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. Newborns also tend to have periods each day where they feed very frequently for a few hours cluster feeds.
Often these cluster feeding periods are followed by a longer stretch of sleep. In most cases, healthy, thriving newborns will wake of their own accord for feeds and so get all the milk they need. However, there are some reasons why a newborn may be extra sleepy.
It may be necessary to wake the baby for feeds to ensure he gets the milk he needs. Some of the reasons are medical eg jaundice, infection, heart problem , or perhaps medications for pain relief used during the birth are still affecting the baby. It is important to be guided by your medical adviser in these situations.
Feeding cues can be hard to pick in a sleepy baby so it is important to keep your baby close to you so you can learn. There are many ways to tell if your baby is getting enough milk. This content does not have an English version.
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