My newborn son is breast fed and after feedings falls asleep still attached on the breast. When I remove him he starts to cry and wants to be attached again. My husband and I are getting no sleep because we can’t figure out how to get the baby to go to sleep without being glued to my breasts at all times. Any Advice?
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make sure he is sleeping and not still feeding. Newborn’s tend to feed for about an hour or more because they nod off then feed, nod off then feed, etc. If he’s sleeping take him off the nipple very gently by putting your finger in his mouth to release his grip very very gently. if he still wakes rock him gently in your arms and he should fall back asleep they just need some sort of comfort when they’re so little
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2. How babies enter sleep. You’re rocking, walking, or nursing your baby and her eyelids droop as she begins to nod off in your arms. Her eyes close completely, but her eyelids continue to flutter and her breathing is still irregular. Her hands and limbs are flexed, and she may startle, twitch, and show fleeting smiles, called “sleep grins.” She may even continue a flutter-like sucking. Just as you bend over to deposit your “sleeping” baby in her crib so you can creep quietly away, she awakens and cries. That’s because she wasn’t fully asleep. She was still in the state of light sleep when you put her down. Now try your proven bedtime ritual again, but continue this ritual longer (about twenty more minutes). You will notice that baby’s grimaces and twitches stop; her breathing becomes more regular and shallow, her muscles completely relax. Her fisted hands unfold and her arms and limbs dangle weightlessly. Martha and I call this “limp-limb” sign of deep sleep. Baby is now in a deeper sleep, allowing you to put her down and sneak away, breathing a satisfying sigh of relief that baby is finally resting comfortably.
NIGHTTIME PARENTING LESSON #1:
Babies need to be parented to sleep, not just put to sleep. Some babies can be put down while drowsy yet still awake and drift
others need parental help by being rocked or nursed to sleep.
The reason is that while adults can usually go directly into the state of deep sleep, infants in the early months enter sleep through an initial period of light sleep. After twenty minutes or more they gradually enter deep sleep, from which they are not so easily aroused. As you probably know from experience, if you try to rush your baby to bed while she is still in the initial light sleep period, she will usually awaken. Many parents tell me: “My baby has to be fully asleep before I can put her down.” In later months, some babies can enter deep sleep more quickly, bypassing the lengthy light sleep stage. Learn to recognize your baby’s sleep stages. Wait until your baby is in a deep sleep stage before transitioning her from one sleeping place to another, such as from your bed to a crib or from carseat to bed or crib.
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Get baby used to a variety of sleep associations. The way an infant goes to sleep at night is the way she expects to go back to sleep when she awakens. So, if your infant is always rocked or nursed to sleep, she will expect to be rocked or nursed back to sleep. Sometimes nurse her off to sleep, sometimes rock her off to sleep, sometimes sing her off to sleep, and sometimes use tape recordings; and switch off with your spouse on putting her to bed. There are two schools of thought on the best way to put babies to sleep: the parent-soothing method and the self-soothing method. Both have advantages and possible disadvantages.
1. Parent-soothing method. When baby is ready to sleep, a parent or other caregiver helps baby make a comfortable transition from being awake to falling asleep, usually by nursing, rocking, singing, or whatever comforting techniques work.
Advantages:
* Baby learns a healthy sleep attitude – that sleep is a pleasant state to enter and a secure state to remain in.
* Creates fond memories about being parented to sleep.
* Builds parent-infant trust
So-called “Disadvantages”: Because of the concept of sleep associations, baby learns to rely on an outside prop to get to sleep, so—as the theory goes—when baby awakens he will expect help to get back to sleep. This may exhaust the parents.
Well, Well, Well, I had this problem! My son had a fit! I will tell you that you must buy a wider bottle nipple that’s more flat. My son started using that. When doing this you must pump your breast milk in the bottle.
That should work!
Hope this helps
You could think about bedsharing – it can make night feeds much less disruptive and your baby will have the closeness he needs just now. see the link for safe bedsharing. Google Helen Ball or James McKenna for research.
The baby is a NEWBORN. They all do this. Have your husband sleep on the couch so you can sleep with your baby and have this crucial bonding time- and easy access to your breast. This passes. It’s very normal.