Patient's question:
My baby falls asleep shortly after starting to breastfeed each time. Because she eats very little, she wakes up after a short nap and continues to feed. After eating for a little while, she falls asleep again. This cycle of feeding makes me very uncomfortable, and it seems like my milk supply has also decreased. How can I get my baby to eat her fill and then fall asleep?Doctor's answer:
Newborns have an underdeveloped brain, with low excitability in the cerebral cortex and nerve cells, and poor endurance, making them easily fatigued. This determines that newborns have a longer total sleep time. The duration and frequency of sleep are proportional to the baby's age—the younger the baby, the more sleep time and frequency it has. This is why we often see that, apart from feeding, diaper changing, and bathing, newborns spend about 20 to 22 hours sleeping during the day.