Sometimes mothers fall asleep with breastfeeding baby. What are some tips for mom to practice safe sleep while breast feeding?
I have to smile when I hear this question. My babies are now 17 and 20 and I fell asleep many times nursing my first. Thank goodness for my husband and for guardian angels. Although I never went to sleep on my baby…my 1st did roll out of the bed a couple of times…yes I know do as I say not as I did. I know better now so obviously I did better with my second…but what I want to say is that I do know the fatigue that new mom faces, that a busy working mom faces and that a mom of several children faces.
Breastfeeding has so many benefits one of which is the ease of nursing in bed…not getting up in the middle of the night, walking to the crib or the nursery or the rocker. It can be very tempting. But it’s also very risky and increases the risk for both sudden infant death syndrome for the baby as well as accidental suffocation for the baby.
Some tips I have found that have been helpful for moms include to always nurse upright in the rocker or with a nursing pillow…which keeps mom upright and the baby safe but in a perfect position to nurse. If nursing using the sidelying position, particularly in the middle of the night when mom may be sleepy, one tip would be to set a timer or an alarm to remind you to move the baby to the other breast after 15-20 minutes or back to their crib or bed when they are finished.
The most helpful thing that most mothers have shared with me is to have Dad, Grandmother or whoever is helping with the baby, to take the baby back to the bed or crib once breastfeeding is complete. This gives mom a break and allows the baby to not get used to sleeping on mom’s chest/breasts…after feeds which is a natural thing to do as for most babies as it’s the best place in the world!
There are cultures where bedsharing is the norm and it is not associated with increased risk for SIDS and there are populations that are significantly at risk for SIDS which would be compounded by bed sharing. It’s really hard however to extrapolate to the U.S. as most cultures where bedsharing is the norm have beds on firm services, closer to the ground with minimal bedding.
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