All about stop 7 on our tour of the proposed #NICEPostnatalCare guidelines. This time ... fatigue which is apparently something to ask about at each postnatal contact... but listen up you guys...

Sometimes it’s better to talk less, get more sleep and then we can all smile more (sorry, Hamilton reference for those who appreciate it @mwfrymusing ) ... but what we are saying is don’t just talk about fatigue, lets talk about the cure (sleep) and how to get it!

The evidence review found clear evidence that women found their partners doing night feeds a way to ‘share the load’ ... well what do you know...

Some of us found that bottle feeding and sharing night feeds was essential to get enough sleep to protect our mental health

If you’re going to discuss fatigue then lets talk seriously about the experience of many families that sharing feeding responsibilities is an important way for all parents to get sufficient sleep!

We are aware of a growing field of sleep medicine. We would love to see people like @DrMikeFarquhar @guy_lesch @ProfEspie turn their attention to maternal sleep & how current advice & therapies (e.g. CBT-I) could be used to facilitate better parental sleep in infancy

Sleep deprivation carries significant risks for physical and mental health contributing to stress, anxiety, irritability and relationship tensions. If a women finds exclusive BF fatigue then any benefits of BF must be weighed up against the risks of sleep deprivation ...

There’s nobody in a family who doesn’t benefit from parents getting good quality sleep so lets make parental sleep a priority and with that, we wish you all a good night!