Falling Asleep While Feeding Infants Commonly Reported by Mothers

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Falling asleep while feeding (FAF) infants is reported commonly among U.S. mothers and is predominantly unplanned, according to a study published online Nov. 1 in Pediatrics.

Fern R. Hauck, M.D., from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and colleagues examined maternally reported prevalence of FAF and the association between FAF and sociodemographic factors, feeding method, and sleep location. The analysis included data from 1,259 mothers participating in the postpartum survey as part of the Social Media and Risk-reduction Training study.

The researchers found that 28.2 percent of mothers reported FAF usually or sometimes in the last two weeks, with 83.4 percent reporting that FAF was unplanned. The odds of FAF were similar by sociodemographic factors. Mothers who reported feeding in a chair were less likely to FAF (33.6 versus 16.8 percent; adjusted odds ratio, 0.41) compared with mothers whose nighttime feeding location was their bed. Additionally, FAF was reported less frequently by mothers who received safe sleep interventions (15.6 percent) versus mothers who received breastfeeding interventions (33.0 percent; adjusted odds ratio, 0.40).

“New parents need guidance on planning for optimal safety during infant feeding,” the authors write.

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