Question: My baby sleeps several hours at a time during the night. I’m worried that he isn’t getting enough milk and that my supply will decrease. Should I let him sleep or wake him up to nurse? Also, the nurses in the hospital said that I had to wake him every 2 hours to breastfeed–is that true?
Sometimes there are clear answers to questions we are asked. In this case, however, I can tell you what I’ve done with my own children and give some guidelines but in general my answer is as follows: Are you kidding me? Get all the sleep you can get girl!!! Breastfeeding is hard work and it can be exhausting–especially at the beginning when your baby is eating around the clock. Also, one thing that helps mom have plenty of milk is getting plenty of rest. Generally speaking, if you are blessed with a little one who likes to sleep and happens to like to do this sleeping in the night thank your lucky stars, roll over and go back to sleep. There is no need to wake a sleeping baby. . .unless of course, you have a need! Here are a few reasons why you may want to consider waking up your little one to nurse.
Jaundice
Newborn jaundice is a relatively common problem. Jaundice is usually treated with phototherapy or sunlight. However, the best way to help newborns get rid of jaundice quickly is to help them pass me conium quickly. Generally, once a baby has passed all of the me conium (the black, tar like, fecal matter newborns excrete), baby starts to look better. What really is happening is baby is passing the billiruben through the me conium. The more quickly the body gets rid of billiruben, the more quickly baby returns to a normal color. Therefore, in the case of a jaundiced baby, you should wake him around the clock to feed.
Preemies
Preemies are in a special class all to themselves. You should always wake a preemie to eat every 2-3 hours around the clock until your doctor tells you to do otherwise. Since preemies do not have their senses fully developed they do not tend to wake as easily to appropriate stimuli. It is never wise to let a preemie sleep more than 3 hours. However, if your preemie was in the hospital, it is likely that he is already on a schedule and you can keep this schedule.
Failure to Thrive
Failure to thrive is a general term for babies who do not gain enough weight. If your baby has problems gaining weight, then you should definitely wake your baby to feed. Often these babies are also called “happy to starve” babies because they are content to sleep for long stretches without eating. A breastfed baby should gain at least ½ oz per day. There are some exceptions to this but even still it is likely that your pediatrician would want you to wake the baby to feed until he is gaining enough weight.
Feed on Demand
One more issue merits mentioning here. You should always breastfeed a newborn on demand. You are fortunate if your baby doesn’t demand to nurse around the clock and you will not lose your supply if you feed your baby on demand–even if he’s not demanding on a regular schedule. In fact, your body is so smart that it will learn at what time of the day to make the most milk and what time of day it does not need to mass produce!
Of course, you should always ask your pediatrician if you have concerns that your baby isn’t getting enough. A good pediatrician will always see a breastfed baby for a weight check–even on a weekly basis if need be. Otherwise, get some sleep while you can!
Also See:
Principles of Breastfeeding a Preemie