Is my newborn not feeding enough?

[nparkin]

My baby is 5 days old and seems to sleep for long periods in the day 4-6hrs at a time. Should I wake her (even though she often won't be interested in food then) for a feed or let her tell me when she is hungry.
People say i should make the most of the time she is sleeping like this but I worry she may not be getting enough food... She is alot more active during the night though.
Im confussed with all the advice out there.

I personally wouldn't let a newborn go for more than 3-4 hours without a feed day or night.
Tiktok or someone else in the know will come along soon

Is she feeding 8-12 times in 24 hours?

Personally I would wake after three hours in the day time, and maybe leave one 6 hour stretch at night - if she's feeding lots otherwise.

Is she jaundiced? as this can make newborns sleepy and less inclined to feed.

4-6 hours is a long time for such a tiny baby, so I would tend to not let her go more than four hours between feeds. You haven't said whether you are breast or formula feeding, but if breast then leaving her for longer than four hours might prevent you from getting BFing well enough established to carry on. Also, how is her weight? If she hasn't lost a lot post birth and is now starting to regain, then the long periods between feeds may not be an issue, but if she has lost a fair bit, then this can also impact on her ability to feed. Letting sleeping babies lie is fine for older babies who have established feeding routines, buit not always the right thing to do with a newborn.

Is your MW due in to see you? I'd give them a call tomorrow and ask if someone can come out, or your HV if you have been passed out of the care of the MWs (although iirc, they should see you until around 10 days post-natal).

my ds would sleep for a 5ish hour stretch at night when newborn and i remember my mum saying hmm i wouldn't let him go longer than that. he went on to sleep 8/9 hours early on but it didn't last. he hit 4 months and it went to every hour and a half . and i looked at my feeding schedule form thing that i filled in and he fed every 4ish hours for 30/40 minutes. and only on one boob - i had no idea?! he was pooing lots though and you could hear him swallowing and at his first weigh in at a few days of being at home, he hadn't lost any weight. if i had known then what i know then i would have worried more about his feeding habits, but at the time i just let him lead totally.

you say she is active at night - is she making up for it? does she drink well when she does feed - everything others have said - jaundice? weight? poo? is she bf?

nparkin- this is unusual enough to warrant asking your midwife to weigh your baby tomorrow. You are quite right to be concerned she may not be eating enough, and the risk is that she is conserving her energy and sleeping instead of asking to be fed.

She needs to be snuggled up with you, not in a basket or cot, so you can respond to any little feeding cues she gives when still half asleep.

If you hold her close like this, it is really unlikely she will go as long as 4-6 hours asleep.

Hope this helps.

I would wake her after 4 hours and have her weight checked frequently.