6 week old falling asleep at the breast

[Honeybun21]

My 7 week old DD is ebf and gaining weight perfectly. At the start she was a great sleeper only needing feeding once or twice,
But over the last week she will wake for a feed but fall asleep on the breast within 5 minutes and I am unable to wake her. She won't take a good enough feed and will wake up an hour later wanting to feed again.

I have tried changing her nappy in between, changing position even putting a light on but nothing will keep her awake long enough.

Possibly worth pointing out she feeds fine during the day and naps well. Any tips or help would be greatly appreciated!

[Harrysmummy246]

Sadly, you most likely just have a normal baby. Even at 7 weeks, her stomach is still tiny, and she'll have become more efficient at feeding so may well be taking all she has room for.
It is possible for a baby to fall asleep but still be suckling, is that happening.

She is still sorting out night from day, so it's best to keep it dark and quiet at night and accept that while it's pretty sh** just now, it will change soon enough.

[ChaosMoon]

I had this problem. If she's sleeping after 5 minutes, change breast after 3. Then do it again after another three. If she falls asleep before the second 3 minutes is up, do it after 1 or 2. The trick is to rouse them before they fall asleep. Keep going back and forth until she's had a decent feed.

A wet wipe can also be handy, just to rub over their face and stimulate them a bit.

[Spanneroo]

I used to blow on DD2 every couple of minutes. Worked a charm.

(She still hates the wind now though )

[userabcname]

6-8 weeks is prime growth spurt time! This often means babies are both hungrier and sleepier than usual, which can cause issues. Rest assured, it will pass! Good advice from a pp - keep swapping sides to keep her awake, tickle, strip her down etc. Hopefully it will pass soon.

[Honeybun21]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Really appreciated and also good to know it's not just me!

I will give the switching sides a go next time she wants to feed, I have already tried blowing on her but that seems to make her more sleepy.

Interesting on the growth spurt, definitely seems like it could be the reason.

[PrayingandHoping]

If my little one starts getting sleepy I find playing with her hands and feet just rouses her enough to keep on feeding

[ChaosMoon]

Any luck @Honeybun21?

[Honeybun21]

@ChaosMoon a little better thanks. She did 3 hours then 2 last night so was definitely getting a good amount. Hopefully we can keep it going!

[ChaosMoon]

Oh good! I hope it keeps improving from here.