| Babies do grow at night and there is a lot of brain development at this age (in fact through out the growth of the baby months most of it is brain growth). This is all the more reason that the baby needs to get the best brain food – breast milk - to grow with.
At birth about 25% of the brain has developed. By six months the baby will have doubled its birth weight and 50% of brain growth will be complete. By 12 months the baby will have tripled its birth weight and 67% of brain growth is complete.
It is estimated that a baby in its second year of life will get about one third of its calories from night feeds if it is allowed to breastfeed naturally. Babies of five months still have quite small stomachs and so need to have milk often. If your wife is finding night feeding very tiring try to brainstorm ways that will allow her to get more rest.
And a final word about formula reps – remember that it is their job to undermine breastfeeding in whatever ways they can. Only by giving mothers worries about breastfeeding do they stand a chance of getting people to change to formula.
Best wishes,
Barb  |