Should i wake my newborn to feed

But there are times when it is either necessary or helpful to wake a sleeping baby to feed them. In addition to feeding your baby every 3 hours including waking them to do so always be sure to keep tabs on other signs that your baby is getting enough to eat.

This is normal due to the extra fluid that a baby is carrying when they are born. At an average rate of 1-ounce in growth per day, a baby should have this regained by their two-week appointment. By not letting your baby sleep longer than 3 hours at a time yes, even at night your baby has enough opportunities each day to get their calorie needs met to make this happen. Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. When your baby demands it, your body produces it.

In order for your body to keep getting the message that it needs to produce more milk, breastfeeding or pumping as discussed here around the clock is necessary to keep a steady milk supply for your little one.

So be sure to wake that baby up to feed every 3 hours in those early weeks. Just remember, you can't nurse too often! You should still be feeding your baby on demand and when they show hunger cues! Just know that this may end up being a lot sooner than every 3 hours with more than 8 - 12 feeds in a day. As your baby grows, so does this amount of time. How long you can let your baby go between feeds depends on a variety of factors.

Here are some to consider:. A baby under six weeks should not sleep longer than hour stretches. This keeps baby nearby and helps with feeding, comforting, and monitoring at night. While room-sharing is safe, putting your infant to sleep in bed with you is not.

Bed-sharing increases the risk of SIDS sudden infant death syndrome and other sleep-related deaths. Newborns follow their own schedule. Over the next couple of weeks to months, you and your baby will begin to settle into a routine. It may take a few weeks for your baby's brain to know the difference between night and day. Unfortunately, there are no tricks to speed this up, but it helps to keep things quiet and calm during middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes.

Try to keep the lights low and resist the urge to play with or talk to your baby. This will send the message that nighttime is for sleeping. If possible, let your baby fall asleep in the crib at night so your little one learns that it's the place for sleep. Don't try to keep your baby up during the day in the hopes that he or she will sleep better at night.

Overly tired infants often have more trouble sleeping at night than those who've had enough sleep during the day. If your newborn is fussy it's OK to rock, cuddle, and sing as your baby settles down. Continue Reading Below. Read This Next. How to Get Rid of Newborn Hiccups. Can Babies Sleep Too Much? All About Breastfeeding. View Sources. KidsHealth From Nemours, Breastfeeding vs.

Formula Feeding , June First Year. First Year Groups. Bottle Feeding. Go to Your Baby's Age. Please whitelist our site to get all the best deals and offers from our partners. Products and services. Free E-newsletter Subscribe to Housecall Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now. Should I wake my newborn for feedings? Answer From Jay L. With Jay L. Show references Schanler RJ, et al. Initiation of breastfeeding. Accessed Jan. Hagan JF, et al, eds. Promoting healthy nutrition.