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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Should I wake a 10-week-old breastfed baby for a feed?

27 replies

LucyJu · 20/01/2006 11:49

My dd is a good sleeper and last night slept straight through from 8.30pm until 7.00 am. Although this is great in many ways, I am worried that she might not be getting enough milk. Since birth she has fallen fromn the 98th to the 50th percentile for both weight and height. In the ten weeks since she was born, she has gained only 2lbs (was 9lb 5oz, now 11lb 5oz). Also, she seems to sleep a lot more in the day than dd1 ever did. Can I be sure she is getting enough milk? And is it unwise to allow her to sleep through? Breastfeeding is important to me and I don't want to do anything to put it at risk. Btw, whenever I have tried to wake her for a feed in the past, she has just got really upset, not fed much and taken ages to settle back down again. Thoughts please?

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 20/01/2006 11:51

I don't know the answer, but I will ask more questions:

  • how many dirty nappies per day? How many wet ones?
  • is she alert for part of the day?
  • is she developping normally? (smiling at people, moving her arms to reach for stuff? I forget what they're meant to do when ...)
  • do you think she's well?
  • is she sleeping with you?

Also, have you tried not waking her, but feeding her while she's asleep? I did this a lot with DS2, so he'd sleep longer, and it did work. You have to focus quite hard to make letdown happen, but it could let you squeeze in an extra feed without annoying her.

IlanaK · 20/01/2006 11:52

Are there any indications that she is not getting enough milk? How are her nappies? Is she gaining weight (I nkow you said she is dropping centiles, but is she actually gaining weight?) Is she fed on demand when she is awake? Does she seem content and satisfied after feeds? Do you have pain with feeding?

If you are satisfied that she is feeding as often as she wants and is taking her fill, then I would not worry too much so long as she is still gaining weight (not gaining centiles).

morningpaper · 20/01/2006 11:53

Does she have a dummy?

What centile was/is your dd1 on? Perhaps she is naturally adjusting to her normal growing pattern?

tiktok · 20/01/2006 11:57

Another question: how many times does she feed in 24 hours?

Original poster
LucyJu · 20/01/2006 12:14

Thanks for answering so quickly.
She seems to be developing well and when she is awake she is alert and smiley, likes to kick under her gym and follows people with her eyes etc. She usually has about three naps per day - about 1 hour in the morning, anything up to 3 hours at lunchtime and a couple of hours late afternoon. This is loads more than dd1 ever had.
Weight gain - it took 4 weeks to get back to birth weight. Since then she has been averaging 4 - 5 oz per week. HV reckons this is a bit low and we need to 'keep an eye on her'.
She has lots of wet nappies - usually 6 - per day. I'm sure I could get through even more if I checked more often. Not so many poos, though, recently. Gone from around 6 a day to 1 or 2 per day in the last week or so. She had a phase of grren poos, but they're yellow/brown now.
No dummies, ever. And no, she doesn't sleep with us. Dh wouldn't even entertain the idea.

OP posts:
morningpaper · 20/01/2006 12:17

6 nappies in 24 hours doesn't sound like much?? Mind needs changing every hour (not mine, my 3 month old)

tiktok · 20/01/2006 12:21

again: - how many feeds?

tiktok · 20/01/2006 12:23

wet nappies not a great indicator, as so much depends on the performance of the nappy.

it would be a very underfed baby indeed who stopped weeing....

springerspaniel · 20/01/2006 12:58

I used to change about 6 nappies in every 24 hours when he was that age(now it is about 4.) I think all babies are different. personally I wouldn't wake baby. My LO is 6 months and sleeps 7-7 and still has up to 4 1/2 hours of naps in a day.

springerspaniel · 20/01/2006 12:59

I think my LO went from every nappy being dirty to 1 or 2 a day about that age too (if memory serves!)

springerspaniel · 20/01/2006 13:00

Sorry for multiple posts (v irritating of me) but I keep thinking of things. Baby took a while to regain birthweight but is now steadily putting on, admittedly SLIGHTLY below average. I wouldn't worry too much. Sounds like a v content baby.

Original poster
LucyJu · 20/01/2006 14:01

DD feeds 5 - 6 times per day - whenever she shows signs of being hungry, really.

OP posts:
tiktok · 20/01/2006 14:15

Thanks, LJ.

If there is any question about her intake and weight gain then one option would be simply to feed more often. 5-6 times a day is not very often, and while it may be ok for her, and she may be absolutely fine, most babies actively seek the breast more often than this in 24 hours (I said most, noit all!)...and it could not harm her in any way. This is not a question of waking her, but simply of offering more often when she's awake. She may not, of course, be interested, and if that's the case, then that should be reassuring to you.

Hope this helps.

Original poster
LucyJu · 20/01/2006 14:51

Thanks for all your advice. I feel a bit re-assured now. I guess I wasn't prepared for how different dd2 would be from dd1.
I had another little count up and its probably more like 6-7 feeds per day. I do sometimes try offering her more milk, but she's rarely interested and, tbh, it seems to annoy her : "Get that nipple out of my face!!".

