Does he need a feed?

[ShelbyO]

I have a 5 week old and lucky that once he has his feed at 10pm, doesn't cry for a feed until the morning. But..... stirs in his crib from 2-4 every morning and does this for hours. He doesnt cry but only settles with a dummy or me cuddling him.

I don't know what to do for best. Do i feed him? But surely he would cry? Constantly settling with a dummy is also a nightmare and I'm worried it will lead to bad habits.

He is suffering from colic at mo, so not sure if this has something to do with it.

I'd try giving a feed

But then I'd be introducing night feeds again?? So hard to know what to do. He has 6 good feeds during day.

At 5 weeks I’d definitely feed him.

At 5 weeks I'd definitely feed.

My God he’s 5 weeks old! Feed him! 5 week olds don’t have bad habits, they simply have basic primal needs, one of which is to be fed when required.

At 5 weeks babies need night feeds. Maybe look at it again at 5months

5 weeks!! Feed the poor kid. I would consider dropping night feeds when he starts sleeping through. Poor ting

He's five weeks old, his stomach is tiny. Feed him. It's very rare that a young baby would sleep through the night and you shouldn't be restricting his food to try and achieve this. He's due a growth spurt soon too so will be needing more milk then.

I’ve never had a baby that actually cries for a feed overnight because it doesn’t really get to that point... they stir and start making a noise, and I feed them. My 4 month old has a dream feed at 11, wakes at 4/5 ish, doesn’t cry but is awake and making noise, so I feed him and he goes back to sleep.

At 5 weeks my baby was feeding most of the night. You're lucky he doesn't cry, some other feeding cues are rooting, restlessness, difficulty settling.
I'd definitely feed him. Don't worry about reintroducing night feeds, I can guarantee you that his appetite and need for night feeds will change almost every week for the next few months. You'll get some nights where he needs 3 feeds and some precious ones where he won't need any. Just go with it for now, he's too little for a routine.

Also, don't worry about forming habits with the dummy and feeding. His little brain is too young to develop habits yet. Just try and go with what he needs in that moment.

Feed your baby. His stomach is the size of an egg and so empties very quickly. The reason he is vocal in the morning is because he is hungry.

I say this every time a thread like this pops up: YOU CANNOT SPOIL A NEWBORN. So cuddles, milk, rocking, soothing them won’t relate a rod for your back or any other nonsense.

Please try and feed him. He might not have realised he needs to cry to tell you he's hungry yet. If he doesn't want to eat then cuddle him. He's waking cause he needs something but can't communicate what.

I know the idea of having a sleeping through baby is lovely but at that age they need their mum a lot. Have a read up about the third trimester. Good luck.

Honestly, a 5 week old cannot have ‘bad habits’ just feed him!

Omg! So people are so rude!

Feed him, he will probably go back to sleep then. Not many babies that age sleep through the night. Mine didn't until they were nearer 12 months

No one has been rude, literally just answering your question.

Newborns need feeding round the clock. If he’s awake at night you need to feed him. If he’s not hungry he won’t drink, it’s rather simple.

Yes I would definitely feed him, their tummy's are so little. My DS doesn't cry in the night now but I know he is restless and unsettled and I feed him before it gets to the cry stage.

Pretty sure a 5 week old should be feeding 8-10 times a day. There’s a 6 week growth spurt where it seemed DD was feeding hourly.

Your baby is far too little for timetables, and underfeeding is dangerous. Please read up on fourth trimester and early baby development/biology.

At 5 weeks, they are almost always wanting to be fed! It’s not normal for a 5 week old to sleep from 10pm until morning. If he’s fidgeting for two hours in the night it definitely means you need to pick him up and sort him out.

But then I'd be introducing night feeds again?? So hard to know what to do. He has 6 good feeds during day

6 feeds isn’t enough.
It’s normal to feed in the night - for up to a year I’m afraid!
It shouldn’t be hard to know what to do.

Do you have support from someone? Partner, health visitor, parent? At the very least find information on the internet - looks on Mumsnet, Babycentre, Netmums - the NHS! It’s all out there and it’s not hard to navigate. It concerns me that no-one has told you that babies wake in the night to be fed.

No one had been rude?

Surely two hours of fidgeting is disrupting your sleep?

My dd doesn't cry at night. She shuffles and pants like a dog . A quick feed and she's back to sleep again, so to concur with everyone else, give him a feed.

Yes, please feed him. He is tiny and it's entirely normal and appropriate for newborn babies to have night feeds and for them to continue for a good few months. He's probably waking up precisely because he's hungry.

No one has been rude, but a 5 week old needs feeding in the night if they are awake and fidgety. Look into the fourth trimester, baby has only just started to experience the feeling of being hungry, there are lots of other cues aside from screaming- ideally you don’t let them get so hungry that they scream. And they need feeding more than 6 times a day.