Falling Asleep While Feeding

Hi N., Don't bundle him up so much, he'll get too comfy and want to drift off to sleep. Try just a onesie and no socks and maybe a light blanket. I also used to touch my babies under the chin to remind them to keep on eating and that usually worked. Good luck! E.

This is very normal. The idea of a schedule is not appropriate to a small infant who is breastfeeding (breastmilk is digested quickly). Any breastfeeding expert will recommend demand feeding for the first few months.Mine did this and at about 6 months was eating enough solids to be able to be put on a schedule...before that I realized that it was not worth the stress to try to space out his feeding.

In general most young babies fall asleep while eating doesn't matter if they are nursing or bottle fed. I used to nurse my son on one side and then change his diaper which seemd to arouse him enough to nurse on the other side. Other than that you just need to feed him when he needs to be fed. When he starts staying awake for longer periods of time you won't find him falling asleep while nursing. Enjoy him while he is tiny they grow too fast.

We use to have to flick my daughter's feet to tickle them and undress her to really wake her up during feedings. I would talk with her and keep nudging her to keep her awake. If it didn't work, I would change her diaper, which would really upset her and so she would be AWAKE! It's normal and kind of a lucky stage in life when we want them to wake up!

My lo is 8 weeks old and he is doing the same thing. I just nudge his cheek and he wakes back up and starts feeding again.

Hi,

My daughter had a little bit of jaundice when she was born, which makes babies sleepy, so she would often fall asleep while nursing. We had to strip her down to a diaper and wipe her with a wet cloth to keep her awake (it was warm out, I wouldn't do it now)- it was a two person job. This was a little extreme, but she needed to eat a lot in order to help her get over the jaundice. After a couple of weeks she would occasionally fall asleep, but it wasn't a chronic problem.

One thing that I read that seemed counter intuitive, if you have bright lights on (which I had been doing to keep myself awake in the middle of the night) it can be too bright for babies so they keep their eyes closed and if their eyes are closed it makes them want to sleep!

Congratulations on your new baby and enjoy it. Get a couple of good books and learn to read while nursing. It helped me to feel like I was doing something interesting for me too (not to say that I don't love nursing, but in the beginning it seems like all you do and it can get a little draining!)

N.,

When he falls asleep wake him up and change his diaper. This should stimulate him enough to nurse longer. You can also try letting him sleep for a little while and then wake him to nurse but I prefer the diaper change so I don't feel like I'm always nursing.

You can also get in touch with La Leche League - www.llli.org in your area and go to a meeting or call the ladies for any help. This is a non-profit organization that is commited to helping women breastfeed their babies. You can call from 9am to 9pm. I have always enjoyed going to the meeting and gotten great advice on all issues.

Good luck,
L. M

That is very common! My 1st son (now 23 months old) did the same thing but was breast fed & continued to nurse even while sleeping. I now have a 3 week old son as well who is bottle fed and does the same thing! What you can try is undressing your son down to his diaper so he is not too warm and cozy. Usually that will wake babies up. Or just let him eat what he wants before he falls asleep & then when he wakes again just feed him again even if it is 10 mins to 3 hrs later. But getting them naked (except for the diaper of course) usually works. Good luck!

They say keep him undressed and cool. Not wrapped in a blanket. Tickling his feet may help. Talking to him. But this is very common for litte babies and nothing to worry about. Babies will do this and it should stop soon, when they are a little more alert.

Take the blanket off of him and take his socks off. My son did the same thing and we had to keep him cold for him to make it through a whole feeding.

Sam
Mom of 3
Devin 7, Donovan 5, Mya 3

That is completely normal! he is "comfort nursing" at that point, let him do what he needs to do. Have you read any Dr. Sears books?? Do yourself a favor and read them (the Baby Book and Nighttime parenting are excellent ones) Breastfeedings at this age (or any age rather) should not be timed! let him do whatever he needs to, and listen closely to your own instincts. Six week old need nurturing, closeness and their mommies!

My 2 1/2 week old has trouble staying awake for feedings too. I do the between breast diaper changes, partial undressing thing, and I also start to gently bounce her or pat my breast when she starts to suck slower and start falling asleep. There's a noise I use when she's particularly tired, it's kinda like the Bbbbbrr you do when you're cold, letting the air vibrate between my lips with the 'b' sound, and I alternate high and low pitch, going up and down, and her eyes always pop right open, and she'll continue to nurse. All babies I've met seem not to like this noise too much. I remember my older daughter didn't like it either. Good luck, and have patience with the frequent feedings, he may have become more efficient at getting the milk he needs more quickly, and he may just be more frequently feeding because of a growth spurt.

Hi,
Normally 20 mins is a good feeding time and it's perfectly natural for babies to fall asleep while feeding (and for mums to try and keep them awake!). But the feeding will actually become your way of putting him to sleep over the next year. But if you want him to keep nursing you need to gently trouble him :-) Massage his earlobes, tickle him behind the chin and what works really well - firmly walk your fingers up his back.

This is VERY common and there might not be a whole lot you can do about it!
But try these things - blow gently on his face, rub the palm of his hand, raise his arm over his head (as if he were raising his hand in class). You can also change his diaper in the middle of a nursing session, and then get him to eat more.
Good luck!

nursing is exhausting for them when they are that little. If you are worried about growth, start him on the same side the next feeding to get more of the hind milk. Switch him back and forth more and take his socks off. Switching positions and offering more frequently are really helpful to keep them awake. If you are concerned about his growth see a Lactation consultant who can weigh him before you nurse and after you nurse (or go to the pediatrician and do this) to see how much he is actually getting. It is hard to know when you are nursing and makes everyone nervous. Usually they are getting plenty and by 6 weeks are becoming more efficient so can nurse faster. But you have to monitor wet diapers, poops and growth. If all those are fine, you just have an efficient nurser, if those have issues then you need to work to keep him awake.
I also suggest you find your local LLL meeting and meet your leader for support in the community. 6-8 weeks can be a hard time as fatigue sets in and the excitement wears off, make sure you have support and are eating well too.
You are getting close to the good part..... usually 8-12 weeks is a big settling in time where mommy and baby feel like there is a good fit. Enjoy it....

This may be your babys way of building up your milk supply. Feeding smaller amounts more often. give it some time and it may change, or try to keep him up.