A parent's reluctance to wake up a slumbering newborn baby is completely understandable. After all, your sweetie looks so peaceful when he's asleep. And considering the amount of time he spends awake and crying, it seems like a crime to not let your sleeping baby lie when you've got the chance.
But while a newborn's nursing schedule can sometimes feel like a grind, it's especially important now for his health and your milk supply to keep up the pace, even if that means disturbing him when he's asleep.
Why you should wake newborns for feedings
Newborns are growing fast, which is why they seem like little eating machines. His body can’t take much of a break, and neither can you. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends waking your baby to feed if he sleeps more than four to five hours at a time for the first two weeks.[1]
Here’s more on why you need to feed your newborn so frequently and wake him up if he sleeps through a scheduled feed:
Your baby's tummy empties easily
Babies digest breast milk easily and quickly. That speedy digestion, coupled with your little one's tiny tummy (which at 2 weeks is only slightly bigger than a ping-pong ball), means your baby has a physiological need to nurse about every two to three hours.
A formula-fed baby can go three to four hours between feedings during the first month because formula takes longer to digest.
He might snooze through hunger
Most of the time, your baby will send out hunger cues like lip smacking, rooting and finger sucking — not to mention a hearty cry — when his tummy is empty, signaling you to provide.[2]
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But during those first few sleepy weeks at home, babies can sometimes snooze through their feeding alarms, in which case they need to be awakened. For your baby's first overnight session, you can try doing a dream feed (rousing him for a feed just before you go to bed).
Your baby needs to gain weight
Not getting enough to eat can slow down newborn weight gain. Newborns typically lose between 5 and 10 percent of their body weight, depending on delivery method, in the days after birth. They need to spend the first few weeks gaining it back. Not eating enough in the first few days can also lead to complications linked to jaundice and low blood sugar.
You need to boost your milk supply
Not feeding often enough can slow down your milk production if you're breastfeeding. Right now, you're only just establishing the demand-and-supply cycle that keeps pumping out the perfect amount of milk to meet your baby's needs. If you go for long periods without being tapped, it might reduce the amount you make.
For these reasons, try to gently rouse your sleeping baby when he's overdue for a feeding.
How to wake a newborn to feed
If your baby is sleepy, try these rousing techniques at mealtime:
- Feed when your baby is in an active sleep period — or REM sleep. If your baby's in deep sleep, other efforts may prove futile.[3] You'll recognize REM sleep when your baby moves his arms and legs, changes his facial expressions and flutters his eyelids.
- Slowly unswaddle him. If that doesn't work, try undressing him too.
- Change his diaper while you sing a song or stroke his hands and the soles of his feet.
- Hold your baby upright, which usually causes newborns to open their eyes.
- Dim the lights. Though it may seem counterintuitive, if the room is too bright, your baby may be comfier with those peepers tightly shut.
- Be sociable. Talk and sing to your baby and, once you get his eyes open, make eye contact.
- Massage your baby's hands, feet, arms, back and shoulders. Your touch can help wake your sleepy little one up.
- Place a cool (not cold) washcloth on his forehead
How long to feed at night
Once your baby wakes up and latches on, make sure his nursing sessions last long enough for him to empty at least one breast, which helps to ensure that he gets his fill of the fat-rich hind milk essential for growth.
Some babies take 20 minutes or longer to empty one breast, while others can do the work in 10. Your baby will take the time he needs to fill up, so let him set the pace.
If you're bottle-feeding, give him the equivalent of one full feed depending on his age and stage.
How to keep a newborn awake during feedings
Suckling is a surefire sleep inducer, so make sure your baby doesn't nod off mid-feeding. Look for the rhythmic suck-swallow-breath pattern in his cheek, jaw and ear to determine if he's still extracting milk.
If he does doze off, try rousing him again by burping and repositioning him, dribbling some milk on his lips or even jiggling your breast or the bottle in his mouth to start him feeding again.
Rest assured that by about week 6, the two of you will have settled into a regular eating and sleeping rhythm — although exactly what that is will again depend entirely on your baby's unique needs. Some babies will want to nurse every two hours like clockwork, while others will happily go for three to four hours between meals. Formula-fed babies may also vary in their feeding and sleeping schedules.
Know, too, that the period between feedings will gradually increase as your child grows. By 6 months of age, your baby is developmentally ready to start sleeping through the night without a feeding — or at least for longer stretches.
What happens if my baby doesn’t wake up to eat?
Some babies rouse themselves on schedule to feed, while others will sleep through feedings if you don't wake them up. Neither tendency is cause for alarm.
If your baby doesn't wake up to eat, try being a bit more forceful with your nudges. Sing or talk a bit more loudly when you wake him, undress him completely or try taking him into another room to feed him, as a change of venue can sometimes work wonders.
If none of these moves is successful, you can let him doze for another hour or so, then try again to wake him up. If he’s really resisting and misses more than two feedings, check in with your pediatrician. Everything's probably fine, but your doctor or a lactation consultant may need to provide more help to get you and your baby back on an appropriate feeding schedule.
If you're still concerned about whether your baby is getting enough to eat, or if you’re having trouble waking him up enough to feed at least eight times in a 24-hour period, talk to your pediatrician about whether your baby's weight gain is on a healthy track.
And keep tabs on dirty diapers. Early on, look for several poopy diapers every day and at least eight to 10 wet diapers a day.
Good luck!
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