My babys 5 days old and im breastfeeding should i wake her to nurse?

Jessica - posted on 11/11/2009

they say to wake her every 2 to 3 hours for feedings... but my youngest when she was just born i didnt wake her, but she weighed 8 lbs 5 oz when she was born so i guess going by the weight yes you do need to wake her to eat, even though you need your rest too, she needs to gain some weight

Anita - posted on 11/11/2009

I would only wake her when she feeds for 5 mins at a time. She'll wake up and cry when she's hungry and each time try and feed her a little longer than the last time.
I breastfeed all 4 of my kids and never woke any of them up to feed. After I gave birth to my second child and fed her,she slept for 5 hours and I told everyone not to dare wake her and when she was hungry she woke up and cried and I fed her. If there's no medical reason/concern to wake her up to feed her, I wouldn't. She'll wake when she's hungry.

Jenny - posted on 11/11/2009

never wake a sleeping baby. Enjoy the quiet. No baby is going to sleep so long that they are going to starve to death. They will wake up when they are hungry.

Teresa - posted on 11/11/2009

When I had my second baby (a year ago) the lactation person told me that you should wake them if they have not eaten in five hours.

Shannon - posted on 11/11/2009

I was instructed to not let my daughter go longer than 3 hours with out a feeding (even if she was asleep). Plus if you wake them up to feed, you're preventing the whole crying from them waking up so hungry ordeal. It makes life less stressful for both you and baby.

Amy - posted on 11/11/2009

I never woke any of my babies to eat. As long as they were gaining weight it was fine. And by two months old all four of mine were getting a solid six to seven hours of sleep a night. Good luck!!

Stephanie - posted on 11/11/2009

My dr told me to feed my daughter every 2hrs.. if she doesnt gain enough weight they might tell you to put her on formula... I would wake her up... if you wait till she crys then she is TOO hungry....she's too young to let go for too long... when she's like 2 months then let her sleep for like 4 hrs top then wake her up... not only does she need the nourishment but once your milk supply levels out and your on a routine then if you let her go too many hours in between feedings you will become very engorged..

Trina - posted on 11/10/2009

http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feed... - - - - this link will give you helpful advice on this question. Good Luck!! I have nursed all 3 of my girls until they were atleast a year old and my current child is almost 14 months and she is still nursing at night.

Trina - posted on 11/10/2009

you should really check with your doctor in regards to this. Your newborn should be nursing eight to 12 times per day for about the first month. If you feel like you're feeding your little one more often than someone you know whose baby is formula fed, you may be.Why? Because breast milk digests easier than formula, which means it moves through your baby's digestive system faster and, therefore, makes your baby hungry more often. Before your milk supply is established, breastfeeding should be "on demand" (when your baby is hungry), which is generally every 1½ to 3 hours. As newborns get older, they'll need to nurse less frequently, and may develop a more reliable schedule. Some may feed every hour and a half, whereas others may go 2 or 3 hours between feedings. Newborns should not go more than about 4 hours without feeding, even overnight.

Martha - posted on 11/10/2009

Is there a La Leche League near you? They can answer any questions, you can meet with other nursing moms once each month, you can branch off into playgroups and La Leche League has a speaker and question and answer session in each meeting. I would wake her just to really establish the bond with her and to nourish her. The sleeping will lessen as she ages. I put my daughter in the bed with my husband and me and nursed her whenever she woke and certainly before I fell asleep.

Sonia - posted on 11/10/2009

No real need to wake her. My son was also a sleepy eater. I would have to tickle his feet or legs so he would eat. He started eating every four hours at about one month and sleeps for about six hours a night now at three months. She will wake up when she is hungry.

Kandi - posted on 11/10/2009

Hello, your doing great..I am a mother of three and all three i nursed, all were different sizes, I had an 5 lb., 6lb, and 7lb baby......remember she is small therefore she may not nurse more then 5 mins. to start w/ that may fill her up, and for times were she nurses for an hour does she fall asleep at the breast and wake up when you try to remover her? if so you cant really count that as a solid 1 hour feeding....I never woke any of mine up unless it got past 5 hours....they only say to wake them up in the hospital to preven the baby from getting a low blood sugar count, howeve if your baby is healthy then there is no harm in letting her sleep.

Wendolynn - posted on 11/10/2009

Wake her up every two hours if you dont want your breast to hurt!

