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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Is it normal to be advised to wake a newoborn every two hours to feed?

35 replies

LynetteScavo · 02/08/2010 21:33

A relative in the US has a week old baby, and has been advised to feed her every two hours in order to establish a good milk supply. Being obedient parents, they are setting an alarm to wake up to feed.

Is this normal advice? Surely the poor mum is going to be so exhausted it wont be doing her milk supply much good anyway?

I never woke my babies, but my youngest is now 5, so I was wondering if this was modern advice. (Can there be modern advice on breast feeding, lol?)

OP posts:
WoTmania · 02/08/2010 21:38

If there are weight gain issues or the baby is sleepy it would be appropriate advice as the baby might not wake themselves up to feed. It takes more calories to wake up and feed than to sleep.
However, if baby is gaining masses, pooing and weeing plenty and alert and happy it's probably overkill.
Tiredness won't affect supply btw. But bless them for trying so hard.

Wigeon · 02/08/2010 21:40

In the UK, the NHS advice is based on the World Health Organization's advice, and is

here.

Advises feeding a newborn on demand, and makes the point that a newborn's appetite can vary as they grow, so it's important to feed them more or less often depending on their appetite.

Am not a breastfeeding expert (apart from expertise in breastfeeding my DD!) but the NHS advice does seem pretty opposite to the advice your friend has been given. And there is no way I would have woken up any more often than necessary in the early days!

stripeyknickersspottysocks · 02/08/2010 21:41

Well its not advice that I've ever heard of. I look after Transitional Care babies, so babies that aren't quite poorly/small enough to be on SCBU. 3 hourly feeding is the most we implement.

I'm not saying there won't ever be a time where a baby needs to have 2 hourly feeds but if this is the case then I'd doubt very much if it would be fit and well enough to be at home.

Wheelybug · 02/08/2010 21:42

I would have thought 2 hours was excessive. My dd1 was 4 lbs 9 oz at birth and so I was told to feed her every 3 hours without fail. Even every 3 hours I got no sleep for a week as I'd wake her up, change her nappy (WTF), change her outfit once she'd weed everywhere, express (actually probably did this before waking her), feed that, top up, spend ages settling her. Sleep for 30 mins and start again.

So, unless real growth issues I would have thought this was definitely too much ! Poor them.

Original poster
LynetteScavo · 02/08/2010 21:59

Baby was 9lb at birth, although I don't know about weight gain/loss.

Would it be interfering of me to send them that link? (thanks Wigeon)My sister is over with them atm, (she is granny) and is rolling her eyes but would never say anything.

OP posts:
HerBeatitude · 02/08/2010 22:02

No

I think this is just the US medical establisment's way of ensuring that new parenthood is as nightmarish as possible.

WTF is the matter with these people? Why do they feel the need to sabotage the bonding between parents and babies? Are they all just jealous of the joy of having a newborn baby?

WoTmania · 02/08/2010 22:04

Stripeyknickers - just 1 point, smane healthy babies do wake every 2 hours or more to nurse. Thie is quite normal

WoTmania · 02/08/2010 22:05

That should be *many healthy babies

ShowOfHands · 02/08/2010 22:07

I think barring any problems it's better to feed to demand. My dd demanded every 2hrs as it turns out but that was right for her. I didn't wake her to feed. Lord no. That way madness lies.

Wigeon · 02/08/2010 22:10

I think it's one thing if your newborn is naturally waking every 2 hours to feed, and another thing to set an alarm and wake them up to feed! But then I was always of the "demand fed, never wake a sleeping baby" school of thought!

OP: do you know if the parents are hating the 2 hour regime and just looking for some reassurance that they can do something different? In which case my link might be quite helpful. Or are they enjoying being what they've been told by the US doctors? In which case they probably will see you as the interfering old great aunt!

pebblejones · 02/08/2010 22:16

We had a scare when DS was 5 days old, he lost over 15% of his birth weight and was admitted to SCBU with dehydration (my milk hadn't arrived and being a first time Mum and new to breast feeding I hadn't realised). We were advised to feed every 3 hours, waking him if necessary (suprisingly difficult!) and after every breast feed I had to top up with 40-60ml of formula, feeding could take an hour, so essentially we were setting the alarm and having 2 hour naps. We did this for 3 weeks and then I was able to drop the formula and breast feed on demand, still going well at 17 weeks. Those 3 weeks were very hard my DH and I were like zombies the whole time; I am so glad I persevered, I almost gave up on breast feeding after being told I had been starving my baby.
I don't envy your friend, but feel if there is a medical need, then so be it!

katiepotatie · 02/08/2010 22:16

My sister was advised to wake her ds every 3 hours after an 11.5% weight loss. He is going 4 hours during the day now at 3 weeks and 2 - 3 hours at night.

