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Is It Harmful To Fall Asleep While Breastfeeding?

After childbirth, women may have sleep deprivation for several weeks as the infant is yet to have a regular sleep cycle and night-time feeding schedule. Most moms experience sleepiness while breastfeeding due to the breastfeeding hormone oxytocin. Also, attending to the baby at night might deprive them of quality sleep. In this post, we tell you about the causes for falling asleep while breastfeeding, its possible risks, and ways to prevent it.

Does Breastfeeding Make You Sleepy?

Breastfeeding may not directly make you fall asleep, but the reasons associated with breastfeeding might make a nursing mother feel drowsy. The following are the common reasons for mothers of breastfed babies to fall asleep while breastfeeding.

1. Tiredness

Newborn babies usually feed every two to three hours or 8-12 times in 24 hours (1). The schedule leads to a lack of continuous sleep for the mother. Babies also have comfort nursing, thus extending the breastfeeding duration. Infants resort to comfort nursing even if they are not hungry, to drift off to sleep, or when they are tired, or if they want the mother’s touch and attention.

2. Feeling secure

Mothers might feel stressed out and concerned about their baby’s safety. They might worry that the baby would roll over from the cot or be suffocated (2). The sense of security while holding the baby could all cause a nursing mother to fall asleep while breastfeeding.

3. Room setting

The baby is usually fed in a dark, well-ventilated room in a quiet and calm environment. The mother is also likely to be seated in a comfortable sleep surface or chair. Such room settings make for a comfortable breastfeeding experience and make you doze off.

4. Oxytocin

Oxytocin is a hormone that makes the milk flow through the breasts. The hormone also induces a calm, relaxed, and sleepy feeling in breastfeeding mothers (3)
.

5. Prolactin

It is an important hormone for the production of breast milk. It makes the mother feel relaxed, thus leading to sleepiness at night  (4).

Is It Harmful To Fall Asleep While Breastfeeding?

It is not advisable to fall asleep while breastfeeding the baby as there is a risk of feeding-related infant deaths. It can be harmful for the baby due to the following reasons.

• The baby might fall out of your arms if you are sleeping while holding the baby.

• The baby might get suffocated against your chest.

Feeding moms may fall asleep for various reasons. But, there are some ways to manage to stay awake during infant feeding.

Things To Remember When You Are About To Breastfeed

If you tend to fall asleep, then the following measures could help you manage it better.

• Correct posture

Set yourself against a comfortable pillow or in a comfortable chair. Avoid a cozy surface, as it might make you drowsier. Choose a sitting surface with raised edges so that neither you nor your baby rolls over on falling asleep. Identify the safe nighttime feeding spaces in your house and utilize them.

• Set an alarm

Before you begin breastfeeding, set the alarm in your phone or alarm clock. Keep the volume and vibration of the phone low to prevent disturbing the baby. Also, keep the phone or clock at a safe distance from the baby.

• Ask for your partner’s help

Ask your partner or a family member to wake you up if you fall asleep. You can have a peaceful, relaxed, and stress-free sleep nursing session if you have someone around.

• Keep the surroundings clear

Do not keep potential hazards like a cup of hot beverage, medications, or sharp objects around while breastfeeding the baby. It can help prevent accidents in case you fall asleep, and the baby is still awake.

How To Stop Yourself From Falling Asleep While Breastfeeding?

Identify the factors that make you sleepy and try avoiding them. Here some tips to help prevent falling asleep while breastfeeding.

• Try to get enough rest. Sleep when the baby goes to sleep. Continuous nighttime sleep may not be possible, so try to get some daytime naps, in sync with your baby’s sleep habits.

• Seek help from your partner, friends, or family members to feed expressed breast milk to the baby while you get some rest.

• Eat a wholesome diet and consume enough calories daily. It will help keep your energy levels up and maintain a sufficient milk supply. Breastfeeding burns up to 500 calories daily therefore intaking enough calories of a well-rounded diet and staying hydrated are essential.

• Keep yourself engaged in some activity like reading a book, listening to music, watching TV, or playing a game on your phone to stay alert and not fall asleep.

• Identify the baby’s feeding cues and feed them on time. This will prevent them from getting cranky.

• Try adjusting your baby’s feed and sleep cycle. Babies instinctively start feeding if they are snuggled up the mother’s chest. Lay your baby against your body in a way that his/her stomach and chest are in contact with your skin. This is known as biological nurturing (5). The baby will indulge in feeding even in light sleep by this technique. It could help prevent a disturbed sleep cycle for the baby. It eventually allows the mother to have a better sleep.

• If you are experiencing chronic exhaustion, then talk to a lactation consultant for help.

Exhaustion and the infant sleeping environment can make you sleepy while breastfeeding. Identify the causes and try to adjust your sleep habits according to those of the baby. Take rest and sleep when the baby sleeps. Do not hesitate to ask for help from friends and family.