Elle - posted on 11/10/2009

I didn't wake my baby but she was born at 10lbs. A nurse wanted me to wake her every 4 hrs but my LC said the every 4 hrs is for small babies. Evaluate wet diapers and weight gain and your instincts will tell you what to do.

Co-sleeping could help with the frequent feedings if you are comfortable doing that.

Jennifer - posted on 11/10/2009

YES! i did .. my daughter was 5 pounds 12 oz. i agree with Jamie.. i would do this until she is about 10 pounds.. she should grow fast if she is getting enough.. especially of you want to nurse exclusively... pediatricians are famous for insisting on formula if the baby isn't gaining as fast as they would like.. so i would highly recommend to wake her up to nurse.. it seems cruel but both my babies were smaller preemie's so the NICU nurse told me to use the 1. change diaper, 2. undress her.. hopefully cool air will wake her a little bit or in nothing else works.. wipe her down with damp cool washcloth.. it always does the trick.. good luck.

Lisa - posted on 11/10/2009

Congratulations on the birth of your baby and well done on the decision to breastfeed xx my own personal opinion is not to wake her! My daughter was 4lb 3oz at birth and exclusively bf until 6 mths then we continued to nurse alongside solids until she was 13mths. i only tried a couple of times to wake her to feed on the advice of my HV. she hated being woken up and cried til i let her go back to sleep. we fed on demand and let her tell us when she was hungry. she regularly put on 1/2-1lb per week! if you find your little one is not having many wet nappies then you should consider waking her but IMO this should be the only reason. and be aware that many bf babies only have a bowel movement every few days. good luck and keep up the good work xx

Karen - posted on 11/10/2009

I would say don't wake her to feed, sleep is good for mama and baby! In some cases it is necessary but your doctor will tell you if it is in your case. As long as she is gaining weight and has plently of wet nappies she is getting enough to eat. My daughter was 5lb 11oz and I never woke her to feed, she slept a 5 hour stretch at night when she was first born.

Tricia - posted on 11/10/2009

I had trouble with my LO not waking himself up to eat enough, so I would recommend waking her to eat if she sleeps longer than 2 or 3 hours at a stretch. Especially if she does it several times a day. At this early stage, you should be BFing her at least 10 good feeds every day, so if she's not doing that, wake her up. :-)

That said, sometimes just keeping baby in skin-to-skin contact will encourage her to wake more often. So if you wear her around the house and spend plenty of time in bed with her against your chest, she may do the work for you.

Louise - posted on 11/10/2009

I'd ask her pediatrician or at least call and talk to a nurse there. That is what they're there for.... 5.15 lbs is pretty small... She may NEED to be woken up to feed. I was premature and larger than that and my mother was told to wake me every 3 hours for months....but that was 23 years ago and it may depend on the weight gain pattern and not on the weight itself.

My son was 9.9lbs... and he never went for more than 2 hours with out nursing so I never had that problem. I was always praying he'd sleep through a feeding so I could pump and store for when I was at work. I personally would try not to miss a feeding and at least pump to maintain your milk supply even if your daughter doesn't wake for the feeding.

Emily - posted on 11/10/2009

She'll let you know when she's hungry. Get some rest while you can.

Ashley - posted on 11/10/2009

absolutly! Babies who become dehydrated will sleep even longer, so her sleeping may get longer and longer. She should go at most 3 hours between feeding during the day and 4 hours at night. Make sure to count the wet diapers during the day to make sure she is getting enough!

Angie - posted on 11/10/2009

I wouldn't wake her. You can tell if shes getting dehydrated by teh colour of her poop. If she is dehydrated than her poop will be green. Other wise let her sleep. She's just a newborn. If you can get 6 hours of sleep a night than your very lucky!! Best of luck and congratulatons!

Lisa-Marie - posted on 11/10/2009

Yes I was told for at least the 1st month you should, so she gains the wait she need. My doc.said to met for baby that are small or baby that loose a lot of weight at birth you should wake them up every 3 to 4 hours at night and 2 to 3 hours in the day. Good luck, my little one was the same I almost had to give her a bath before feeding sometime.

Dawn - posted on 11/10/2009

please trust nature to wake your baby when needed. Its been in all of us for centuries. You don't have to wake a baby to feed it. You may have to sleep with or hold a baby longer to nurse and accompany the needs of each child which are completely different from each other. Love what you have in front of you for the time being.

Dawn - posted on 11/10/2009

I agree. My boys are 10 and 15. i'm grateful for everynight he spent in bed with me anad every single time i woke up and he was nursing. good luck to you as well.

