Falling asleep right after a feeding?

AMG06 · July 2010

I've read way too many books during my pregnancy and now I have so much information and don't know what direction I want to go in. What is your opinion on letting your LO fall asleep directly after a feeding? I've read that it's fine but I've also read that you should have awake time before letting LO fall asleep. I can do the awake time but then I can't get him to sleep without wanting to feed again. Or he will just fall asleep right after a feeding. I'm not sure which I should do.

ncbelle · July 2010

I think mother nature made breast milk sleep inducing for a reason ;-)

In any case, right now the most important thing is to follow his cues - don't worry about schedules and "rules" - he'll create his own!

shotzie · July 2010

That early on, babies basically eat and sleep. If LO falls asleep, let him be, unless you need to wake him for a feeding. Newborns need a lot of sleep. We started the EASY routine from the baby whisperer when DD was about two months old. Prior to that, she mostly ate and slept. Once she started staying awake for a little while, EASY was a very natural pattern for her to follow. I like that it allows for flexibility and you go by their cues as opposed to trying to get them on a strict schedule. EASY = Eat, Activity, Sleep, You time.

MAtoNC · July 2010

AMG06:
I've read way too many books during my pregnancy and now I have so much information and don't know what direction I want to go in. What is your opinion on letting your LO fall asleep directly after a feeding? I've read that it's fine but I've also read that you should have awake time before letting LO fall asleep. I can do the awake time but then I can't get him to sleep without wanting to feed again. Or he will just fall asleep right after a feeding. I'm not sure which I should do.

My DH and I call it "milk zonk"--for our DS, it was sleep--but not the same kind. And it would wear off shortly after he nursed (unless we put him in a dark quiet room, in which case he would sleep longer).

Every child is different, and following your LOs cues will show you the way to go. For us, I found that LOs day went better if he spent a little time awake after each feeding. Usually, what I did was bring him gently to the changing table and changed his diaper. If he woke up, then we played for a little while (he really only stayed up about 30 minutes at a time when he was brand new because he nursed for about 45 minutes at a time!). If he didn't wake up on the changing table, I would bring him to his bassinet and let him sleep it off. LOL!

ReeseM · July 2010

ncbelle:
I think mother nature made breast milk sleep inducing for a reason ;-)
In any case, right now the most important thing is to follow his cues - don't worry about schedules and "rules" - he'll create his own!

Exactly!

mtnrider · July 2010

I know the sleep books call it a crutch when the baby falls asleep nursing, and they claim that they won't be able to get back to sleep during night wakings without being nursed, but I've been nursing DS to sleep for almost 10 months now and he is able to put himself back to sleep when he wakes up at night. (leaving pacifiers in the crib helps once they're old enough to put it in their own mouths). And I think the Weissbluth book says it's ok to nurse to sleep too. In the end I think most of us throw out all the books anyway and just go with our gut instinct...

adkhiker · July 2010

I believe you should follow the cues of your LO especially for a newborn. As he grows, the two of you together will set a pattern, but that does not happen until later (2-3 months). For now, I strongly believe in letting the baby guide. He is so young and needs lots of sleep, food and nurturing. Just follow your gut on what on he needs. You are doing great!

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