[ARTICLE] Babies a Sleep Sacrifice for Dads: The Courier Mail April 20th 2016

SHARING night time feeds and nappy changes is ruining the sleeping patterns of new dads who are still getting up early for work.

Research shows a generational shift with fathers now heavily involved in nocturnal duties.

Queensland baby sleep specialist Amanda Bude believes dads’ sleep deprivation often goes unnoticed.

“I find the dads are more crippled by lack of sleep when the child is six to 10 months old,” she said. “Broken sleep can have a big impact on their working day.

“The dads I see are active in their children’s lives and don’t want to be left out of the bonding experience.

“Also, women who are breastfeeding can nod off back to sleep more easily after feeding thanks to the release of the hormone oxytocin,” Ms Bude said.

“I try to keep my eye on the fathers as the responsibility of becoming a new dad, coupled with sleep deprivation, can heavily impact moods.

“Up to 10 per cent of new dads can suffer from post natal depression.”

[button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”left” href=”?http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/nappy-changes-and-bottle-feeds-keep-working-fathers-up-at-night/news-story/415559cce0222c7b068f414fbc6f1e36?sv=49d430e3ab69d611ab045bf5e6f10398/ utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=editorial/” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Read the Full Article[/button]