If you’re exclusively breastfeeding and feel like you’ll never sleep again, you’re not alone. Many breastfeeding moms are told that sleepless nights are just part of the journey — or worse, that the only way to get sleep is to “sleep train” and sacrifice their breastfeeding goals.

But what if we told you that exclusively breastfeeding and good sleep can go hand in hand?

At full feedings®, we believe you can have both. You can protect your milk supply, nourish your baby fully, and get consistent nighttime sleep — all without cry-it-out methods. Here’s how.

Why Breastfeeding and Sleep Feel Like They’re at Odds

It often feels like breastfeeding and sleep are on opposite teams. In the early weeks, babies need to wake often to establish their feeding patterns, regulate their blood sugar, and support your milk supply. Cluster feeding, snacking, or short feeds can leave you feeling like your baby is attached to you 24/7.

While this is common at first, it doesn’t mean you have to spend months (or years) sacrificing sleep. The key is supporting your baby’s feeding and sleep needs together.

What Babies Need for Longer Stretches of Sleep

Babies don’t start sleeping through the night simply because they reach a certain age. They sleep longer stretches when their needs are fully met:

1. Calories During the Day: Babies need adequate milk intake during the day to fuel longer stretches of sleep at night. Short or distracted feeds during the day often lead to night wakings from hunger. This is why we focus on time spent feeding because this gives you a measure to know when your baby is ‘full.’Want to know what a full feeding is? Click here.
2. Balanced Daytime Sleep: Over tiredness is a sleep disrupter. Babies who get overtired from missed naps or long wake windows often have more frequent night wakings because their bodies produce cortisol, a stress hormone, which makes sleep more challenging. We believe that helping your baby to sleep within their age-appropriate awake window helps to combat this.
3. Circadian Rhythm Development: Babies are born without a developed sleep-wake cycle. Exposure to natural light during the day, a consistent bedtime, and age-appropriate routines all help establish their circadian rhythm.

How full feedings® Supports Breastfeeding and Sleep

The Full Feedings Method® was designed to support both breastfeeding and sleep, from birth through toddlerhood. Our approach is built around meeting your baby’s feeding and sleep needs fully, so that sleep becomes a natural outcome — without the need for cry-it-out or sleep training.

Here’s how we help breastfeeding moms get the sleep they need:

1. Encouraging Full & Frequent Feeds: We guide parents to ensure their baby is getting full, quality feeds every 2-3 hours during the day. This prevents snacking patterns and helps babies consume the calories they need while the sun is up.
2. Age-Appropriate Wake Windows: We help parents follow wake windows to prevent over tiredness and support better naps and nighttime sleep by working with your baby to help them sleep before they become overtired and struggle on their own.
3. Dreamfeed: We keep a dream feed around 10-11 PM (from birth) to offer extra calories before you go to bed, supporting a longer stretch of overnight sleep. This also helps you get in an extra feeding before sleep so you can be more comfortable and keep your supply up!
4. Protecting Your Supply: Our method promotes feeding fully, on-demand with frequent, full feedings, which naturally supports milk supply while still fostering healthy sleep patterns. Once your baby starts sleeping through the night, if your breasts don’t naturally adjust and you see a dip in your supply, we recommend pumping (vs. waking your baby to feed).

Real Moms, Real Success

Thousands of breastfeeding moms have used full feedings® to get the sleep they need without sacrificing their breastfeeding goals:

“I thought breastfeeding meant I’d never sleep again, but Full Feedings helped my baby sleep 8-hour stretches by 9 weeks—without tears!”

“I was ready to quit breastfeeding because I was so exhausted. Full Feedings changed everything. My baby is EBF, and we are both getting the rest we need.”

Scroll through some of our amazing testimonials below from our EBF mamas who are sleeping using The Full Feedings Method®.

You Don’t Have to Choose

You don’t have to choose between breastfeeding and sleep. With the right support, you can have both.

Ready to learn more? Our affordable online sleep and feeding programs are designed to help you breastfeed successfully and get the sleep your whole family needs.

Explore our programs today and start your journey toward better feeding, better sleep, and a happier you.

Also, check out these other full feedings® Blogs About Breastfeeding:

Beginning your Breastfeeding Journey

Embracing the Realities of Exclusively Breastfeeding

12-Hours of Sleep While Breastfeeding