OP posts:
veepee · 21/01/2006 02:44

My DD had about same nappies as your LO, LJ. I give her 'dream feeds' which is what you're talking about and it works well (she's now 8m) as she doesn't take enough milk during the day. She only gained an ounce in the first month, but has now averaged a pound a month (4oz pw) since I introduced dream feeds - so I wouldn't worry. She'll settle down to her own natural rhythm.

Elf1981 · 21/01/2006 08:38

LucyJu, I was told by one HV to ignore the percentile charts as they're for formula fed babies.
My DD has struggled to stay on her "line", she also sleeps through the night (she's 15 weeks). I would not wake her for a feed, my motto is that when she's hungry, she'll let me know!
As for nappies, my DD never expresses irritation when her nappy is wet (compared to my goddaughter who would cry the minute her tushy was wet) so I change every three hours, even if she isnt bothered, just to avoid potential nappy rash

tiktok · 21/01/2006 09:37

Elf, the HV was wrong about the charts - do a search on my name and charts for the correct info.

The problem with the charts is the way they are applied , not the data they are based on.

ghosty · 21/01/2006 10:07

When DD was very young I used to wake her for feeds every 3 hours between 7am and 10pm (if she needed feeding before the 3 hours was up then I obviously didn't make her wait). After 10pm I didn't wake her and let her sleep until she woke up wanting a feed.
I did this from when she was 1 day old and as a result from day 1 after 10pm she would only wake up once in the night ....
Started off being 2am, then moved nearer 3am, then to nearer 4am and then by 10 weeks she was sleeping from 10.30pm to 7ish.
So she had 7 feeds in 24 hours until she dropped the middle of the night one and then was feeding 6 times a day.
I know people say never wake a sleeping baby but I wanted to get as many feeds in during the day as I could rather than let her sleep for hours during the day and she would want to catch up on the feeds at night (which is what DS did)

nanneh · 21/01/2006 10:13

Elf - the charts are not purely based on formula fed babies, but a combination of formula fed and breast fed.

The only reliable charts for a bf baby are the ones supplied by WHO and UNICEF, which are based on a global average of babies who have been bf for at least a year. There are no formula fed babies mixed in. Unfortunatley the last one of these that I saw on kellymom.com is more than 10 years old, although I still think this is more reliable than the Red Book charts.

I never bothered with the NHS chart, although I weighed my son at home (I bought special baby scales like the ones they use in surgeries) every month in his first year so that I could monitor his growth myself. He was always very active and alert, was fed on demand (which sometimes meant every hour during the night and day, especially during growth spurts).

Other good indicators of growth are good muscle tone, healthy looking skin, active, alert, smiley , hitting develeopment milestones around the right time, etc.

There is no need to worry if the baby looks well and is generally healthy and alert. "Look at the baby, not the chart", as some expert has said, (can't remember who) !!

mojomummy · 21/01/2006 19:54

I would wake DD & feed her every 3 hours. The she decided to change this routine !

In regard to your circumstances, I would try a dream feed 3-4 hours after her normal feed & see if this improves her weight gain & her appetite.

You may find your Dd changes her routine in a few weeks & wants to feed all the time

Original poster
LucyJu · 21/01/2006 23:42

How exactly do you do a dreamfeed? I can't understand how you can get a baby to feed in their sleep, especially to bf. Waking my dd has always seemed to achieve nothing but to make for an upset baby - she never seems interested. Any tips for getting a sleeping baby to start feeding?

OP posts:
Elf1981 · 22/01/2006 07:39

I've only done it once, but you basically just pick sleeping baby up very gently and offer them the breast. With my DD it was a case of daftly waffing my nipple around her nose and she opened her mouth and latched on. She fed very slowly, but I was amazed she fed!

mojomummy · 22/01/2006 19:42

that sounds like the sprt of thing I did to...a couple of years ago now. Tracy Hogg (of baby whisperer fame) suggests stroking the palm of their hand, which must work in some gentle way to stimulate them. The idea is most babies will go for the offer of 'breast', you get more milk in them & all without disturbing sleep patterns.

wads · 22/01/2006 20:35

My dd (2nd child) slept well at night from birth & I refused to set an alarm to wake her even though Dr & nurse were saying I HAD to as she was not gaining enough weight. Nowadays she is a bright thriving 2 year old so go with your instincts. If you think baby is contented, not skinny & maturing within age range don't let the medical profession stress you into bottle feeding. One thing I did do though for a few weeks was express whilst breastfeeding & give 2nd side with a bottle , as it's much less effort for baby than breast, & that way you know they got both sides.

lazycow · 23/01/2006 10:07

I did a dreamfeed for about 2-3 months (never heloed him sleep longer so I gave up but it was pretty easy to do. I just went in with my breast already out and ready so to speak. lifted him up and sat down - rubbed my nipple on his nose a bit and always just latched on. I Kept every thing really quiet and dark. ds would feed one side for about 15-20 mins and I even turned him round and did 15-20 mins on the other side. I never did a burp (though I did start dream feeding at about 3 months)- just laid him down again and 99.9% of the time went straght back to sleep again. For ages it was the calmest feed of the day as he went through a very long phase of being very agitated whe he fed.