When your newborn sleeps, you want to ensure they’re getting enough to eat. But how long can a newborn baby sleep without feeding? Should I wake up to feed them at night? What happens if a newborn goes for a long time without breastfeeding?
I reached out to 20+ mothers and asked them all the same questions.
The amount of data and feedback that I generated was overwhelming. Every mum had different opinions and arguments about this subject. I can’t wait to share all this information with you. I appreciate all those who contributed to this post.
So, according to the research, 90% of mothers argued that the newborn baby shouldn’t sleep for more than 3-4 hours without feeding. However, this depends on the baby’s weight and whether breastfeeding or formula feeding. For example, if the baby was born on average weight, they shouldn’t sleep for more than 4 hours without feeding.
Should I wake my newborn to feed during the day?
When it comes to waking a newborn to feed during the day, it’s good to consider various factors, such as how often the newborn is feeding and how many wet and dry diapers they’re producing during the day.
However, in most cases, a healthy newborn will wake when they need to feed. Feed them frequently just after showing signs of hunger.
It is easier for them to adjust to various feeding cues if fed more often.
Apart from this, as a mother, you need to understand the different sleeping cycles of your newborn baby. Usually, a newborn baby will sleep for 8 to 9 hours during the day and almost 8 hours at night. However, these cycles change as the baby grows.
During the early days, newborn babies tend to sleep a lot. It’s good to wake them up to feed because newborns have tiny tummies and thus need to be fed frequently.
Should I wake my newborn baby to feed them at night?
In most cases, it depends on your baby. Always consult your pediatrician when you come across this issue. For example, if your baby is feeding well during the day and has an increased weight, the pediatrician may argue that the baby sleeps at night.
In another scenario, the baby may be underweight and not feeding well during the day; the pediatrician may argue that you should wake up to feed the baby. Thus this will be different from one child to another.
However, many newborn babies portray different signals when hungry; therefore, it is good always to observe those signals.
What happens if a newborn baby goes for an extended period without feeding
When a newborn baby stays for a long time without feeding, they get malnourished, lose weight, and thus stunted growth.
It is always common to breastfeed babies 8-12 times in 24 hours.
What do I do if my newborn won’t wake up to feed
This is a significant concern for new mothers who have no idea when to feed their babies. However, As a parent, have a specific routine to which the newborn baby will adjust.
If the baby doesn’t wake up to feed, it is always good to wake them up.
How to wake up a Newborn
Most newborn babies never differentiate between day and night. This can cause many problems, especially when waking them up to feed. However, these tips will help you wake them up when it is time to feed them.
Put off their blankets.
It is hard to wake someone up when wrapped in their blankets. For example, when someone wakes you at 4 am. You won’t wake up. It would be best if you unwrapped them from the blankets for them to wake up.
Change the diaper
After pulling the baby out of the blankets, put them in a bassinet and change their diaper. It’s because many babies tend to fill out their diapers when asleep than when they are awake.
Rub their back and play with their fingers.
This makes them more comfortable therefore waking them up.
Is my baby getting enough breast milk?
To understand whether your baby is getting enough breast milk, check whether your breasts feel relaxed and soft and whether the baby produces 1 or 2 diapers after breastfeeding.
After birth, the baby can lose 7 to 8 percent of their weight but regain it after two weeks. If this doesn’t happen, it’s good to attend a pediatric appointment to understand whether the baby is getting enough breast milk, which increases the weight.
To understand how much the baby is breastfeeding, they should be able to respond to 8-10 feeding cues within 24 hours.
Breast milk should remain the key source of nutrients for your baby in the first six months. As the baby develops, you understand the feeding cues and respond to them effectively.
Breastfeeding is also essential as it forms a great bond between the mother and child.
Conclusion
That’s all for today; let me know what you feel about this article. Let me know what your baby’s feeding cycle looks like.
If you have any questions, opinions, or something you would like to share with me, don’t hesitate to post them in the comment section down below.
Thank you for your time.
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