Baby falling asleep while breastfeeding

What’s her weight gain like?
Has she got a good latch? How long does she feed for before going to sleep?
Sending love, it’s so tricky xx

Hi love, falling asleep during a feed is very normal and to be expected so please don’t stress over it. Just stay cuddling baby with your breast near by and they will relatch if still hungry once less sleepy 🥰

I used to tickle my baby’s feet if that didnt work , i would change his nappy to wake him or sometimes strip him down to feed him. He had jaundice too so he was super sleepy at the beginning

I’m formula feeding but my baby would fall asleep part way due to her tongue tie. I would often change her nappy halfway through (rather than before or after) and that would often reset for the feed. Xx

It’s totally natural for them to fall asleep. This is just my experience I’m not an expert but I did breastfeed both my babies - when they’re asleep on the boob / doing lots of short feeds (cluster feeds), that’s when your milk supply is formed. 2 weeks is really quite early to be pumping or topping up with formula. If you’re topping up with formula, she is then not going to want / need the next boob feed and so your supply won’t necessarily increase as you want it to.

Unless she’s underweight / not gaining, follow her lead. She knows when she’s hungry and when she is tired. If she feeds on and off and sleeps in between that’s ok.

Pumping this early is going to disrupt your supply more than help it. Lots of skin to skin, whether she actively feeding or just sleeping on the boob, will help to stimulate it.

You can’t expect proper “feeds for 20-25 mins and is full for four hours” until she’s more like 6-8 weeks (and that’s still early).

Honestly what you're doing is called triple feeding and it's really really hard and only supposed to be short term, like a couple of days! I would take advice from someone with specific breastfeeding training, like a lactation consultant or feeding support worker. I'm a trained feeding peer supporter, and we would look for a nice deep latch, transferring of milk (lots of sucking and swallowing), being content at the end of or in between feeds, and a good number of wet and dirty nappies.

It's perfectly normal to fall asleep on the boob, and nothing wrong with it. Just keep her latched and let her cluster feed, as this is the most effective way to bring up your supply.

Thanks everyone! She’s regained her birth weight and having lots and lots if wet nappies and some dry ones too, so she’s growing really well.

The issue I’m mostly having is this huge anxiety about my milk supply and having her not wanting my breasts at some point.

Don’t forget, baby is only 2 weeks old and your milk can take a while to fully come in but your body won’t run out of milk. It produces while baby is feeding, on demand. Don’t feel that it must be your supply.
I would trust the lactation specialist over a midwife. As the specialist knows more in depth about feeding.

As baby is still so little, it might be worth checking if LO has a tongue tie or not.
- does baby click when feeding?
- does baby fall asleep quickly after latching?
- are your nipples sore?
- are your nipples being misshapen from baby’s latch?
- does baby lose milk between lips during a feed?
If yes, this could indicate a tongue tie.
You will then need a referral to a tongue tie clinic

Hey girl… try not to stress yourself so much.. I was doing triple feeding like you as well and I was exhausted. Like the other moms said as well try and tickle her toes and try and reduce formula as much as you can!! Skin to skin with your Baby as much as you can and offer the breast as much as she wants as often as she wants so you can get established your milk supply. My baby did have a tongue tie which I got sorted and she was still falling asleep at the breast. It’s normal for them! You got this momma!!!
But if you are worried about a tongue tie definitely get it checked!

My baby was constantly attached to my nipple at the beginning and I was really worried I wasn't making enough but a friend told me you'd know if your baby was hungry because they'd be crying etc. He's now almost 4 months and still exclusively breastfeeding but he can do more things now other than eat sleep and be stuck to my boob! I'd just try to make sure baby feeds off both breasts before they fall asleep and you'll be okay.

@maddy some of those symptoms are true for me. I’ll book a lactation consultant 🤗Thanks so much! This truly brings me comfort and helps keep my mind at peace because I know what to do next. It’s so hard just thinking what’s wrong and not getting answers.

I had issues with my milk supply and I start drinking fenugreek seed tea - soak a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in half cup of water and for me my supply increased in 48hrs, it has a natural compound which increases stimulation of sweat glands and thus breast milk. See if it works for you as long as u dont have any allergies etc.

My baby was exclusively bottle fed from the beginning. He was very small because he had a fetal growth restriction. And like yours, he kept falling asleep. Nothing I did worked. Diaper change, undressing, tickling feet. I had to keep pumping and trying to latch regardless. The advice I got was to keep trying. 8 weeks in, I was able to get him to consistently latch and now, at 5 months, he’s pretty much EBF. Your little one just needs some time and support. My only suggestion is to keep trying to latch at every feed, whether or not baby takes it.

Normal! Get the baby to a window or outside as you are able. Sunlight and eating are best for jaundice!

Similar boat here - supplemented with formula about a week or so until my milk was flowing well. Baby still falls asleep at the breast at 16 months and we’ve been EBF since about a week!

If baby is having wet nappies and gaining weight they are getting enough.

Stressing about supply can impact it. I know it's hard but try not to.

Personally I'd try without the formula and pump. Just offer the breast often. Direct feeding and skin to skin increase/support breast milk production better than any pump etc can.