Do you have a sleepy baby that has a difficult time staying awake for a full feeding? This is especially common with newborn babies. Your little one may doze off at the breast and then wake up 30 minutes later wanting to breastfeed again. In this post, we’re going to go over how to keep baby awake during breastfeeding as well as understand why this is normal and natural!
Understanding Breastfeeding and Infant Biology
In general, newborn babies sleep a lot! A newborn baby can sleep anywhere from 14-19 hours a day. When they feel hungry, they wake to feed, have a brief moment of alertness, and then fall back asleep. As you can see, it can be really easy for your new baby to fall asleep at the breast.
Not to mention that the warmth and coziness of being next to mom can also lull a baby right to sleep.
Babies are also biologically programmed to fall asleep at the breast. There is a hormone released during breastfeeding called cholecystokinin (CCK) that causes relaxation and sleepiness in babies after breastfeeding. CCK is released in your baby’s gut as soon as they start suckling. And younger babies have higher levels of CCK which makes them even more prone to falling asleep during a feeding.
You may have heard to “never wake a sleeping baby”, but there actually are good reasons to wake them up. This includes waking them to make sure they feed at least 8-12 times a day. This ensures your baby gets enough milk in a 24-hour period.
It is completely natural and normal for a baby to fall asleep at the breast. And you shouldn’t worry about creating bad habits as this is a biologically normal response and a very easy way to get your baby to sleep. What we do want is for your baby to stay awake while they’re feeding, so they can be sure to get full feeds and bring your milk supply in.
How to Keep Baby Awake During Breastfeeding
Now that we’ve talked about why you have a sleepy newborn, let’s go over the best ways to help keep your baby awake while breastfeeding. The following tips can help you keep your baby awake during a feeding, and these tips can also be applied to bottle feeding as well!
Feed in a lit room
Keeping bright lights on in the room or feeding in natural light will help keep your baby awake. Darkness sends signals that it’s time for sleep.
Take Baby out of the swaddle
Don’t breastfeed your baby while they’re still swaddled. Not only will this keep them cozy and sleepy, but it also isn’t great for breastfeeding as you can’t tell if your baby is in proper alignment. And they can’t use their hands at the breast.
Change around feeding times to feed when your baby wakes
Try to feed your baby when they first wake up rather than near the end of their wake time.
Learn baby’s Early Feeding Cues
Understanding your baby’s early feeding signals can help them feed better because they are less frustrated and tired.
Change diaper during the feed
If your baby is having a really difficult time staying awake, lay them down and do a diaper change in the middle of the feed. This may wake them up enough to finish eating.
Stroke their bare feet
Gently stroke the bottom of your baby’s bare feet. This can help rouse a baby and wake them up.
Don’t be too quiet
Don’t worry about being too quiet while your baby feeds. You can talk, play music, or sing to them while they feed.
Change up breastfeeding positions
If you find your baby gets really cozy in the cradle hold, try changing it up and doing a different breastfeeding position like the football hold.
Burp during the feed
When your baby starts to doze during the feeding, you can burp them to help wake them up. This will also help with any excess gas bubbles in their belly and prevent any discomfort.
Rub your baby’s head and forehead while they’re feeding
Rubbing your baby’s head and face can be a gentle way to keep them awake.
Breast compression to encourage milk flow
If your flow of milk is slowing down, this can be when your baby starts to doze off. Try breast compressions (hands-on breastfeeding) to help more milk flow to encourage your baby to suck.
Lay them down on a flat, firm surface
If your baby goes into a deep sleep and none of these tips are working, sometimes just laying them down on a firm, flat surface is enough to get them to wake up because they miss that snuggling and comfort.
Stroke your baby’s cheek to encourage them to suck
If you’ve ever rubbed your baby’s cheek and noticed them turn their face towards your finger, this is called rooting. And it can be an effective way to get your baby to start sucking again during a feed.
Talk to your baby
Have conversations with your baby and try to maintain eye contact with them. This will keep them engaged and is also great for mother and baby bonding.
Walk your finger’s up baby’s spine
This is another gentle way many new moms like to keep their baby awake.
Skin-to-skin contact
Doing skin-to-skin contact with your baby allows your little one to be close to your breasts and instinctively look to eat. Babies are born to know this position with their mothers.
Switch sides
If your baby falls asleep at one breast after feeding, try switching sides to see if another letdown reflex will encourage your baby to continue sucking to get a full feeding.
Strip baby down to their diaper
Similarly to unwrapping your baby from blankets and swaddles, taking your baby out of their clothes will keep them from being too cozy and wake them up enough to feed. It’s also great for easy skin-to-skin.
Make sure they have a good latch
If your baby doesn’t have a proper latch, they may be getting frustrated and then become too tired at the breast. Or they may not get an effective feed and become tired from the improper latch.
Cool washcloth or wipe
Rubbing a cool washcloth or wipe across your baby’s face or the back of their neck can help to keep your baby awake. Some babies may not like this and may cry, so if you prefer more gentle methods try the tips above!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is falling asleep at the breast normal?
Yes! 100% normal! Cholecystokinin (CCK) is to thank for that! And mom’s amazing comfort.
How do I stop my baby falling asleep while breastfeeding?
Find one of the above tips that work best for you! Some babies respond better to different tips than others. Everyone likes to be woken up in their own different ways.
Why do babies fall asleep while breastfeeding?
Cholecystokinin is a hormone released within your baby that causes sleepiness and relaxation. Hence why we call babies “milk drunk” after they have a good full feeding of breast milk.
They’re also getting to snuggle up right next to mom while nursing, which is really cozy!
How to keep baby awake during the day?
You do not need to keep your baby awake during the day. Trying to keep your baby awake for the day can actually cause your baby to be overtired. This can make them fussier and actually have a more difficult time sleeping at night.
It’s best to let your baby take the lead and sleep when they want. You just need to wake them when it’s time for a feeding (around every 2-3 hours). If you’re ever concerned about the amount of time your baby sleeps, contact their pediatrician.
How to keep baby awake during breastfeeding at night?
If you’re having a really difficult time keeping your baby awake during breastfeeding at night, try turning a night light on and making sure the room isn’t all the perfect conditions for sleep. Some babies can nurse well through the darkness and sound machine and go back to sleep, but that is definitely not the case for all of them!
I like to recommend changing their diaper either at the beginning of the feed or in the middle, taking them out of their swaddle, and turning down the sound machine if you use one.
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