Should I wake my 7 week old baby to feed?

[meghan1996]

Hey everyone,

Just wanted a bit of advice as a first time mummy. My LG is 7 weeks and has started sleeping from about 1130/12- 6am (which I thought was great as we were both getting more sleep) lol but my health visitor told me not to let her go more than 4/5 hours without a bottle. My question is how will she ever get into a routine if I'm waking her during the night?

A million things will happen before she is in a proper routine.

If you trust your hv do what she says.

You don't have to wake her necessarily, have you tried dream feeding? I used to just grab the baby and stick her on the breast or ease a bottle into her mouth if she was still asleep. I also only woke her up for feeds when she was dehydrated and in hospital due to a bug, but if a health visitor is saying to keep feeding her that regularly I'd probably listen

@OhioOhioOhio @thatguiltyfeeling
I just thought the longer she slept through the night the better. She dosent stir until 6 and surely she would let me know if she was hungry by stirring or crying?

How's she doing weight wise? DS has always been 91st centile so I'd have left him sleep if he was as good as your LO at sleeping!

How is her weight gain? I wouldn't wake a 7 week old who is doing ok weight wise. Was there a specific reason the HV recommended it?

Depends if they have regained birthweight and have gained further

I forgot about dream feeding! Do that. Pick her up and offer her your boob or bottle or toast or something!

I was joking about the toast.

My son slept all night from very early on, around 5 weeks and I never woke him up for a feed. He ate plenty during the day and wasn't dehydrated or underweight. I went with my instinct, sometimes I'd feed him before going to bed myself at 11ish.

Yup, it's all about whether they've regained their birth weight. If their weight is on track then I wouldn't worry. DS started sleeping through at about that time (without needing to be fed) and has been a fab sleeper ever since! Congrats on your easy baby!

I also never woke mine for a feed. They wake if they're hungry.

If the weight is on track ignore your HV.

I never woke mine. If they're hungry they'll wake!

I was told to do this by the GP at the 6 week check (at 7 weeks), as DS wasn't growing properly and sleeping up to 6 hours. He was EBF though, so harder to know if enough was going in.

Mine slept through at a similar age but was on the 96th percentile at birth so I wasn't worried about them weight wise. I'd let them sleep

Sorry, in answer to your question: I'd ask why she is suggesting this and what the risks are of not following her advice. I've found the health visitors a bit hit and miss...

Thanks everyone
She was 7.15 and is now over 11lb so I'm happy with her weight

Good, think I'll just continue to let her sleep. Was scared she wasn't getting enough
Health visitor thought 7 weeks was too young to sleep all night basically

Mine was going for about the same amount of time at that age, ebf, and 95th percentile, which he stuck to consistently. If you're getting wet and dirty nappies, good skin colour and good weight gain, and baby seems generally well, I would let baby sleep and make the most of it.

Bloody hell, don't wake her up DS was almost a pound heavier at birth (8.14) and didn't get to 11lbs until 11 weeks!!!

I asked my GP this when my DD was six weeks old and she said leave her sleep as long as she’s feeding well during the day and gaining weight. Enjoy the rest 😊

I have a nearly six week old and iv was told by my health visitor at 11 days to not wake her but she is 91st centile and only lost 1oz of birth weight and had put it back on and a good bit more when they weighed her. If she is a good size and gaining weight well I wouldn’t worry too much

One of my friends DDs slept through from birth. She was fine.
She did start waking during the night at 4 months which her mum was not prepared for.

My DD slept through from 5 days... I used to wake her 11pm for a feed and she'd go through to 7am no bother.
Health visitor was never bothered, as she was gaining weight well.
Next time your baby is weighed maybe mention it to your health visitor. But other than that, try to enjoy your chance to rest

I wouldn’t wake a healthy baby who is sleeping well at night but would aim for slightly more frequent feeds during the day so 4 hourly rather than 5 hourly.

My HV said this about DD when she was about 6 weeks and sleeping 11pm to 6am. Told me to wake her every 4 hours to feed. I pointed out that she would surely wake and cry if she was hungry. HV said she might be "too weak" to cry

As DD was over 8lb at birth, feeding well and putting on lots of weight, and demonstrating a very healthy pair of lungs in a regular basis I chose to ignore her and thank my lucky stars for a good sleeper. DD continued to thrive.

A few weeks after this conversation I met a mum with a similar age baby who had been advised to wake her sleeping-through baby every 3 hours to feed. This had completely destroyed the baby's sleep patterns and the mum was on her knees.

If the baby is alert and happy during the day and putting on weight well I wouldn't be waking them. If there are any concerns about weight gain or if the baby had low birth weight, however, waking regularly to feed may be justified.