Baby Falls Asleep After Nursing on One Side...

I never fed my kids on both sides. I alternated sides every other feeding. There is NO NEED to switch during a feeding.

She's so young, only a newborn... if she stops drinking and falls asleep at the breast, then just detach her. It probably means she is full. Then just lay her down and she will probably nap. It is very common that a newborn falls asleep at the breast.
Lots of babies do that. Especially newborns.

I would not detach her if she is still actively nursing. But yes, if she stops drinking & falls asleep,... then she is probably done.

All the best,
Susan

When my babies did that, I would switch them every 5 minutes so that the other breast wouldn't hurt so bad. Once they get older and let down isn't as severe, you can let her go longer on each breast, so when she does fall asleep, the other one won't be so painful.

I did the same as you, sometimes nursing for up to 45 mins! My pedi told me that was far too long if the baby has slept, and I'm only making myself the pacifier. So take her off when she's asleep. She'll wake if she's still hungry

She only needs one breast per feeding. You want her to nurse until she falls asleep or pops off one breast only or she won't get enough hindmilk to thrive properly. Its an old wives tale to switch after 20mins. If you do this, she won't get enough ind milk and she will be hungry more often and won't grow the way she should. One breast only per feeding, let her eat her fill on that one breast no matter the time, don't watch the clock, watch her. She will let you know when she is full.... but dont' switch breasts. Itsan old wives tale that is completely false and won't help you or your baby continue your nursing relationship.

www.kellymom.com has more great info. But just wear a stretchy bracelet on your wrist and switch it to the other so you know which breast to use for the next feeding. Again only one breast per feeding so she gets the foremilk AND the hindmilk, the hindmilk comes last but its the most important, and if you switch she won't get that.

There actually are some newborns that "starve" themselves...they typically have other things going on (jaundice for example) that makes them sleepier than usual. That said, it is extremely common for some babies to nurse on just one side per feeding. It has a lot to do with your breasts' capacity for storing milk. If she seems hungry within an hour of feeding, you may want to try to wake her by changing diaper to see if she'll take the other side. If she is having the expected number of wet diapers and bowel movements and feeding on a "schedule" you're comfortable with (on demand still but an average interval of about 2 hours), I wouldn't be concerned. My sons both started that way and would go 3-4 hours between feeds initially until they were a little older (3-6 months) and then they started taking from both breasts. Babies tend to get the majority of the foremilk out in the first 10 minutes so once you're sure she's asleep or satisifed, I see no harm in detaching her. You don't say what's the longest she stays attached if you don't take her off or if you're having any nipple discomfort because of her failure to detach but those answers can help guide your decision as well. Hope this helps!

My son did this too at this age. i would nurse him until empty on one side, wake him up by changing his diaper, and then offer him the second side. If I didn't di this, he would want to eat 45 min later. It's ok if all they want is one side. They will let you know when they are hungry! Your doing a great job mama! :)

This is completely normal! My daughter is 3 months old, and she still usually nurses on one side at each "meal." My son did the same, and only right before their longest sleep did they nurse on both sides. I'm a peer counselor with Nursing Mothers Counsel, and the vision I like to use to help moms is this: think about your own eating habits during a particular day. You may be starving when you wake up and eat a large breakfast. This large meal may mean you only want a snack come traditional lunchtime, then you have a late lunch, etc. The next day, you may have a small breakfast, then a snack, then a large lunch. Your own eating habits change throughout the day and definitely from day to day, so apply this knowledge when feeding your baby girl.

If you're concerned about keeping the milk supply in both breasts even (which isn't necessary as things change daily), feel free to pump or hand express the other side and either freeze the milk if you're planning to return to work or give it to baby later in the day via cup, spoon, etc. Bottles aren't recommended until about 4-6 weeks of age due to the possibility of nipple confusion.

If she falls asleep, and you can't rouse her, chances are she's had enough to eat for that meal, and she'll wake up when she's hungry again. The only case this doesn't work is with a sleepy baby, but if she's gaining well and has the requisite number of pee & bm diapers each day, she's just fine. Also keep in mind that at 2.5 weeks, she may start falling into a pattern of only have a bm diaper every couple of days.

It's also very normal for babies to use the breast as their pacifier; it's your choice whether you want this or not. You'll find that sometimes you don't mind being the pacifier, while other times you're ready to put her down and get something done around the house. Either scenario is fine, and you'll discover what works for you and baby. Trust your instincts. Your pedi had some good advice about taking her off the breast when you don't hear swallowing anymore. If you don't want to be the pacifier, try a traditional pacifier to satisfy her need to suck. I was against them until my son was 3 days old!! If you're daughter is truly hungry, the pacifier will only work for a couple minutes.

I also wanted to respond to a response you got about switching baby every 5 minutes. This is not recommended because you want baby to drain each breast as much as possible before you switch to make sure baby gets all the hindmilk she can. The hindmilk is the high-fat, thick creamy-like milk that baby needs to gain well and truly be satisfied.

The last point I want to make is about milk composition. Your milk changes throughout the day. After your baby's longest sleep, your breasts are probably fuller than other times during the day. The milk in your breasts at this time is mostly foremilk, the low-fat, thinner milk that helps quench baby's thirst before you experience let-down and the release of the hindmilk. Because of this, you may notice that she doesn't sleep as long after this first morning feed even though she seems to drink a lot of milk. Foremilk is more quickly digested.

If you have any other questions about breastfeeding, please feel free to use Nursing Mothers Counsel as a resource either through our website http://www.nursingmothers.org or our warm-line (650) 327-MILK. You can also email me directly at ____@____.com a great day, and enjoy your newborn! They grow SO FAST!!

My daughter does this too. Children will never starve themselves. If she falls asleep and you can't wake her by burping her, playing with her feet, changing her diaper, etc then she's fine. I often do "switch feeding" where I remove her from my left side and move her to the right one after she starts slowing down. It's really helped to keep her awake during feedings, and though one full side doesn't get emptied by her nursing, I just pump the rest out (the end of your supply is the healthiest, since it's more fatty). Then I just throw it in the freezer and wait for her to wake on her own. :)

This is very common -my daughter did this too. I just detatched her, and she seemed full long enough (4-5 hrs). However if your daughter gets hungry soon and she's waking up for food often, then you may try to change her diaper to wake her and then switch sides. One thing I did do w/ her was to feed her in her diaper only. This way she was more awake (not cold as I was providing heat). It also helped us have more skin to skin contact. Sometimes I'd use my finger to rub her cheek or tickle her toes to keep her awake. Ususally did this at night when she was a bit older to make sure she had a good feeding before bed.

Follow your instincts... you know best as her mom. I was never a big fan of schedules - sleep when tired, eat when hungry. Follow the babies cues and what works for you both. Good luck and enjoy - I have such wonderful memories of this time!

My son always had only one breast per nursing session. He took on the 2 breasts only during growth spurts. Somehow, my breasts got used to it and I nursed him like that for 15 months.
I wouldn't worry! Babies don't starve themselves.

yes... it can be enough. depending on how much milk you produce.. I was a "over producer" so my daughter only nursed on one side per feeding... she was a small eater..

my son started out nursing on one side.. but as he grew and his appetite grew he did start to take both sides..

there is some advice that says let them completely empty one side.. so they get the foremilk and the hindmilk.. the first milk they get is sweeter .. after they nurse for a while they get milk with higher fat content..

My daughter did the same thing, and I would just pump the otherside to "even things out." I was able to store the milk and it made going back to work less stressful as I knew I had plenty of milk in the freezer for her. As long as your daughter is growing and having an adequate number of dirty diapers, then you're doing just fine.