- Updated on Jan 20, 2025
Article written by Marie Louedec, pediatric nurse
@Dominika_siejewicz_photography
You have just given birth to your baby, they have just spent their first 24/48 hours of life, calm, sleeping. Indeed, they are recovering from their birth, from the huge effort it required, and so are you!!!
And here comes the JAVA night… But what does that mean?
The JAVA night occurs between the 2nd and/or 3rd nights after birth. It is a physiological, normal phenomenon that affects all babies (or almost). It is due to the transition from fetal life to newborn life.
Indeed, your baby has just spent 9 months in an aquatic bubble, warm, dark with muffled sounds, your heartbeat, narrow where they are in constant contact with the walls of the uterus: a secure space. They then need to adapt to their new environment and this disturbs them, in addition to being stimulated by many stimuli, they must make an effort to feed and maintain their body temperature.
Your baby will react by being restless, crying a lot, wanting to nurse non-stop, and will be hard to console.
Knowing that this night excites will help you feel less helpless.
What do you and your baby need to get through this moment?
- Be reassured, cuddled, rocked
- Be skin to skin
- Be in your parents' arms
- Nurse as much as possible (if breastfeeding)
- Limit stimulation (visits, bright lights, noise, agitation)
Trust yourself, take your baby, slow down. The co-parent is also there with you to get through this stage.
This night can be stressful, for breastfeeding moms, it happens at the same time as the milk coming in, so don’t hesitate for a second: put your baby to the breast, get help if you feel you need it (position, pain, …) Sucking will help soothe them and your milk supply will come in faster.
Breastfed baby or not, breathe, it all passes.
Take care of yourself.
Marie Louedec
I am a pediatric nurse for 12 years and I created Marie Puéricultrice to offer parents and future parents perinatal support, assistance, and follow-up necessary for the arrival of baby.
