Breastmilk naturally synchronises mothers’ and babies circadian rhythms

In the womb a fetus is exposed to the day-night chemistry rhythms of melatonin and cortisol in its mothers body, and this intimate synchronisation continues after birth, if the baby is breastfed. We know that breastfed babies’ gradually mirror their mothers’ circadian rhythms of night and day, over time, as they are influenced by her unique chemistry via her breastmilk. How does this happen?

Breast milk contains various components that oscillate in their levels over the course of the day. In addition to melatonin, cholecystokinin, and cortisol one of the most important circadian changes in breast milk are levels of the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, which peaks at about 3 a.m. These subtle changes in the composition of breast milk help the infant’s circadian rhythms to adapt to the mother’s, with additional benefits for baby’s brain development.

Night time breastfeeding also enhances the mother’s sleep. A study conducted in California 1 found parents of infants who were breastfed in the evening or at night gained an average of 40-45 minutes sleep over parents who gave their babies formula at the same time. The quality of sleep was also higher – it was interrupted less.

For mothers who are feeding expressed breastmilk it is worthwhile labelling whether it was collected at day or night time, and matching the feeding time accordingly.

References:

http://milkgenomics.org/article/milk-the-synchronizer/

1.Doan, T. et al. 2007. Breast-feeding increases sleep duration of new parents. J. Perinat. Neonat. Nurs. 21(3), 200–206.

NewBaby101 – Topic 8: Bedtime – Sleep and Settling

06 Feb 2023| no comments.

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