One purpose of night wakings is for the baby to get nutrition. Normal newborns will double their birth weight by about six months of age, an accomplishment that requires a very large intake of calories. Additionally, the composition of breastmilk promotes rapid digestion, usually occurring in about 90 minutes. This rapid digestion of breastmilk is not a mistake or a problem. It occurs to help ensure that the infant has frequent close contact with the mother and that he consumes a large amount of milk.
Infants consume up to one-third of their daily calories during night feedings.
So as you can see the nutritional value of night feedings are compelling even without considering other benefits. We don't know if that is directly related to the sleep pattern or some other compounding issue, but it does appear that sleeping through the night may involve some risk for vulnerable babies. Breastfed babies, especially those sleeping close to their mother, experience more frequent arousals during sleep. Additionally it is known that 75 percent of the infant's brain development occurs after the baby is born. The human infant may need the stimulation of night wakings to assist with normal neurologic function that controls breathing.