Melissa - posted on 11/10/2009

My baby was 5 13 at birth, and I pretty much let her set our feeding schedule. I would not let go longer than 3 hrs between feedings but if your body will let you know when she should eat next. If she is sleepy and wont eat, make sure she isnt all nice and warm because that makes it harder for you to keep her awake. I would feed mine with no blanket wrapped around her so then that way she would not think it was time to sleep. Good luck to you and your little one. It's an experience that you will never forget and it's a bond that only you and her will have!

Dawn - posted on 11/10/2009

Christal,

The joy of breast feeding and baby are that you can't do it too much. If you have just nursed and baby is upset; you have changed, held, rocked and loved..... If going back to the breast or laying next to you is what makes your baby happy, then it is a need. Babies don't know how to manipulate a want. If they are telling you, it is a need. Meeting the need now, means not having to meet the need later. Get comfortable and don't apologize for needing to love your baby. Only in USA is it okay to criticize a mother for wanting to be with her child.

Sarah - posted on 11/09/2009

there are some very conflicting views as to whether or not to wake your child... my son was very teeny tiny when he was born. my ob/gyn and his ped were very concerned about him gaining weight. but, i just went with my instincts. if the last time i fed him he ate till his little belly couldn't hold anymore and he wanted to sleep, i'd let him. when he was hungry he'd wake up and let me know. now my baby is the tallest one in his class! don't be afraid to let them sleep. that's one of the only things babies do besides eat, cry, and soil diapers. that said, they obviously only do those few things - therefore they do each one very well!! i say that as long as your baby is gaining weight in appropriate increments and is urinating/having moving bowels regularly - let the child sleep! there is no manual for being a parent. each child is very different. it's all about gut instinct. go with it - and don't be afraid of it. you'll be just fine! :)

Aly - posted on 11/09/2009

yes! I would - as much as you dont want to because all you want to do is SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP... you really need to wake her.

Ashley - posted on 11/09/2009

I would wake her and feed her for atleast a few weeks, untill she put on mroe weight.

My son was that kind of baby that would fall asleep 5 mins after you put him on a boob! Here are a few tricks that worked for us



Tips for waking a sleepy nursing baby:

- partially undress her (she will not get too cold being against your body..son't worry!)

- take her socks off and scratch or lighty thump the bottom of her feet

- rubb her jaw joint, right where it henges. (even if this doesn't wake her up, it will stimulate her to suck and swallow!)

User - posted on 11/09/2009

I do wake my babies for the first month during the day and night time as well. Some newborns are content to sleep through hunger and will not always wake up to eat. Both of my babies were big so I did it more for my milk supply. During the day I woke them every 3 hours and at night every 4 hours. In those early weeks you are trying to build up your milk so the baby needs to be removing milk from your breast often. WIth your daughter being so small I would definitely make sure was eating at least every 3 hours during the day. That is just my opinion though.

ASHLEY - posted on 11/09/2009

I would until she starts waking on her own when she gets hungry. I wouldn't let her go more than 2-3 hours between feedings during the day and no more than 4 hours at night. That should also help keep your milk supply up and help her to sleep better at night.

Angela - posted on 11/09/2009

i always did the lactation consultant told my to rub their head to wake them when they fall asleep. kellymom.com is a great resource also cafemom.com its like fb for moms only their bfing group is great too!

Caroline - posted on 11/09/2009

Yes, definitely wake her to feed. Try feeding her a little sooner, like every 2-2 1/2 hours.

Ashleigh - posted on 11/09/2009

its intirly up to you you dont have to wake them if she is hungry enough she will wake and cry for it ive done this with my 5 and a half week old and she has gained weight perfectly since birth my health nurs is very pleased with her my baby feeeds the same way sometimes she will feed for ages othertimes she just falls asleep she will eventuallly get her self in to a patter as she gets older

Morgan - posted on 11/09/2009

No don't wake her up. She will gain weight on her own when she is hungry. My boy was 6lbs 10 oz and I never woke him up to eat. When he would wake up hungry that is when I feed him. It is more important to let them sleep and you relax as well. She won't go hungry and she will let you know. My little boy would eat for about 10 minutes and then sleep for 4 to 5 hours or even longer. So don't worry about waking her up.