ButterpieBride · 02/08/2010 22:25

I was told to wake DD1 to feed every two hours, but she was in hospital, with a canula in her arm, and they were taking blood off her every few hours with the option of whisking her away from me to go on a drip if her figures dropped any lower (I wouldn't have been able to visit SCBU as I was on a transfusion) I also had to express so the midwives could cup feed her too to top up. By the time we came home, we were demand feeding.

SpeedyGonzalez · 02/08/2010 22:29

If the baby is well, gaining weight, etc, there is no reason to wake them IMO. DD has always slept for long periods (thank god) and I've never woken her to feed (except for attempting dream-feeding when my booswams were bursting!). At her 10 day check she had lost no more than 30g off her birthweight. At 1 month old she'd jumped from the 50th to the 75th percentile.

Not necessary. If their baby is sleeping, so should they.

awakenings · 03/08/2010 00:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 03/08/2010 01:21

If the baby is generally healthy, isn't jaundiced, has normal blood sugar levels and is gaining weight well/hasn't lost a huge amount of weight then this is certainly very unusual advice and probably unnecessary.

Original poster
LynetteScavo · 03/08/2010 09:09

They are going back to the hospital for a check up today (routine over there) so once they are reassured everything is OK, I'll suggest to my sis to say "Great Aunt Lynette doesn't think you should be waking a sleeping baby" - then they can take or leave the advice.(Of course they'll leave it and listen to their HCP)

  • I'm loving being a great aunt; I'm only 38,lol!
OP posts:
trainsetter · 03/08/2010 09:10

It was normal for us with dc1 though we were told not to let him go more than 3 hours in the day without a feed because he had breastmilk jaundice. At night we could leave him as long as he wanted.

trainsetter · 03/08/2010 09:12

Once his jaundice had gone he then fed every 2 hours in the day until he was 6 months old.

Debs75 · 03/08/2010 09:20

DC3 lost nearly 15% of her birthweight and my mw advised me to feed her everytime she woke up, even if she only took a few sucks she would get something and my milk would be stimulated into producing more.
Apparently you produce more milk if you feed more at night. So that is nature stopping you sleeping, nevermind the American Government.
She also told me not to let her sleep for too long, we took that to mean more than 4 hours.

If any baby is demand feeding every 2 hours then feed it, some only demand feed every 3-4 (yes I know the can be rare) so you do what your baby is suggesting. How are they getting any sleep? It must be tortuos for them.

Morloth · 03/08/2010 09:52

Overnight? They are waking up a healthy newborn every 2 hours overnight? Argh!

I was told by a midwife to wake DS1 every 4 hours overnight and was doing so, mentioned to my Mum and she asked me if I was crazy? She was quite right as well, stopped doing it and he starting eating more during the day.

With DS2 I just feed him whenever he wants and have done since the birth, he was a 9lb baby as well. At almost 20 weeks he still feeds every couple of hours in the day (sometimes more) but then only one feed at 4am (goes to bed at 8).

I follow the "Never Wake A Sleeping Baby" method of parenting. It works a treat.

Original poster
LynetteScavo · 03/08/2010 12:10

You know, I bet when they were advised to feed her every two hours, it didn't occur to the person handing out the advice, that they would be so diligent, and do it in the night as well!

My sister says they are taking it all very seriously, bless 'em.

OP posts:
MumNWLondon · 03/08/2010 12:22

Every 2 hours during the day would be reasonable advice, but waking healthy newborn 2 hourly at night is not reasonable.

I wouldn't have thought any need to wake a healthy 9lb baby, although some might say best not to let newborn go more than 4 hours at night?

PrincessBoo · 03/08/2010 12:32

When my DS was about 4 days old my midwife advised me to feed him 4 hourly. Did it for a couple of days, then she said I was fine to go back to feeding on demand on again. She noticed the rust coloured marks in his nappies which showed he was a little dehydrated. She was very calm and it was no big deal.

withorwithoutyou · 03/08/2010 12:53

Kellymom says every two hours in the day and every four hours at night.

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