Baby Sleep, Breastfeeding and Co-Sleeping: What’s Actually Normal?

Before Rose was born, I thought I had prepared well. I had already interviewed incredible experts about postpartum nutrition, hormonal crashes, mental health and recovery after birth. I felt informed and ready for what the fourth trimester might bring.

But once Rose arrived, the two things that surprised me most were breastfeeding and newborn sleep.

The reality of milk supply, feeding a newborn, contact naps and baby sleep (or lack of) looked very different to what I had imagined.

In this episode I’m joined by Melissa Hays, a paediatric nurse, midwife, internationally certified lactation consultant and holistic baby sleep consultant who has built an online community of more than 90,000 parents seeking calm, evidence based guidance around breastfeeding, formula feeding and baby sleep.

This is the conversation I wish I had listened to before giving birth to Rose.

Melissa shares what she wishes every parent knew about breastfeeding, how stress and exhaustion can affect milk supply, what biologically normal baby sleep actually looks like in the first year, and why so many families quietly co sleep even though it’s rarely talked about openly.

If you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, or navigating the first year with a baby, this episode will help you feel more informed, more confident and far less alone.

In this episode we discuss:

• How to filter through conflicting advice from midwives, doctors, friends and the internet without losing confidence in yourself
• Three things Melissa wishes every woman knew about breastfeeding before giving birth
• Fascinating facts about breastmilk and how it changes based on your baby’s needs
• How to choose a formula if you decide to supplement or exclusively formula feed
• How stress, exhaustion and pressure can impact milk supply in the early weeks
• How babies sleep around the world and why different cultures approach baby sleep differently
• What biologically normal baby sleep actually looks like in the first year of life
• Why co sleeping is still taboo in Australia even though many families end up doing it
• What parents need to know to co sleep as safely as possible if it happens
• Why traditional sleep training advice like cry it out is now being questioned by more professionals
• Whether contact naps are actually a bad habit or a completely normal phase of development

As always, take what resonates and leave the rest. There is no single perfect way to parent, only the way that works best for you and your baby.

Key links from this chat:

Follow Reset Podcast on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reset___podcast/

Follow Ash on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ashcam____/

Follow Mel on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cocoonandcradle/

Return to work guide https://www.cocoonandcradle.com/returning-to-work?fbclid=PARlRTSAQcxNNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAafx8l2qGd9Hrboyejk0dysndBsRYLigcpbLH55G9lm155KNzAOfXFdaveOR1g_aem_Le9DHYO1Vmxw8vCN5QUkaw

Baby & toddler Sleep FAQs https://www.cocoonandcradle.com/baby-toddler-sleep-faq?fbclid=PARlRTSAQcxINleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAad9n2RK_RufJE6akE1eDPMsoh3tB9R4p6KLCAzSUpV4b_fScnBKBtk2qq03BA_aem_edznNMOc9ocT77ZFPRzpkw

Breastfeeding FAQs https://www.cocoonandcradle.com/optin?fbclid=PARlRTSAQcxG1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAacgbF-dpHqJtwE-3KzVTbnTDlXzNRpUBd4LI-kKVdZZdHp14kudLXHZlWIamA_aem_zLcUJlmpCkpVWNnDkMhVKg

Join the Cocoon Circle https://www.cocoonandcradle.com/cocoon-circle?fbclid=PARlRTSAQcxK9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAaegNcGyUtYd6RlqdG0PLZvnSMTU-hkXUABar4cV7A1QJfcW5u3PdBQMTdnPuQ_aem_qxxJpRJpvYDRh1rXsBbi_Q

Australian Breastfeeding Association https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/resources/co-sleeping