Rebecca - posted on 11/09/2009

I agree with not waking to feed, I didnt with either of my kids and I EBF both of them. My youngest just turned 6 months, she sleeps through the night (has since we came home from the hospital) I think as long as there are no health concerns, jaundice, she is gaining weight, pees and poops then there is no need to wake her and she will more then likely wake herself when she is hungry. What I did because my kids slept through the night, I would wake up in the morning and pump one breast to freeze and fed baby the other breast. But really it all comes down to what you are comfortable with. I do agree however with the mom that stated "never wake a sleeping baby"!

Anna - posted on 11/09/2009

My midwife said don't let them go longer than 3 hours without a feed but I didn't like waking my son when he was having a sleepy day. I just let him feed whenever he wanted to and he gained weight just fine. You might find you can feed her without waking her. Just get comfortable with her in your arms or on the bed beside you and offer her the breast. She might feed without even properly waking up.

Rachel - posted on 11/09/2009

I hated waking my son. but my situation is a little different because I had a c-section and the meds they gave me with the pain made my baby sleepy. I had a hard time with the the tenderness too i wasnt sure if he was latching properly but because he slept so long and would constantly fall asleep during feedings that he almost lost an entire lb the first week out, and my ped made me give him formula once a day which made it worse because he then got nipple confusion. my reccomendation is from my experience is that you try to make sure she gets the most out of each feed and after my son was 3 weeks old he would nurse while sleeping. I know exactly what you are going through right now. being a first time mom is the most stressful thing in the world. its scary. but just take it easy try not to worry too much :) if u arent on any meds i wouldnt worry too much.


my little one is 2 months now and im so glad i stuck it out with bf-ing. its the most awesome thing.

Kathy - posted on 11/09/2009

i was always able to tell if my babies were getting enough milk by checking their amount of bowel movements and times they urinated.
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/04enough_...
For the first few days after delivery, the baby passes meconium, a dark green, almost black, substance. Meconium accumulates in the baby's gut during pregnancy. It is passed during the first few days, and by the third day, the bowel movements start becoming lighter, as more breastmilk is taken. Usually by the fifth day, the bowel movements have taken on the appearance of the normal breastmilk stool. The normal breastmilk stool is pasty to watery, mustard coloured, and usually has little odour. However, bowel movements may vary considerably from this description. They may be green or orange, may contain curds or mucus, or may resemble shaving cream in consistency (from air bubbles). The variations in colour do not mean something is wrong. A baby who is breastfeeding only, and is starting to have bowel movements that are becoming lighter by day 3 of life, is doing well.

Without becoming obsessive about it, monitoring the frequency and quantity of bowel motions is one of the best ways, next to observing the baby’s drinking, (see above, and videos at www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html) of knowing if the baby is getting enough milk. After the first three to four days, the baby should have increasing bowel movements so that by the end of the first week he should be passing at least two to three substantial yellow stools each day. In addition, many infants have a stained diaper with almost each feeding. A baby who is still passing meconium on the fourth or fifth day of life, should be seen at the clinic the same day. A baby who is passing only brown bowel movements is probably not getting enough, but this is not very reliable.

Some breastfed babies, after the first three to four weeks of life, may suddenly change their stool pattern from many each day, to one every three days or even less. Some babies have gone as long as 15 days or more without a bowel movement. As long as the baby is otherwise well, and the stool is the usual pasty or soft, yellow movement, this is not constipation and is of no concern. No treatment is necessary or desirable, because no treatment is necessary or desirable for something that is normal.

Any baby between five and 21 days of age who does not pass at least one substantial bowel movement within a 24 hour period should be seen at the breastfeeding clinic the same day. Generally, small, infrequent bowel movements during this time period mean insufficient intake. There are definitely some exceptions and everything may be fine, but it is better to check.

3. Urination. With six soaking wet (not just wet) diapers in a 24 hours hour period, after about 4-5 days of life, you can be reasonably sure that the baby is getting a lot of milk (if he is breastfeeding only). Unfortunately, the new super dry "disposable" diapers often do indeed feel dry even when full of urine, but when soaked with urine they are heavy. It should be obvious that this indication of milk intake does not apply if you are giving the baby extra water (which, in any case, is unnecessary for breastfed babies, and if given by bottle, may interfere with breastfeeding). The baby's urine should be almost colourless after the first few days, though occasional darker urine is not of concern.

