My baby always falls asleep after nursing

[BT]

Hi - I'm new to the site and have read Tracy's books while I was pregnant.  So far though I'm having a rough time instilling the routine....one of the problems I'm having is that my 10-day old falls asleep after nursing.  He'll nurse for anywhere from 15-35 minutes, but almost always falls asleep when he's done.  I'm concerned that he'll start associating nursing as a means of falling asleep.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[RachelC]

Hi and Welcome to TBW site!  Congratulations on your new little one.

It is quite normal for a baby of this age to fall asleep while nursing.  Something you can do would be when you are done feeding, change the diaper for "activity".  Then, when baby is ready, put down for a nap.  Activity at this age is minimal... staring at mom's face counts 

Good luck to you and let us know if you have more questions

[jbepko]

I completely agree with PP. It will take until LO is 4 weeks or so before there is any real activity time- and that's only a few minutes then. Just nurse and sleep- you and your son!

[BT]

Thank you for the responses!  I was worried that I was letting him sleep too much by just doing the diaper change, swaddle and back to sleep but it sounds like that's all I should expect at this stage.  Thanks again for the reassurance - it definitely helps to hear things are on track 

[Southernbelle]

Yes, both my Lo's slept for at least four weeks.  WE didn't get into EASY until about 4-6 weeks and it was a gradual thing.  AT 16 weeks my DD is taking great naps (usually) and sleeping from 10-6am at night...so waiting the few weeks wont hurt.  It is fine to relax, enjoy your baby and build your milk supply now by feeding more often so that in a few weeks you can start some simple routines.  I regret with my DS#1 that I didn't relax more the first few weeks.  I was too concerned with getting him into a routine and it was really too early because he couldn't stay awake longer than a few minutes.  Just enjoy your little one and get some sleep while he sleeps!

[Samuel's mum]

As the others have said, what you are experiencing is completely normal. It's all down to a very efficient hormone called oxytocin which induces sleep and is needed for breastfeeding. Some mums fall asleep too! I would agree with the advice to delay EASY for a few weeks and see what happens. I've heard it described as nature's way of giving everyone a break after the birth.