Warmth welcomes you to your motherhood. This stage in your life will require you to learn about all the things you need to do to help your tiny human. It may be confusing, and you may be terrified of doing the wrong thing. But that’s what makes you a mother, and in order to learn how to care for your baby properly, you’re going to make mistakes.
Because needless to say, no one is perfect. Perfect is a concept that everyone has a different definition of. The love you have for your child is the most important weapon you have. Anything else will come to its place over time. In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to keep a baby awake during feeding.
We’re going to give you some unique tips and tricks. To avoid any frustration coming from the unknown, stay tuned for the other part, where we’ll show you all the things you need to know about breastfeeding and what a fantastic experience it is. Or, as we like to say, breastfeeding is the best bonding time between a mother and her child.
Different Ways of Keeping a Baby Awake During Feeding Time
- If your baby is in a blanket, try unwrapping it and taking off its clothes. The lack of clothes and warmth may stop your baby from falling asleep while you feed them.
- To make them feel more comfortable while breastfeeding, you may try to sing them lullabies.
- You may even put on your kind of music, but make sure it’s not too energetic. You wouldn’t want to scare your baby and make them start crying.
- You can try to switch breasts as soon as you see that your baby has stopped feeding.
- Ensure that the room where you breastfeed your baby is full of light.
- Try different positions while you breastfeed your baby; that way, you may keep things interesting so it doesn’t fall asleep.
- You can try blowing air toward their little forehead and cheeks.
- You may use a wet cloth and wipe their face.
- You can try changing their diapers to catch their attention, and with the wet wipes, they won’t be able to fall asleep.
- You can gently massage your breasts to make your baby continue to feed on them.
- Make sure that your baby’s skin is to your skin.
- Help your baby to burp.
Those are the tricks about how to keep a baby awake during feeding. Even if they’re resistant and prone to fall asleep whenever they want, this might have been a struggle but not anymore. Those little munchkins will probably not be able to sleep if you do those tricks.
Why Does Your Baby Need to Fall Asleep During Feeding?
If you put two babies in the same room, they may be entirely different and have their own reasons for falling asleep while you’re feeding them. The most common reason babies fall asleep while feeding is because they’re probably too tired and choose to nap over food, or their tummy is already full. Each breastfeeding time typically consists of 20 minutes.
So even though your baby drifts away around that time, there’s no need for concern. If you feel like your baby is too small to avoid drinking milk, you can contact your pediatrician for a quick check-up.
Also, the younger your baby is, the more likely it is to fall asleep during breastfeeding. That is because of the hormone cholecystokinin. This hormone might make your baby feel sleepy and pleasant after a while of breastfeeding them.
Read more: How To Dress A Baby For Sleep In A 70 Degree Room
How To Know Whether Your Baby Is Fed Or Not
You should always pay attention to the movements that your baby makes. Make sure you monitor when the baby sucks the breast and swallows the milk. To make sure that everything goes the right way, massage your breast so your baby continues to feed.
When you have a newborn munchkin in your home, you should know that every 2-3 hours, your peanut needs to be fed. When the baby stops and pulls away from your breasts, it’s also a sign that it is already full. You see changes in his weight, which means the baby is fed.
You’ll notice that your breasts are softer and your baby happier. He keeps his little mouth closed. Newborns need their diapers changed a lot during the day, usually six times because they pee a lot and 3 to 4 times because they poop. These are the ways to help you know that your baby is full.
Signs You’ll See in a Case Where Your Baby Doesn’t Get Enough Milk
If you feel like your baby seems to sleep a lot and shows zero interest in feeding, it’s time to call your pediatrician. We already said that every 2 to 3 hours, you should feed your baby. If they constantly ask to be fed every hour, they might not be well fed. If two weeks go by and you haven’t noticed any weight gain, it’s also a sign of potentially not being fed enough.
If your baby continuously sucks on the breasts without swallowing the milk and quickly falls asleep while you breastfeed them, it may also be a sign. Another sign might be feeding time that lasts more than an hour. Those are the signs you need to look out for while breastfeeding them to ensure that no baby is hungry.
Related: How to Keep a Newborn Awake
Pause While Breastfeeding
While breastfeeding your baby, they may pause from feeding because they have gas or feel a little discomfort. Don’t mix up a pause with your baby being finished feeding. Because sometimes babies can take up longer until they start feeding on your breasts again.
Also, if your baby is older, they may get distracted easily. Choose a quiet room to breastfeed them and create a relaxing and calm atmosphere. You can even cover your baby with a soft blanket. And make sure it doesn’t fall asleep.
Read more: How To Keep A Pacifier In Mouth
Conclusion
If you got this far, you’ve already learned how to keep a baby awake during feeding. It’s essential to learn about all the facts so there’s no room for panic. We all love our children the same, and we all would go to the end of the world for them. We hope you found this article on how to keep a baby awake during feeding insightful.
