Whether you're a new mom or a seasoned parenting pro, breastfeeding often comes with its fair share of questions. Here are some answers to common inquiries that mothers - new and veteran - may have.

Where should my breastfed baby sleep?

Although some mothers may want to keep their babies in bed with them to make breastfeeding more convenient at night, cosleeping with babies can be hazardous.

But you can still keep your baby close and make nighttime feedings easier by letting your baby sleep in a crib, bassinet, or play yard in your room - right next to your bed, even - for the first few months.

You also can invest in a device that looks like a bassinet or play yard missing one side that attaches to your bed, allowing you to be next to each other while eliminating the possibility of rolling over onto your infant.

To make nursing in bed more comfortable, it may help to keep a donut-type nursing pillow on or near your bed or to use a "husband" back pillow with arms on each side.

Keep the room dimly lit for nighttime feedings and also keep stimulation (talking, singing, etc.) to a minimum. This will help your baby to realize that nighttime is for sleeping - not playing - and will encourage your little one to return to sleep sooner.

A word of caution, though: You should never let your baby sleep in the same room with people who are smoking because of the higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

My baby keeps falling asleep nursing. What do I do?

Your baby may seem like he or she is snoozing away, but may actually just be peacefully nursing. However, if you don't feel any sucking, your baby may, indeed, be sleeping at the breast, especially if he or she has had a good feeding and is satisfied.

Babies who tend to latch on incorrectly, though, will frequently sleep at the breast. If this happens, break the suction and reposition your baby onto your breast to include both your nipple and areola.

You can break the suction by slipping your finger in the side of your baby's mouth (between the gums) and then turning your finger a quarter turn to break the suction. (If you just pull your baby off your breast, it will likely startle your little one and hurt your breasts as well.) After you've broken the suction, try to burp your baby and switch your little one to the other breast.

Is it OK to nurse my baby to sleep?

Early on, it's OK to let your baby nurse for comfort, but it can become problematic as your little one gets older because he or she may need to nurse to take a nap or go to bed at night. So, at some point in the second or third month, you should probably wean your baby off of sucking for comfort and make breastfeeding sessions about nourishment not pacifying.

Around 3 months, it's also a good idea to put babies down for naps and bedtime slightly awake so that they get used to falling asleep without having to nurse.

Instead of nursing, you may want to offer your baby his or her thumb or hand to suck on. You also could consider giving your little one a pacifier. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends giving babies pacifiers at naptime and bedtime to reduce the risk of SIDS.

However, because early use of a pacifier makes it less likely that a mother and baby will continue nursing, you should only do this after breastfeeding is well established (usually after 1 month). After that point, a pacifier may be introduced - with the realization that even then it may cause your baby to have "nipple confusion," though the likelihood of this happening is much less after 4 to 6 weeks.

If your baby has had a good feeding recently and you know that he or she isn't hungry, then it's OK to use the pacifier, although it's best to try to use it just for naps and bedtime.

When will my breastfed baby start sleeping through the night?

Newborns should be woken up every 3 to 4 hours until their weight gain is established, which typically happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it's OK if a baby sleeps for longer periods of time.

But don't get your slumber hopes up just yet - most breastfed infants won't snooze for extended periods of time because they get hungry. Remember, breast milk is much more easily digested than formula, so it passes through babies' systems faster and, therefore, makes them hungry more often.

Newborns' longest sleep periods are generally 4 or 5 hours - this is about how long their small bellies can go between feedings. If newborns do sleep for a while, they'll probably be extra-hungry during the day and may want to nurse more frequently.

And just when parents think that sleeping through the night seems like a far-off dream, their baby's sleep time usually begins to shift toward night. At 3 months, a baby averages 5 hours of sleep during the day and 10 hours at night, usually with an interruption or two. About 90% of babies this age sleep "through the night," meaning 6 to 8 hours in a row. But every baby is different so don't be surprised if your baby sleeps more or less than others.

Will it hurt my milk supply to let my baby sleep through the night?

Letting your baby sleep through the night (usually around 3 months old) isn't going to hurt your breastfeeding efforts. Your body readjusts your milk supply based on when you nurse and how much your baby needs. Some babies will sleep through the night early but will make up for it during the day, so your breasts will accommodate. As your baby matures and starts taking solid foods, the need for breast milk will diminish and your body will adjust for that too.

Reviewed by: Barbara P. Homeier, MD
Date reviewed: August 2005