In the early weeks after birth, you should wake your baby to breastfeed if four hours have passed since the beginning of the last feeding. You can:
- remove any blankets
- change your baby's diaper
- place your baby skin-to-skin
- massage your baby's back, abdomen, arms and legs
If you find that your baby tends to fall asleep at the breast in the middle of the feeding, you might want to try the technique of breast compression, made popular by pediatrician and breastfeeding expert, Dr. Jack Newman. It can help a baby get more milk at each feeding by keeping him or her feeding actively for a longer time and to "finish" the first breast offered. This technique does not raise your risk of getting plugged ducts.
When the baby is drinking milk, you do not need to use any breast compression, but once the baby is no longer drinking and is just nibbling, you can start the technique.
Once your baby has finished the first breast and still wants more milk, you can offer the other breast. Signs that your baby has finished with the first breast are falling asleep at the breast and doing no more opening wide, pausing, then sucking. If the compression does not work at first, it does not mean that you have to switch breasts right away. If your baby comes off the breast by him or herself, you might want to try offering the first breast again to see if he or she will drink more. If not, or if your baby is getting fussy or sleepy because the milk flow is slow, you can change your baby over to the other breast. You can experiment with this technique and do a variation of it that works best for you.
Sleeping Close to Baby
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that for breastfed healthy term infants, mothers and infants should sleep close to each other to help with breastfeeding.
The AAP reports that a study1 that examined babies sleeping with parents and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) found:
- Co-sleeping with an infant on a sofa was associated with a particularly high risk of SIDS.
- Sharing a room with the parents was associated with a lower risk of SIDS.
- There was no increased risk associated with bed sharing when the infant was placed back in his or her cot.
- Among parents who do not smoke or infants older than 14 weeks there was no association between infants being found in the parental bed and an increased risk of SIDS.
- The risk linked with bed sharing among younger infants seems to be associated with recent parental consumption of alcohol, overcrowded housing conditions, extreme parental tiredness, and the infant being under a blanket.
