Fell asleep while breastfeeding - need a bit of reassurance

[snowqu33n]

I was doing side lying and baby (6 week old) had nose pressed up breathing thru one nostril so had finger on boob to give his nose more space. Woke up and panicked that maybe he hadnt been getting enough air. He was still feeding. Checked his lips and fingernails were pink, he seems fine, but still worried. Dont know how long I was asleep, maybe 10 mins or half an hour. Has anyone else done this? Please dont tell me any horror stories...

Its a really tricky one if your boobs are reasonably sized, I fell asleep sitting in a chair and while my DD was fine it was the air whistling in her nostrils that woke me up.
I guess the only thing is much like when you're driving , if you feel you're getting sleepy then get up, walk around, have a drink. I used to read while feeding but when i was exhausted with my first this didn't work all the time.
I think lying in bed and feeding is not ideal until you're not utterly exhausted and the baby is a reasonable size - though i have no idea what size that is.

Can you reposition the baby a little so his nose is clear? Though saying that, babies have flat noses and flared nostrils for this reason!

If he couldn't breathe he would have stopped feeding though, so I wouldn't worry. I always fed lying down and dozed off as much as possible - much safer than sitting up when tired.

Of course I have, being able to fall asleep while BFing is one of it's great advantages.

So long as your lying on a reasonable firm bed and have the quilt and pillows arranged so they can't cover the babies face it's not just fine, it's beautiful.

As the posters above say babies noses and whole faces are shaped so they can breath while feeding.

I fed DD2 well into childhood and as she grew, and lost her baby snapped face, she had to be much more careful how she positioned her self to feed, so she could still breath.

I find that it helps to have baby lower down the bed than you would think, with the top of their head approx level with nipple. Baby then has to lift their head back to latch, which tilts the nostrils slightly away from the boob.

I did this when ds was older but wished id done it sooner. Take one side off cot/cotbed and push against the bed. I lay a cover over the gap and tuck in loose edges. Then scoot ds back and forward or leave him in the cot and I scoot to the edge to feed.

I remember early days feeding in my arms and falling asleep and the panic when I woke and he'd slipped down under the covers. Lying down cosleep feeding if done safely is, IME a far better way to go.

Fractious describes exactly how DD2 spent an hour or two every night.

Several times a night! Following safe co-sleeping advice as per previous posts. Baby starts night in cot. When I go to bed, when baby next wakes he comes in with me for a feed. Usually then stays in with me. When he wakes (at least every couple of hours usually!) I try to shush-pat him back to sleep but if that fails I lob a boob in his direction enduring no covers are near his face and go back to sleep!

Thanks everyone for the responses, feel much better now. He is quite an insistent feeder so I worry that he wouldn't let go even if he couldn't breathe! He tends to hang on and growl even if slipping out of position (ouch).

Nah, the instinct to grasp is very strong. As long as there is nothing behind his head, so he is free to pull off, he'll be fine.

gasp not grasp.

Just adding to pps - pressing on your boob to free up baby's nose can cause blocked ducts (ouch! trust me), so is not a good idea as well as being unnecessary.

Yes, you guys are right, unfortunately. Blocked duct and mastitis.

Oooh poor you keep feeding and expressing. See a gp if self help doesn't work.

Sorry to hear about the mastitis. Ouchy.

Everyone else has given really good advice but another tip a lactation consultant gave me was to push DD's bum really close into my tummy once latched on. She then automatically moves her head back, keeping her nose clear.