My GP said something very sensible to me today

[BellaBear]

I was worried about DS feeding to sleep most of the time and how all the books have some variation on 'put your sleepy but awake baby down...'.

She said, for goodness sake, babies are designed to feed to sleep. It's completely natural. Babies have always fed themselves to sleep, wouldn't you?

It made me feel a whole lot better

That's brilliant BellaBear!

It's made me feel better too! Thanks for sharing. So many of our expectations of our babies are externally created cultural expectations, and absolutely nothing to do with being a tiny baby! (sorry, sounds like I've swallowed a dictionary but you know what I mean!)

Isn't it nice when you get some helpful reassurance? Shortly after having ds1 I had to go the local maternity unit for a few days. I mentioned to one of the midwives that ds only stopped crying when I held him, and she said 'It's perfectly normal, remember where he's been for the past nine months'

A refreshing change from the 'making a rod for your back' argument

Biologically it would make sense for mothers to have something to help baby sleep, given they need sleep to develop. I wonder when the 'put them down awake' idea developed? I can see why it might be helpful (ie child can self-settle) but then really young baby isn't going to be able to self-settle for a while, anyway...

That makes me feel better too - I still feed my 9mo DS to sleep every evening, and in the night too. Night wakings are hardly ever a problem/stress for me - most mornings I can vaguely remember getting up to him, but the BFing makes him (and me!) so sleepy and fuzzy that I'm asleep again within moments of climbing back into bed

not just me then! I am officially crossing it off my list of 'things I'm not doing by the book'

there is a sedative in breastmilk - it's part of the point of it!

it works for you too - should have a calming effect on you when feeding - to make sure you get enough rest yourself

really?! it really is magic, isn't it? the more I learn, the more interesting it gets

When you feed there is a hormone that makes you feel sleepy and tired, which is why it is easier to get back to sleep after you've done a feed.

as always kellymom has sensible advice about it

oh yes! with milk down their chins!
lovely

oh yes, the blissed-out face

when dd (9m) feeds to sleep she now does a blissed-out lurch away from the boob when she's finished so ends up spreadeagled on her back with her arms above her head, utterly zonked.

Oh yes 'put your sleepy but awake baby down' was an alien concept in our house. Ds has never wanted to go to sleep without a feed. It is a lovely way to fall asleep

great article, have forwarded to dh. thanks!

dc3 is 22 mo, and still.......

Madness I can beat you

oh god ds was nearly 3 when I stopped feeding him to sleep
it is USEFUL
they fall ASLEEP
HURRAH