Surviving night feeds: ask a Midwife your questions

[EllieSmumsnet]

The nights with a new baby can be a lot to navigate. Whether you have questions about sharing the load, introducing a bottle, settling your baby, or simply what to expect in those early weeks, Midwife Claire Fitzpatrick is here to help.

That’s why we’re giving you the chance to put your questions to Midwife Claire Fitzpatrick

Share your questions below by 19/10/2026 to be in with a chance of winning a £200 VEX gift voucher. (T&Cs apply)

About Claire:

“Hi, I'm Claire a Midwife with over 8 years experience and a mum of 3 (including twins!)

Over my career I’ve worked in a number of busy London hospitals and in a variety of maternity settings. More recently, I’ve been supporting the education and development of student midwives in my role as a clinical practice facilitator.
I love helping parents feel cared for, supported and informed, and alongside my role in the NHS I also help expectant parents prepare for labour, birth, and early parenthood through teaching antenatal classes. I have a particular interest in all things infant feeding and provide evidence based non-judgmental advice for all your feeding needs.

Being a midwife, and also a mum to 3, gives me a unique combination of professional expertise and practical parenting experience, which I use to help parents feel empowered to navigate life with a new baby/babies. “

What are your recommendations for safe cosleeping and how does it affect night feeds?

What is the most effective tool to help with teething?

How can you gauge how much they have drank of your milk ?

How do you know when a baby's tongue tie has been cut too much? And if it has, aret here any adverse effects?

How do you know whether a baby is not feeding enough? I ask because when my sister in law gave birth, her baby was barely gaining any weight at all, but the midwives kept saying they weren't worried until a doctor finally said that no, he didn't look healthy. That his head was too big for his body and he looked malnourished. Thankfully, he's a healthy looking 6 month old now, but those first few months were tough and none of the midwives were taking her seriously.

If a male partner tries to dissuade a new mother from breastfeeding, despite her appearing keen, how do you navigate it? Does it seem like a red flag?

Best way to keep nipples from becoming so sore - even if the latch is correct ?

Should you ever wake a sleeping baby to feed?

Is it a bad thing to hold your baby all the time, either by yourself and/or by family members?

How do you know whether a baby vomitting is due to an allergy or due to being overfed?

How can you help a breastfed baby who's very unsettled at night?

What is the best way for a a DH to help with night feeds if ebf and not expressing?

Is there a way to avoid cluster feeding becoming a habit?

Best way to prevent excess wind when feeding ? Mine seem to feed then burp and milk comes up with the wind. TY

Best tip to combine breast and using expressed breast milk in bottles - without confusing baby - and how soon would you recommend this was done - if you wanted to share the load - and have other child(ren) to also love and look after.

Best bottle tip which can replace a nipple if I chose to mix feed - and best tip to keep breast feeding AND bottle feed so milk is in good supply.