 |
The Sleep EditJoin Dr. Author: Craig Canapari MD & Arielle Greenleaf
Join Dr. Craig Canapari and Arielle Greenleaf as they explore the intricacies of children's sleep issues with clarity and a touch of levity. They'll unpack the science behind sleep and offer evidence-based strategies to improve nighttime routines. As the director of Yale's Pediatric Sleep Center and an accomplished author, Dr. Canapari brings a wealth of knowledge, while Arielle's expertise as a Pediatric Sleep Consultant provides practical insights for parents seeking tranquility at bedtime. Together, they're your guides to better sleep for your little onesand for you. Language: en-us Genres: Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Parenting Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
Listen Now...
You're Not Doing It Wrong: Breastfeeding and Sleep, with Dr. Lauren Hughes
Episode 20
Monday, 7 September, 2026
Can you keep breastfeeding and still work toward better sleep? Craig and Arielle talk with pediatrician and lactation consultant Dr. Lauren Hughes about newborn feeding, bottles, milk supply, and the difference between sleep training and night weaning. They also get into the advice that leaves parents feeling trapped: stretch every feed, never offer a bottle, assume every night waking means hunger.Key TakeawaysSleep training and night weaning are two separate decisions. Lauren sleep trained her twins at eight months and did not night wean them until eighteen — a baby can learn to fall asleep without help and still get every overnight feed they need.Six hours counts as sleeping through the night. It may not be the six hours you wanted — 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. qualifies — and reframing the target is sometimes the entire intervention.Milk storage capacity runs from roughly two to twelve ounces per breast and has nothing to do with breast size, which is why dropping a night feed is a non-event for one parent and tanks supply for another. How long you can go before engorgement is roughly your own ceiling, since engorgement is what tells the body to make less."Normal" is far wider than parents are told: in the newborn weeks three hours is a maximum, not a minimum — babies can eat sooner, and three hours is when you wake them. Breastfed babies average about 24 ounces in 24 hours, range 19 to 32.It isn't nipple confusion, it's flow preference — babies take the path of least resistance, so a fast bottle beats the work of the breast, and paced feeding is the fix. Offering a bottle once a week from about a month old heads off the refusal that surfaces the week daycare starts.The research on feeding method and sleep genuinely conflicts, and neither host picks a side. Under six months exclusively breastfed babies wake more often, though most studies find no difference in total sleep; after six months most find breastfed infants sleeping less — and much of the older literature simply asked parents, whereas Rudzik's actigraphy study found no difference in measured sleep even as formula-feeding mothers reported more.LinksStudies, articles & postsInfant sleep reports versus actigraphy by feeding method — Rudzik, Robinson-Smith & Ball, 2018Milk feeding, complementary foods, and infant sleep: a systematic review — Fu et al., 2021Sleep-related infant deaths: updated recommendations — American Academy of Pediatrics, 2022How to keep your sleeping baby safe — AAP parent guideBedsharing and breastfeeding: Protocol #6, 2019 revision — Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, published 2020; a different professional position from the AAPPeople & books mentionedDr. Lauren Hughes — pediatrician and International Board Certified Lactation ConsultantDr. Hughes' newsletterBloom Pediatrics and Lactation — practice founded by Dr. HughesGet in touch & next stepsCraig's free sleep training starter kitArielle's free 24-hour sleep guideFull medical disclaimerSubmit Listener Feedback and Questions Here (00:00) - Intro (00:23) - Meet Dr. Lauren Hughes (01:47) - Why a pediatrician became a lactation consultant (06:20) - When breastfeeding is harder than expected (06:58) - Crying, sleep training, and parents' goals (12:23) - What normal newborn feeding looks like (16:18) - The pressure to follow a strict feeding schedule (20:25) - Finding a rhythm with older infants (24:03) - How partners can support breastfeeding (25:58) - Taking shifts overnight (27:46) - Pacifiers, bottles, and flow preference (30:44) - Bottle refusal and going back to work (31:41) - Whether formula-fed babies really sleep longer (35:05) - What dropping a night feed does to supply (38:48) - Under six months versus over six months (40:18) - How many ounces a baby actually needs (44:22) - Can breastfeeding and sleep training coexist (46:37) - Six hours counts as sleeping through the night (48:23) - Room-sharing, bedsharing, and the AAP (50:43) - Why parents hide bedsharing from their pediatrician (55:14) - What the AAP actually recommends (56:31) - Rapid-fire feeding and sleep myths (57:59) - Lauren's sleep hack and confession (59:02) - You're not doing it wrong (59:43) - Where to find Dr. Lauren Hughes