During the first two to three days of life, some babies pass pink or red urine. This is not a reason to panic and does not mean the baby is dehydrated. No one knows what it means, or even if it is abnormal. It is undoubtedly associated with the lesser intake of the breastfed baby compared with the bottle fed baby during this time, but the bottle feeding baby is not the standard on which to judge breastfeeding. However, the appearance of this colour urine should result in attention to getting the baby well latched on and making sure the baby is drinking at the breast. During the first few days of life, only if the baby is well latched on can he get his mother's milk. Giving water by bottle or cup or finger feeding at this point does not fix the problem. It only gets the baby out of hospital with urine that is not red. Fixing the latch and using compression will usually fix the problem (See Handout B: Protocol to Increase Breastmilk Intake by the Baby). If relatching and breast compression do not result in better intake, there are ways of giving extra fluid without giving a bottle directly (handout #5 Using a Lactation Aid). Limiting the duration or frequency of feedings can also contribute to decreased intake of milk.

Kristi - posted on 11/09/2009

Feed that little mama on demand! :) Being just a tiny girl, she's probably needing to cluster feed and nurse around the clock. Let her go to it. I would not wake her unless you have concerns about jaundice. Ask your pediatrician to check her out. My second baby became extremely sleepy and a little bit orangey colored a couple of days after she was born. It was really hard to rouse her from sleep and she slept all of the time. While it was tempting to just enjoy the long hours of sleep, my gut said something was wrong and when we went in for her well-baby check, her bilirubin levels were high. Peeing helps flush the bilirubin from the system, so to keep her from having to go under the bilirubin lights, we nursed like crazy (and I did have to wake her every hour or so then) until the blood tests showed her levels had gone down enough to reduce concern about jaundice. Turns out all that sleep was more jaundice related and once the levels of bilirubin were back to normal she woke and cried like other babies her age. If all is well on the jaundice front, let her do her thing sleep and nursing-wise. She's probably just figuring out her rhythm in tandem with yours. Enjoy your new baby and congratulations!

SUSAN - posted on 11/09/2009

Yes, wake her and nurse as frequently as possible (many times as often as every hour). A great resource for bf is The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding-it has a lot of facts! Congratulations!

Brandy - posted on 11/09/2009

Some people might get really offended by this but most of them have probably never had a premie or small baby. I had to wake my premature daughter every 2 1/2 hours on doctor's orders so that she could breastfeed and I think you have to do what you have to do for your baby's health. If it was recommended to you by the pediatrician at the hospital or lactation's consultant, then do it. Especially if your instincts are telling you that you don't want to wait more than 3 hours. You're doing great mom, keep it up!

Jessica - posted on 11/09/2009

please dont take this the wrong way as i really dont intend for it to sound rude but, have you ever heard of the expression "Never wake a sleeping baby" ? its said for a reason LOL!

Georgia - posted on 11/09/2009

First off, take a breath. You are doing the right thing by feeding her as much as possible. Since she is only 5 days old, your milk supply is still trying to establish itself and she is still getting the hang of breastfeeding.



What I was told from my lactation consultant was to try to get baby to feed for at least 10-15 minutes. My firstborn was a sleepy one too and would fall asleep after a couple minutes sometimes. What I used to do while he was feeding was tickle hit feet, move his legs or do the "chicken wing" (it's my name for moving his arm up and down at the elbow... because it reminded me of a little chicken wing). The LC also recommended not letting him go more than 4 hours between feeds, but sometimes I'd just let him sleep. What I did with my second son was to let him sleep and didn't bother waking him. He would wake up and eat when he was hungry.



If you let her sleep, you may find that she wants to eat every 4-5 hours instead of 3. My ped said it was fine to let them sleep because they'll wake up when they are hungry, and the longer they sleep the more hungry they'll be. Not to mention they tend to sleep lots at that age.



It usually takes about 6 weeks to really get the hang of breastfeeding, and it's common to wonder if baby is getting enough. If she's got enough wet nappies a day and is happy and content, she's getting enough.



Just hang in there and try to go with the flow, you're doing just fine.

Alison - posted on 11/09/2009

i wouldn't wake her up. but my babies were never that small. my littlest was 6 lbs 13 oz..... i always figured though, if they're gaining weight, it doesn't matter. i never woke my babies up to feed and they all started sleeping through the night early on. my oldest was 6 weeks, my second was 2.5 weeks and my youngest was 5.5 weeks. they just ate a WHOLE lot more during the day. my advice: feed your baby almost as much as she'll let you during the day, and then let her sleep as long as she'd like during the night. i think waking them up is just teaching them a bad habit..... :)

Jamie - posted on 11/09/2009

YES!!!!!! Do this for at least 3 weeks to ensure she is gaining weight. Especially being a small baby.