Usually, newborns wake up for feeding on their own, but if the baby sleeps for more than three to four hours, it is recommended to wake him up for scheduled feeding.
Newborns sleep as long as they need to. Under normal conditions, it is not necessary to wake up the baby, but sometimes it happens that the baby sleeps for more than three hours, which is a prerequisite for interfering with infant sleep.
Why does the child sleep longer than expected?
The reasons for prolonged sleep in children can vary. The main ones are the following:
- During childbirth, painkillers were injected into the mother's body. Their composition affects the child, getting into his body. The result is that it is difficult for the baby to wake up at the first time in the due time for feeding.
- After the birth, the child was separated from the mother. The child's body senses the absence of a mother, therefore, naturally, in this case, it prolongs sleep in order to save energy resources.
How to wake up your baby
It is better to wake up the child in the following way. Take his handle and lift it up. If the baby does not respond, the hand does not tense, and in general there is no reaction, the baby sleeps in a deep phase. This means that it is too early to wake him up.
If, when raising his hand, the child tenses, the eyelids tremble and there is a slight sucking, you can quickly and easily wake him up - it's time for feeding. However, you should not completely trust this - some children imitate sucking throughout their sleep - this is also considered normal.
How often can you check if your child is sleeping deeply? Enough once every 20 minutes.
Feeding at night
At night, the baby normally asks for breast 2-3 times. During sleep, he does not wake up completely, so he does not need to be laid down or rocked again. There are exceptions, but they can arise due to birth trauma, concomitant diseases, pathologies, when taking medications and medications.
What kind of children need to be fed at night
At night, the baby should be woken up for feeding if he:
- Was born prematurely. On the basis of this, disorders of the nervous system arise. Over time, everything goes away, but initially the baby may not wake up on time.
- Sleeps separately from the mother. The absence of the mother can be addictive to not feeding at night.
- Taking medications. If the baby is sick with something, he is prescribed medication. Their composition can affect the child's nervous system and sleep.
How to wake up a baby for feeding
How to find a time to wake up
The best time to wake up and feed is when the baby is asleep, but at the same time often moves, turns over, bends and unbends the legs and arms.
If the baby has not woken up, open him, pick him up. He will feel contact with his mother - this will help him wake up and position himself for feeding.
Changing a diaper is a good way to wake up. Unusual actions can scare the baby, but he is already used to removing and putting on diapers, which means he will wake up without problems, without worrying and crying.
When picking up the baby in your arms, you need to turn it over to an upright position - this will help to wake up. You can also massage the arms and legs, thereby stimulating the active phase and appetite.
Another way is to wipe your face with a sponge dipped in cool, but not cold water. However, not all children respond positively to such manipulation.
What not to do
First of all, you need to understand that a bright light that can be turned on abruptly will only harm the baby. He will be frightened because newborns have very sensitive eyes.
Do not shake your baby if he falls asleep again during feeding. Don't rock it. Better to stroke your cheek with your fingers.
How often should your baby be fed? Much depends on age. If we are talking about a baby up to six months, then the interval between feedings should be 3 hours. The maximum time is 4 hours.
Why observe the frequency of feeding? The correct mode of milk intake allows you to quickly understand the mechanism of the biological clock, normalize sleep, and ensure the supply of nutrients to the child's body in full. A kid who eats on time is calmer, his immunity is stronger, he recovers faster, and is less susceptible to the development of various diseases and pathologies.
When the child is six months old, feeding can be done every 4 hours, while children who previously had a stable diet no longer need to wake up.
