Breastfeeding FAQs: Sleep
My baby falls asleep while nursing. What Can I Do?
Your baby may seem to be snoozing away, but might actually just be peacefully nursing. However, if you don’t feel any sucking, your baby may, indeed, be sleeping at the breast, especially if feeling satisfied after a good feeding.
Babies who tend to latch on incorrectly, though, will frequently sleep at the breast. If this happens, break the suction and reposition your baby onto your breast to include both your nipple and areola.
You can break the suction by slipping your finger in the side of your baby’s mouth (between the gums) and then turning your finger a quarter turn to break the suction. (If you just pull your baby off your breast, it will likely startle your little one and hurt your breasts as well.) After you’ve broken the suction, try to burp your baby and switch your little one to the other breast.
If your baby is still falling asleep while feeding, undress the baby, tickle your child’s feet, burp your baby frequently, or try changing the diaper in between switching breasts.
Is it OK to nurse my baby to sleep?
Nursing your baby to sleep can become problematic as your little one gets older because he or she may need to nurse to take a nap or go to bed at night. It helps to wean your baby off of sucking for comfort and make breastfeeding sessions about nourishment not pacifying.
Also try to put your baby down for naps and bedtime slightly awake so your little one will get used to falling asleep without having to nurse.
Instead of nursing, you may want to offer your baby his or her thumb or hand to suck on. You also could consider giving your little one a pacifier. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends giving babies under a year pacifiers at naptime and bedtime to reduce the risk of SIDS. However, babies who are not interested in pacifiers should not be forced to take them, and pacifiers should not be put back in if they fall out once the baby falls asleep.
For breastfed babies, pacifiers should be introduced after breastfeeding is well established (usually after 1 month) to help avoid “nipple confusion.”
If your baby has had a good feeding recently and you know that he or she isn’t hungry, then it’s OK to use the pacifier, although it’s best to try to use it just for naps and bedtime.
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