Anyone with a baby who eats best asleep?

[@llli*3kidsmama]

I'm mainly just looking for other mamas who can relate...

My daughter is 7 months old and has, since she was about 3 months, nursed better while asleep or really sleepy. When she's awake, I'm usually having to switch her back and forth to keep up her interest, sing songs, etc. Otherwise she's often off before my milk even lets down (and it doesn't take long!) It's like she's rather be doing most anything besides nursing. I know I have plenty of milk, so I don't think she's disinterested because of that.

I should add that I offer her to nurse far more often than she cues (she would probably only nurse 5-6 times a day if I only fed her on her cues), so I feel like she often isn't very hungry during those awake nursings...and nurses better while asleep because of a sucking need.

Am I overthinking this? Does it matter? Will she ever be a great awake nurser?

[@llli*worknpump]

I can't really answer your question about whether or not she will nurse while awake - but I think this is somewhat common. My DD has been a dream feeder since about that age. She is 10 months old now. I work FT so she gets bottles of EBM during the day anyways, but I don't have much luck getting her to nuse evenings/weekends. She will nurse overnight when she wakes or dreamfeed.

There are several other mamas on these boards with similar "dreamfeeders." Interestingly, I think they are mostly girl babies

Congrats for nursing her so long!

[@llli*wuvamber]

Yes my nursling nurses the best while she is asleep, but she will still have decent nurses at other times!
She definitely grew out of it, don't worry

[@llli*ragdoll.princess]

Ya me too. Feeding my baby boy during the day is a like a wrestling match, whether I feed before cues, when I catch cues, or when I miss cues and he freaks He's sleeping longer now, but he used to get most of his food at night because he's such a hoover then

[@llli*katena]

That's why I am here! My 7 month old boy nurses all night, but would easily go 6 hours in the morning without a drop if I would let him. I am so tired of fighting him to feed when the sun is up, but also so tired of waking 3-6 times a night! I'd love thoughts/suggestions for turning on his daytime feeds.

[@llli*lilysmama27]

I have the same issue, my dd won't even nurse to sleep most of the time, I have to rock her to sleep with the soother then pull it out and put her on the breast once her eyes are closed! I feel weird about this but it's what works best to get milk in her. I nurse her this way at nap times and she feeds really well once she's asleep. I really hope she will get better at nursing during awake times though and I will keep trying. I use a nursing cover to block out distractions and wear a teething necklace so she has something to play with, this helps sometimes, usually only if she's sleepy anyway.