A quick, helpful hint. Most babies don't need to be fed in the night, once they are over three months old. Of course, like all humans, they get established in habits. If they aren't being fed when they expect to be fed, they will make a fuss about it. However, once they discover the benefits of a solid night's sleep (for parents as well as child) and a proper breakfast, they will not look back.
If you want advice about bringing up babies, don't just assume that health visitors will always give you the best answers. In most cases, of course, they will. However, there are certain things they will tell you because they have a) been told to tell you (like the international advice that it's best to solely breastfeed your child until they are six months old - riiiiiiiight. Then how come something different worked fine for the previous five billion humans?!) b) it is politically correct to tell you (or not tell you, like how strong the link between smoking and cot death is) or c) they don't know otherwise, because they haven't been through it themselves (like the room temperature has to be no more than 25 degrees Celsius, or that babies must be demand fed). Go and talk to other older mums, and see how they survived.
