Once your baby wakes up and latches on, make sure his nursing sessions last long enough for him to empty at least one breast, which helps to ensure that he gets his fill of the fat-rich hind milk essential for growth. Some babies take 20 minutes or longer to empty one breast, while others can do the work in Your baby will take the time he needs to fill up, so let him set the pace.
Suckling is a surefire sleep inducer, so make sure your baby doesn't nod off mid-feeding. Look for the rhythmic suck-swallow-breath pattern in his cheek, jaw and ear to determine if he's still extracting milk. If he does doze off, try rousing him again by burping and repositioning him, dribbling some milk on his lips or even jiggling your breast or the bottle in his mouth to start him feeding again. Rest assured that by about week 6, the two of you will have settled into a regular eating and sleeping rhythm — although exactly what that is will again depend entirely on your baby's unique needs.
Some babies will want to nurse every two hours like clockwork, while others will happily go for three to four hours between meals. Formula-fed babies may also vary in their feeding and sleeping schedules. Know, too, that the period between feedings will gradually increase as your child grows. By 6 months of age, your baby is developmentally ready to start sleeping through the night — or at least for longer stretches. Some babies rouse themselves on schedule to feed, while others will sleep through feedings if you don't wake them up.
Neither tendency is cause for alarm. If your baby doesn't wake up to eat, try being a bit more forceful with your nudges. Sing or talk a bit more loudly when you wake him, undress him completely or try taking him into another room to feed him, as a change of venue can sometimes work wonders. If none of these moves is successful, you can let him doze for another hour or so, then try again to wake him up. Everything's probably fine, but your doctor or a lactation consultant may need to provide more help to get you and your baby back on an appropriate feeding schedule.
Breastfed babies often cluster-feed, eating very frequently over a few hours and then taking a longer break. Keep the break to no more than two to three hours in the first two weeks, lactation consultant and author Anne Smith advises on BreastfeedingBasics.
If your baby falls into a very deep sleep -- you'll know this if you gently pick up his arm, let go and it falls like a rock, without any resistance -- wait 20 minutes and then try and wake him again. Undressing him, wiping his face with a dampened wash cloth, rubbing his feet or gently rolling him from one side to the other can help him wake up.
Putting a tiny bit of milk in his mouth might also give him the idea it's time to eat, according to the breastfeeding organization La Leche League International. If you find it very difficult to rouse your baby for feedings, talk to his pediatrician. Perkins also has extensive experience working in home health with medically fragile pediatric patients. The last thing most parents of new babies want to do is to wake their sleeping infant. How Often Do Newborns Eat? My Baby Pauses While Breastfeeding.
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