How long in between feedings for newborns?

[mommy2be412]

How long do newborns usually go in between feedings and are you supposed to wake them up to eat or let them sleep? I know all babies are different, I mean on average.

 

[greenlady]

I think the rule of thumb is to feed on demand but only let them sleep for a max of 3 hours in the first couple of weeks. If they are gaining weight well (ie not lose too much and surpass birthweight reasonably quickly) then leaving them for 4 hours is probably ok. Not many newborns would go longer than 4 hours I don't think.

 

[mommy2be412]

..

 

[staralfur]

Mine fed every hour. Or less. You'd wake every 3 hours if they're jaundiced and until they've regained their birth weight. After that's it's really a judgement call, though generally considered okay to let them sleep.

 

[babyface15]

i never wake my baby. she feeds in the day anywhere from 1-3.5/4 hours. she usually wakes every 4 hours at.night but it's been up to 6 before. i get her weighed each week at the breastfeeding clinic and she has gained 12.oz, 8 oz and 12 oz each eeek! as said above i think you only need to wake the baby if they aren't gaining enough, so enjoy some sleep mamma

btw, my dh mom kept waking him every three hours for the first few months instead of on demand feeding. he ended up being the fattest baby I've ever seen. it didn't affect him as an adult though as he's quite tall and thin now

 

[nzjade]

My baby feeds anywhere from every 30 mins to 3.5 hours during the day, and 2.5 to 3.5 hours at night. I've never had to wake her for a feed because she's never slept that long lol.