Do you ever wake your baby for a feed if they are having a long sleep?

Question

My little one is almost 5 weeks, sometimes in hospital (he was sick we were there for 8 days) I was told I should and sometimes I shouldn't.

Now we are home, sometimes I will and sometimes I will leave him.

Like now, he's asleep and 'due for a feed' I probably will pick him up to see if I can rouse him for a feed before I put him down for the night.

Answer 1

No i never used to wake my daughter for feeds she was a good sleeper and slept a h**l of alot...

He will wake himself and let you know if he is hungry...

Answer 2

I would let him sleep and wait for him to wake up when he is hungry. My son slept for six hours last night but i had to wake him as my breast was really full and needed it emptying! lol Otherwise he would have slept for 8 hours straight!

My sister in law's son is only 1 month old but he has been sleeping 7hours straight every night without a feed since and he is fine also.  

Answer 3

I would leave baby to sleep through feeds - they wake when they are hungry.  Having said that, with smaller, premature babies they often need to be woken to feed as they can be weaker and need to be prompted to feed.

Have you tried "dream" feeding your baby at night-time?  You give him his normal feed late at night, then before you go to bed, try breastfeeding him without waking or disturbing him, with the lights down low and all very quiet - this encourages the bub to sleep longer during the night and eventually he learns to go longer without feeds and you can give up the "dream feed".  Your little one might be a bit small for this, but try it down the track and see if you can grab longer hours at night-time - good for both of you!  I didn't try this method myself, but a friend of mine has, and swears it helped her baby learn to sleep longer through night-time - she's now 6 months old and has just given up her "dream feed" which was taking place around 10.30 pm at night.

Answer 4

It sounds like you are doing the right thing - you have judged what is best for him and are doing so rightly. That is what is meant when then hospital tells you to sometimes wake and other times don't - judge the situation and your baby accordingly. Great job! It makes sense to wake him now if it means a better sleep later for him. My girl was a preemie so I had to wake her. She was 2 months early and I was told the same. At night I was told to set my alarm every 3-4 hours to wake to her feed her because being that early her need to sleep is stronger than her hunger. We did for the first while until I knew her noises and felt comfortable that I would wake to them. I had to wake her to feed though after a few days she would start to get restless around the time for bottle. She never cried for a bottle until she was much older, just fussed until almost 3-4 months. Other times if she had had a bigger feed and seemed okay I would let her go a little longer with her sleep.  

Answer 5

I would let him be. My daughter was also sick after birth and was in the hospital for a few days and they were constantly waking her to check vital, change diapers, etc. Because of this she never slept for more than 2 hours at a time, even during the night. Let your son sleep- he will wake up when he's hungry. If you wake him continually after a few hours he'll get in that routine and that might not be in either of your best interests. Good luck!

Answer 6

no, never wake him, if he is hungry he will wake for a feed, enjoy the quiet time!  

Answer 7

when my son was a newborn, if he slept 4 hours and didnt wake i would wake him for a feed. my pediatrician said never to let him go longer than 5 hours without eating. a friend of mine thought it was wonderful that her son slept through the night early on, but he actually lost weight bc he wasnt eating enough. if your son has been sick i would suggest you wake him so he will continue to thrive.  

Answer 8

my daughter i did she was early though and had jaundice and low blood sugar so she was fed every 3hrs my son though was 3 days late big and strong so is fed when he's hungry.So if she's well healthy and gaining weight don't wake her x

I only don't let him sleep later like after 5 as it upsets night time and he's great at night x

Answer 9

Personally I would let him sleep. If he's hungry then he will wake up and let you know he wants feeding. Unfortunately babies don't come with instruction manuals :) As a mum of 5, I learned something new with each of them and adapted to their each individual needs. My 5th baby slept through the night from a week old and I would feed him when he woke. Good luck x

Answer 10

No i dont wake my baby son, he wakes to tell me when he's hungry, suppose its like someone waking us up in the night with a dinner for us haha, dont worry hun let him sleep x

Answer 11

If it has been a while and you know he will be hungry and you won't have time when he does wake up then yes. I would feed him. If you think it can wait then wait. I would just trust your gut feeling. I think you know him best. Good luck.

Answer 12

As long as he is not having problems growing and he is not losing any weight, it is fine to let him sleep a little longer. Babies need lots of sleep because of all the growing they do. He will let you know when he needs food. Good luck!

Answer 13

No, it is best to let your baby sleep. When they sleep they are processing all the things they have seen and heard while awake. Their brain is expanding the information. There is an old saying "Don't wake a sleeping baby" and it is true. He will wake up when he is hungry. I would talk to your pediatrician if you are not sure of his sleep schedule. But our daughter would sleep sometimes for 4-5 hours without waking and she is just fine now.  

Answer 14

i never, but my daughter never had anyhealth issues, so if the dr told me i should, then i would have.

my daughter slept for 10hours through the night when she was 5 days old, when i woke in the morning and realised my BF hadnt got up with her i paniced and woke her up, and she was totally fine.

Answer 15

Hi, your baby shouldn't really sleep for longer than 6 hours during the day before you wake him and offer him a feed! My baby was the same, he just loved to sleep but my midwife and health visitor advised feeding him every 6 hours during the day and allowing him to slepp through the night! i hope this helps! Maybe you should speak to your health visitor and see if she suggests the same! x