Hellobee Boards Topic: At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?

Hellobee Boards Topic: At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 17 May 2026 22:35:38 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1357100 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:39:47 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 1357100@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @raintreebee: oh one more thing, frequent nursing helps reduce the risk of breastfeeding jaundice. My LO was a touch jaundiced so perhaps that is why they emphasized it for us. Many hospitals want momma to feed baby and get all the bilirubin flushed out before they leave. And sometimes they'll push formula if they feel like nursing isn't going well, but don't don't anything you don't want to do! Your baby, your choices! skipra on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1356936 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 14:26:41 +0000 skipra 1356936@https://boards.hellobee.com/ In the very beginning we always set an alarm but except for the first night he always woke us up before it went off. raintreebee on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1356903 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 14:09:44 +0000 raintreebee 1356903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Thanks, ladies. This is all very helpful. I have a meeting with our pediatrician next week so I'll be curious as to what she says about it. On the one hand, I totally get needing to feed frequently in the beginning, but waking the baby up all the time seems to go against my maternal instincts. It seems like this would have some neurological effects, but, as DH pointed out, babies are woken up all the time in the womb so I am likely over-thinking it. Mrs. Sketchbook on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1354979 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 20:00:31 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 1354979@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I know this thread is super old but I wanted to say....in the hospital they may do this whether you want to or not! I went into recovery around 11 PM and they woke us up at 1:00 AM saying it was time for eating (he had nursed a few minutes after birth but he was mainly messing around). I was totally shocked. But I dutifully tickled my child's feet and put a washcloth on his head....he didn't want to feed only wanted to sleep. But the nurse is assigned to the mother and the baby so she/he is required to make sure that a mother nurses a certain amount while they are in recovery. They would come in every few hours and make a note of how long we nursed etc. This had the effect of making me so paranoid that I did wake to feed, although it was usually every 3-4 instead of 2-3. Once he got back to his weight I quit. Brassgiraffe on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1354912 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 19:51:12 +0000 Brassgiraffe 1354912@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Another vote for waking every three hours to eat until she regained birth weight, which for us was only a week. mdf106 on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1354331 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 17:25:43 +0000 mdf106 1354331@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I woke LO every three hours until the pediatrician said not to when he was at his discharge weight on day five, indicating that he had passed the low point and was gaining back weight. After that LO slept one 4-6 hour stretch, and his weight gain has been good. I have never had supply problems, even since going back to work. I continued to wake him to feed every three hours during the day. ElbieKay on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1351764 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 06:12:55 +0000 ElbieKay 1351764@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I am planning to do the every 3 hrs thing until he reaches his birth weight. After that he will sleep as long as he wants. That is generally the advice I have received from multiple sources. The birth weight issue is important, but after that you are in the clear! babypugs on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1348434 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 07:52:03 +0000 babypugs 1348434@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I set my alarm for every three hours, but that was definitely wishful thinking! She was always up way before that alarm went off, and most of the time I hadn't even been able to go to sleep from the last wake up since it took forever to get her down. Don't be scared, just prepared! It is tough, but you'll get through it. :) singingbee on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1348366 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 07:10:48 +0000 singingbee 1348366@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I didn't set an alarm or anything, but yes, LO would wake up on her own wanting to be feed. Every now and then we would get a 4 or 5 hour stretch after she hit her birthweight, but yes, for the most part, we feed every 2-3 hours. delight on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed/page/2#post-1348332 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 06:42:22 +0000 delight 1348332@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I already posted but just wanted to say that not waking LO didn't hurt my supply at all. She has generally only gotten up once or twice a night since the first two weeks (besides the four month sleep regression). At the beginning I'd pump when I felt super uncomfortable, but everything regulated and I've never had a problem at 5 months in. mjane on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1348331 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 06:39:00 +0000 mjane 1348331@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Our baby slept well from the beginning and we tried to follow this advice--but not only was it not that fun to wake up, girlfriend was not remotely interested in eating once she'd been woken up. After a few days (once we knew she was gaining well), we quit this nonsense. jedeve on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1348329 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 06:32:59 +0000 jedeve 1348329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Didn't need to. He was up every hour and a half on his own. You are right, it is a form of torture. Also expect to be up really Kate those first few weeks and to be up for a good but when he does wake up. You should hear how ANGRY my mom and MIL get about this recommendation. You'd think they were ending asked to wake the baby up to feed it motor oil or something. lamariniere on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1348250 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 01:51:11 +0000 lamariniere 1348250@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I echo what many others say, let that baby sleep! With my DS he woke up on his own every 90 minutes. With DD, she is 6 weeks old and very sleepy. The hospital said not to wake her at night but wake her every 3-4 hours during the day. The first week I had to wake her during the day but after that she was waking on her own. Now, she generally wakes up just twice per night (a small miracle) but my supply seems fine and she's gaining weight. googly-eyes on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1348247 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 01:43:06 +0000 googly-eyes 1348247@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I went 3-4 hours! But I was pumping and knew I would not be bf'ing long by the end of the first week so I wasn't really thinking about bf supply issues. (I know people who have successfully bf'd and not had problems going as long as their baby would sleep for though.) Next time I won't stress about it so much...it doesn't take long before THEY are waking you! daniellemybelle on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1348233 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 01:04:17 +0000 daniellemybelle 1348233@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Not always, but I wish I would have & I will next time. I didn't do my low supply any favors by letting her go 3-4 hours on a regular basis. If your pediatrician says you can let them sleep, you should still get up and pump every 2 hours until your supply is established. sarac on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1348084 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 23:18:02 +0000 sarac 1348084@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I would never, never wake a healthy baby to eat. Never. Mrs Green Grass on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1348058 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 22:57:36 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1348058@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We did for quite awhile, but I had a reflux baby who didn't eat enough. I would easily add one four hour stretch at night but in general every 3. But it doesn't need to take a very long time depending.... lulibee on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1348049 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 22:47:33 +0000 lulibee 1348049@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Not entirely sure, but I *think* you're supposed to feed them every 3 hours at night only until they re-gain their birth weight? I think all babies lose a little weight in the beginning, since they are born with extra fluid. So yes, for me, I did wake up to feed every 3 hours until he reached birth weight. maybebaby on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1348044 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 22:43:54 +0000 maybebaby 1348044@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @beaker: ditto :) autumn865 on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347889 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 21:38:40 +0000 autumn865 1347889@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We had weight gaining issues and I was always stressed by my supply so I woke her every 2 hours for the first two to three weeks. After that honestly she would wake on her own. We got a few five hour stretches by 2 months but that didn't last long and went back to 2-3 hour stretches until we sleep trained at 5 months. I know it sounds terrifying but you surprise yourself with how little sleep you can actually function on! Zbug on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347872 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 21:30:19 +0000 Zbug 1347872@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Nope. Set the alarm for three hours the first night....soon realized she was never going to sleep long enough for it to go off. :) MrsStar on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347803 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 21:08:44 +0000 MrsStar 1347803@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Nope, from the moment she was born she was in a 4 hour cycle, whenever I put her down to sleep I could predict when she would wake up because she woke up exactly 4 hours later. She didn't use much weight in the beginning so that's probably why no one told me to wake her to feed her MapleMoose on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347790 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 21:03:28 +0000 MapleMoose 1347790@https://boards.hellobee.com/ The doctor told us at the hospital to wake her to feed every 2-3 hours but she always woke every 1.5 - 2 hours anyways. At her one week appointment the doctor said we could let her sleep and feed her when she wants, not on a strict schedule anymore. chopsuey on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347756 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 20:47:11 +0000 chopsuey 1347756@https://boards.hellobee.com/ No, I fed my kids when they woke up. DS started sleeping longer stretches early on. I did get up and pump every 3ish hours though. danda on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347746 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 20:45:08 +0000 danda 1347746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We did due to jaundice that required hospitalization at 5 days old. After two weeks we stopped - at that point she was healthy and waking up every 2-4 hours on her own. I remember the first time the baby slept 5 hours straight once at a month old because I talked to my boss that day and mentioned how I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back asleep because I was so excited that the baby was still sleeping! DigAPony on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347733 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 20:42:07 +0000 DigAPony 1347733@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We were told to make sure that baby fed 8-12 times every 24 hour period; this meant that he should feed about every 3 hours and shouldn't sleep for longer than 5 hours in one 24 hour period. We never had to wake him up in order to accomplish this. Also, as long as baby has the right number of wet/dirty diapers, you're good. At his 2 week appointment he had gained a good amount of weight so our ped said we didn't have to worry about it anymore. Mrs. Sunshine on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347679 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 20:15:52 +0000 Mrs. Sunshine 1347679@https://boards.hellobee.com/ LO was born at 38 weeks...she was a great weight and in the hospital slept for 6 hours at a time! We just let her sleep & she & my supply still thrived. Once we got home she was an every 2 hour kinda gal. tysonja on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347673 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 20:15:17 +0000 tysonja 1347673@https://boards.hellobee.com/ yes, every 2-3 hours for the first few weeks -- both my LO's lost a lot of weight the first week because my milk was slow to come in! :) once their weight stabilizes you don't have to anymore! Rockies11 on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347671 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 20:15:02 +0000 Rockies11 1347671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I think different doctors give different recommendations, but we were told after they reached her birth weight that we could just let her sleep. She reached her birth weight 72 hours after birth! So I never did this, but she ate literally every hour to hour and a half for weeks and weeks, so I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do it anyway, ha ha ha. hilsy85 on "At night, did you wake your newborn every two to three hours to feed?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-night-did-you-wake-your-newborn-every-two-to-three-hours-to-feed#post-1347670 Tue, 14 Jan 2014 20:14:19 +0000 hilsy85 1347670@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Once he regained his birth weight, I was told I didn't have to worry about waking him at night!