What if my baby wont wake up to breastfeed?

Understanding the Situation
When a baby won’t wake up to breastfeed, it can be a concerning experience for new parents. Newborns, especially in their first few weeks, have unique sleep patterns and nutritional needs that can sometimes lead to them being too sleepy to feed. This behavior is often normal, as babies are biologically programmed to fall asleep at the breast. However, there are important considerations to keep in mind regarding their feeding schedule and overall health.
Why Might Your Baby Be Sleeping?
Newborns typically sleep a lot—up to 16 to 18 hours a day. This extensive sleep is crucial for their growth and development. However, certain factors can contribute to a baby being particularly sleepy:
– Jaundice: Babies with jaundice may be more lethargic and less likely to wake for feedings. This condition is common in newborns and can affect their feeding habits.
– Growth Spurts: During growth spurts, babies may sleep more than usual, which can lead to missed feeding opportunities.
– Feeding Patterns: Some babies may establish a pattern of sleeping through feedings, especially if they are not hungry or if they have been fed recently.
When to Wake Your Baby
In some cases, it is essential to wake your baby for feedings, particularly if they are not gaining weight adequately or if they have specific health concerns. Experts generally recommend waking a sleeping baby to feed if:
– They are under two weeks old: Newborns need to feed frequently, typically every 2-3 hours, to ensure they are getting enough nutrition.
– They have lost weight: If your baby has lost more than 10% of their birth weight, waking them for feedings may be necessary.
– They show signs of dehydration: If your baby has fewer wet diapers than expected, it may be time to wake them for a feed.
Tips for Waking a Sleepy Baby
If you find that your baby is too sleepy to feed, here are some strategies to gently encourage them to wake up:
1. Skin-to-Skin Contact: Holding your baby against your skin can help stimulate them to wake up and feed.
2. Change Their Position: Sometimes, simply changing your baby’s position can rouse them. Try moving them from a lying position to a more upright one.
3. Gentle Stimulation: Lightly rubbing their back or feet can help wake them without causing distress.
4. Feeding in a Quiet Environment: Ensure that the feeding environment is calm and quiet, which can help your baby focus on feeding when they do wake up.
Conclusion
While it can be worrying when your baby won’t wake up to breastfeed, understanding their sleep patterns and nutritional needs can help ease your concerns. If you are ever in doubt about your baby’s feeding habits or health, consulting with a pediatrician or a lactation consultant can provide personalized guidance and reassurance. Remember, every baby is different, and finding the right balance between sleep and feeding is key to their healthy development.

What age can you let baby sleep without waking to feed?

There’s lots of variation among babies, so it’s best to talk to your pediatrician about what’s normal and necessary for your infant. Most babies start sleeping through the night by 6 months of age.

Are there any signs of SIDS before it happens?

SIDS has no symptoms or warning signs. Babies who die of SIDS seem healthy before being put to bed. They show no signs of struggle and are often found in the same position as when they were placed in the bed.

What if my baby won’t wake for a dream feed?

In your case if the dream feed isn’t working, get rid of it and replace with a snooze feed, but gently try to push the snooze feed closer to the DWT, until it becomes the wake-up feed.

What to do if baby won’t wake for feed?

Tips on Feeding a Sleepy Baby

• Feed baby in a nappy only.
• Get a wet flannel out to further wake baby up if they fall asleep quickly on the breast.
• Tickle their cheek or chin to try and stimulate their suck reflex.
• Let the baby fall away from your breast a little (ie threaten to take them away from the breast).

How long can a baby go without nursing at night?

5 months and older:
After 5 months many babies can go one 5 – 6 hour stretch without a night feed if they haven’t night weaned already.

What to do if baby is too sleepy to breastfeed?

Top tips to encourage a reluctant or sleepy baby to breastfeed

1. Tip #1: Hand expressing to keep your milk supply up.
2. Tip #2: Try lots of skin-to-skin contact.
3. Tip #3: Try to find a comfortable feeding position.
4. Tip #4: Get your baby ready for a feed.
5. Tip #5: Don’t force your baby to feed.

What if my baby is not waking to breastfeed?

You can try expressing a few drops of milk onto your nipple and this can help your baby smell the milk and wake up. Have skin to skin for as long and as often as you want to. 2. Offer frequent breastfeeds: After the first 24 hours baby needs to feed a minimum of 8 to 10 times in 24 hours possibly more.

Is it okay to let a newborn sleep 5 hours?

Others suggest waking to feed during the first five to six weeks if your baby sleeps longer than five hours at a time. Usually, babies younger than 6 months wake up every three to four hours because they’re hungry, so the question of whether to wake them (and lose precious rest yourself) may not be a concern.

Is it normal for a baby to not wake up to eat?

Newborns generally sleep for two to three hours before waking to eat, day and night. As they get older, babies are usually able to sleep for increasingly longer stretches of time at night without waking to eat. Between the age of 2 to 3 months old, healthy babies are often able to sleep for six hours without feeding.

Why does my baby want to stay latched on all night?

Sucking is one of the five womb sensations, which can trigger a baby’s innate calming reflex. This is why many babies like sucking on dummies or being latched on to their mother’s breast during sleep. It is entirely normal for babies to seek comfort from being latched on during sleep.