pediatricians Lewis and Jonathan Jassey, authors of “The Newborn Sleep Book” say sleep success for your baby has everything to do with your feeding schedule.

“Tt doesn’t matter how often we’re fed. It matters how cumulative it is in a 24 hour period, whether its 2 ounces every 2 hours versus 4 ounces every 4 hours,” says Dr. Jonathan Jassey.

The Jassey’s method suggests parents eliminate the night feedings for newborns, and stretch out meals to four-hour intervals during the day.

They are claiming a 90% success rate with newborns.

The newborn sleep book review NEWBORNS sleeping 8-hour stretches from birth? Oh my!

What about the bond?
What about a mother’s milk supply?
What about reflux babies?
What about highly sensitive babies?
What about the possibility that the brain really isn’t ready to sleep that deeply and for that long at that young an age?

Don’t Deny/Withhold Satisfying Our Baby’s Authentic Needs

To direct, distract, and “train” a baby OUT of their natural requests for healthy authentic needs could (potentially) be so damaging I don’t even want to think about it!

I’m sure it is not damaging for all babies and I am sure there are many “case studies” in which it worked out fine. But what about the following babies:

Highly sensitive babies
Premature babies
Reflux babies
Slow to adapt babies
The babies that we just don’t know how this is affecting them

~~For many babies.~~ ~~For most babies~~. For all babies, I think this is a terrible idea.

In fact distracting a baby out and away from an authentic need makes me angry.

Lactation Consultants Agree!

The newborn sleep book hungry baby crying When working with parents and sleep I generally suggest they consult their pediatricians about dropping night feedings but in this case I would say, Get ye to a lactation consultant STAT!

I consulted with my favorite local Lactation Consultant, Stephanie Moore a 30 year veteran in this field. Stephanie’s opinion:

“I am a firm believer that babies younger than 6 months do not manipulate their environment. They eat, sleep, pee, poop, and learn about their environment. If they are hungry, they are hungry. There are predictable growth spurts around 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. To not follow the baby’s lead during these growth periods would be physiologically harmful.

In order for breast milk production to be adequate, it is essential to move the milk from the breasts….frequently. Moving 2oz every 2 hours, either with a nursing baby or with a breast pump, is NOT the same as moving 4oz of milk every 4 hours. NO WAY. Frequency is critical!”

In this area, I completely agree with Stephanie!

Click here to find out more about Stephanie Moore and her expertise.

My Experience On Getting Babies to Sleep Through the Night

There is certainly an age when this can be safely accomplished, but in my opinion, it is not during the newborn stage of development. I have been working with parents for over 13 years, most of which has been centered around night time sleep. No – I am not a pediatrician. No – I am not a doctor. But I have a vast amount of experience with the struggles and successes of night weaning and I would simply ask you to consider one question. Does this make sense? Just because we can do something, it doesn’t mean we should!

the newborn sleep book baby nursing