5 day old going longer periods during the night,.. Should I wake?

[Kmx]

My newborn has been feeding very frequently the past two days - which I know is normal but what I don't know is normal is that she goes 4 hours at night. I'm not sure if I should wake her? Or express my milk to up my supply?

During the day she'll be off and on my boob most of the day. Between 8-11 last night she was mostly on. But then I went to bed at 11 expecting to be up in an hour or two and she woke up at 3am. I fed her for 25 mins and she fell asleep until 7am.

So basically my question is whether this is ok and the cluster feeding is making up for the longer stretches or should I wake her/pump even tho she's happy & sleeping.

When BF my son I remember it being very constant even during the night. I felt exhausted So this just seems a bit wrong & I'm worried about my milk supply now.

 

[noon_child]

Is she gaining weight?

 

[Kmx]

She was weighed yesterday for the first time and had lost 3% of her birth weight which the midwife said was considered normal for BF babies. She's also having plenty of wet nappies. My main concern is my milk and whether this longer stretch will affect it.

 

[noon_child]

She was weighed yesterday for the first time and had lost 3% of her birth weight which the midwife said was considered normal for BF babies. She's also having plenty of wet nappies. My main concern is my milk and whether this longer stretch will affect it.

I'd say 3% is quite a small loss for a breastfed baby!

The recommendation I was given in the hospital was 2hrly feeding round the clock till birth weight is regained. However your own health professionals know your baby and may recommend something different. Your baby is already cluster feeding and frequent feeding during the day so it may average out that she is getting the same as a baby who has to be woken every 2hrs. (You want to aim for 10-12+ feeds in 24hrs while trying to regain birth weight - don't ask me how you factor in cluster feeds as they all blur together don't they?)

Often babies are very sleepy when newborn and wont wake to feed, or wake so ravenous it is hard to calm them enough to feed. If your baby isn't like that then you're probably on safer ground following her cues.

In terms of milk supply, yes night time feeding is important maintaining supply. However you are feeding her at night. A 5 day old baby feeding for 25minutes (as long as it contained active drinking not just nibbling) is a really good feed. At that age I would have fed three times in the period you have fed once but she would only have actively fed for a few minutes before I had to try to jostle her awake again, or take her clothes of to get her drinking, so in terms of nipple/hormonal stimulation you are still getting 25minutes of that. The advice around night feeding is mostly to discourage women from pumping during the day and replacing a night breast feed with a bottle feed - because in that situation, the baby is trying to up the milk supply by night feeding but the breasts aren't getting the message. In your situation you are responding to your baby's cues by feeding her from the breast when she wants it.

If the next time your baby is weighed you find she hasn't put much weight on, you can try waking her at night (I assume she is being weighed in another 5 days or so?).

Nothing is set in stone either - if you have a day where she seems sleepy and doesn't feed as frequently, you can chose to wake her at night if you want. She's your baby and no-one else can tell you the right way to do it.

 

[Kmx]

Thank you.

That makes sense & is really helpful!

I will continue to follow her cues unless I feel she really isn't having enough then I'll start to wake her. I just really want BF to work & so I worry about any potential issues although so far everything has been perfect. I just don't want a supply issue down the line when I could have prevented it.

 

[noon_child]

Thank you.

That makes sense & is really helpful!

I will continue to follow her cues unless I feel she really isn't having enough then I'll start to wake her. I just really want BF to work & so I worry about any potential issues although so far everything has been perfect. I just don't want a supply issue down the line when I could have prevented it.

It's so hard not to second guess everything isn't it?