Themes
Nighttime Feeding Patterns
Maternal Wakefulness While Feeding
Nine mothers reported being awake and fully aware while nursing throughout the night. A mother described it as, “I have never been unaware of a feeding and my husband backs this up.” Although not every mother reported being fully aware and awake, five mothers reported that they were aware but not fully awake. One mother put it into words by saying, “She will wake me up. Yeah. I mean you are kind of in and out of sleep-and not fully aware.” No mothers reported being totally unaware of breastfeeding. This finding is noteworthy because once a mother is aware or awake during a feeding, recommendations can be followed for hygiene following that feeding. All of the mothers in our study ware aware or awake enough to be proactive with dental with health following night feedings.