Getting your baby into a routine can sometimes seem impossible. The average newborn sleeps anywhere from eight up to 16-18 hours a day during their first two weeks.
They are prone to waking up frequently and rarely sleep more than four hours at a stretch. So when it comes to feeding time , if your baby has finally dropped off, should you be waking them up again?
Most newborns lose weight in the first few days after birth. Until they regain this - usually within one to two weeks after birth - it’s important to feed them frequently.
Read more: How much sleep do newborn babies need and how long should they be awake for?
This might mean occasionally waking your baby for a feeding, especially if they sleep for a stretch of more than four hours. Once your newborn establishes a pattern of weight gain and reaches the birth-weight milestone, however, it's generally OK to wait for feedings until they wake.
Sarah Patel, a sleep consultant known as TeachToSleep on social media, says: "For the first few days and weeks it’s generally advised that you wake your baby up after a few hours to see if they need a feed. After that, if your baby is healthy and putting on weight you may decide to let them sleep for longer periods."
Sarah adds: "From a sleep perspective, you can’t ‘ruin’ sleep by waking your baby so it’s always better to stir your baby if you are worried at all."
The NHS adds that a lot of babies in their early weeks are likely to doze off for short periods during a feed. They say that you should carry on feeding until they’re either finished feeding or fully asleep.
As always, every baby is different and some may have regular sleeping and feeding routines that mean it’s not always necessary to wake them. If you are worried about how often your baby is feeding or sleeping issues, speak to your midwife or GP for help, support and advice.
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