Why does my baby get sleepy during feeds?

Two things at once

She was eating very well and was noticeably sleepier than usual. Our question was whether that meant she was about to grow.

The follow-up mattered more than the question: she's very alert when awake, and eating well — just sleepy.

That detail is what separates a growth spurt from something worth checking.

More sleep, or more feeding, or both, for a few days, in a baby who is otherwise herself.

Some babies do it by feeding constantly. Others do it by sleeping. Ours went sleepy, and then the weight showed up afterwards.

The pattern is a few days, not a few weeks. And they don't run to a timetable, whatever the lists say about weeks three, six and twelve.

The distinction that matters

Sleepier but alert, responsive and feeding well is growth.

Sleepy and feeding badly is not, and those two get looked at together rather than separately. So does sleepiness with fewer wet nappies, or a fever, or floppiness when she is awake.

With a premature baby the threshold is lower, because a sleepy preemie can quietly miss feeds she needed. If she was born early and is sleeping through feeds, that's worth raising rather than enjoying.

What we did

Let it happen. Kept an eye on nappies through it. Didn't wake her out of anxiety.

And waited a few days before drawing any conclusion, which is the hardest part and almost always the right one.