Hi fellow breast feeding mummas! Has anyone else been told or advised fo wake a newborn who sleeps longer than 5 hours straight for a feed? Even if they are getting plenty of feeds and wet/dirty nappies. I’ve been told mixed advice.
Ultimately I know my baby and his feeding well and plenty of nappies but any experience and advice what worked for you- I would be grateful. 
x
It really depends on how old is your baby. If the baby is only few days old, then yes, I would wake him/her up to feed. If the baby is couple of weeks old I would not.
Thank you x
As previous poster said it depends on the age. After they get past that sleepy Newborn stage I would say it's definitely ok to let them sleep. As long as they are gaining weight well and like you said needing plenty of nappy changes enjoy the rest!!
Hi there! I has been told mixed advice too from the midwives. My baby girl is now 6 weeks and at nights she sleeps almost 6 h and I never wake her up because she is gaining weight well. I just woke her up when she was a few days old because I am a first time mother and I was worried (everybody says a new born doesn’t sleep); however she didn’t feed too much when she was asleep. So, since then I leave her sleep and feeding on demand.
Breastfed babies should be fed every 2-3 hours with one 5 hour gap overnight. You don't need to wake them to feed, just watch for a REM sleep cycle and latch them on, they will feed asleep, its called dream feeding.
This is the case for all breastfed babies until their solid intake surpasses their milk intake at around a year. And it important as it helps keep their blood sugar levels stable and is a natural prevention against SIDS. It is also important for your milk supply too, going longer between feeds on a regular basis will signal your body to slow down milk production, your supply will drop.
This advice comes from an IBLCLC (Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant) with over 25 years of experience.
OK thanks a lot just want to know what is the best for him and most recommended. Many thanks xx
Hi there,
How old is baby? Just that my son slept through from 4 weeks 8 hours plus a night! He always cluster fed for 2-3 hours prior to going down for the night from about 7pm onwards like one feed after another and then he was more than happy to sleep! My midwife said not to bother waking him as he would wake if he wanted to be fed etc but I guess it depends on weight of baby etc they usually encourage waking for feeds if for example they have lost weight or blood sugars were low etc xx
Appreciate the advice! He feds so well in the day and every 2-3 hours then at night he wants a good sleep I’ve not been leaving it longer than 5 hours for a night fed though from the initial advice I got. His gained weight after slightly losing it after birth as normal and was 2 weeks today. I have the health visitor tomorrow so will see what she says. I have noted his routine and nappies etc. Really good to see every baby is different with their routines and other advice xx
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