Baby falls asleep while breastfeeding

Most newborns fall asleep while feeding and this is associated with the warmth, smell and security that the mother provides.

There are some babies who do not wake up easily or sleep for periods of more than 4 hours without showing interest in feeding. There are other babies who, as soon as they latch onto the breast, 3 to 5 minutes have passed and they are already asleep again. This phenomenon is known as a “sleepy baby.”

Sometimes the family considers that “the child behaves so well because he sleeps all night and is not bothersome,” but this behavior constitutes a risk for the baby.

Those born prematurely (before 36 weeks of gestation) or with low weight (less than 2,500 grams) are at greater risk of being sleepy. This drowsiness influences their weight gain because they cannot eat properly.

It is important to always try to wake the baby, especially if he is in the first month of life and has gone 4 hours or more without eating, either by performing dry touches on his cheeks, on his forehead (between the two eyebrows) or on the back of his face. the head, on his feet, on his back or on different parts of the body, you can also talk to him and call him by name and keep him in an upright position. It is very useful to remove some parts of his clothing (e.g. socks, pajamas, blankets, etc.) or even leave him only in diapers if the ambient temperature is warm, so that he feels the change and tries to wake up.