DO I WAKE UP MY NEWBORN BABY TO BREASTFEED?

If you have chosen to feed your baby through breastfeeding you are likely to have doubts about it, especially at the beginning. One of the most common is to ask if we should wake the baby to eat, especially when our newborn links several hours of sleep in a row.

In principle, if the feeding is on demand there should be no problem, because when the baby is hungry, he will let us know. But there are certain cases where we must be especially attentive. We tell you when and why you have to wake the newborn baby to eat.

The importance of breastfeeding on demand

As soon as it is born, the baby spends an hour or two very awake and active, in which it is essential promote early skin-to-skin contact with the mother for the first shot to take place.

From this moment, the newborn falls into a sleep phase called "physiological lethargy of childbirth recovery", which can last between eight and 12 hours. From the AEP Lactation Advisory Committee they advise not to force the baby to eat during this phase, but to continue maintaining skin-to-skin contact so that have access to breast milk when you need it.

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During the first days, it is normal for the baby to sleep most of the time, without differentiating the day from the night. They usually do it between 18 and 20 hours and that period is shortening as the baby grows.

But the baby also needs to eat frequently (between eight and 12 times a day) to avoid dehydration and hypoglycemia (insufficient glucose intake), so it is essential that the mother is clear about the concept of "breastfeeding on demand" both day and night, and facilitate access to your baby whenever you want.

Exceptional cases that we must monitor

But it can also happen that during the first days the baby be especially sleepy and have little interest in breastfeeding. This situation usually occurs especially in the following cases:

Premature babies
Babies with low birth weight
Babies with some disease
The calls "beautiful sleeping" babies, who are healthy and full-term babies who, during their first 15-17 days, do not wake up to breastfeed

When the baby sleeps a lot and does not breastfeed enough, he begins to lose weight and weaken, which in turn causes him more sleepiness and less demand; a vicious circle that can have serious consequences.

It is also important to pay attention to the frequency of demand of babies of insulin-dependent diabetic mothers and macrosomic babies, because if they do not breastfeed enough they could suffer hypoglycemia.

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Likewise, from the LactApp breastfeeding support website, they point out other risk factors that should put us on alert and Consult immediately with the pediatrician:

The baby leaves the hospital with a loss of more than ten percent of his weight
After five days you have not started to gain weight or continue to lose
It has more than four days and does not poop
After 15 days he has not recovered the birth weight
Vomit everything you eat
There are difficulties with breastfeeding and the baby cries and does not cling to the chest

What to do in these situations?

In all these cases, until breastfeeding is well established It is essential to be very aware of the demand of the baby to avoid problems. In addition, the pediatrician will also give us precise instructions to proceed in each of the situations described.

In the case of babies with low birth weight, low weight gain or those who are having a hard time regaining birth weight, it is essential that eat more often and make it easy through skin-to-skin contact so they have the possibility of breastfeeding whenever they want.

As they gain weight, they will find themselves stronger and will be able to wake up on their own and show signs of hunger.

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When we talk about healthy babies who remain very sleepy after birthIt is also very important skin-to-skin contact so that they spontaneously suck in response to the mother's smell. But sometimes, this contact may not be enough to stimulate the baby, requiring a little help from us to wake him gently. For example, it may work to change the diaper, undress and re-dress them, give them a circular massage on the soles of the feet ...

In these cases, from LactApp they recommend establishing a power demand every two hours of the day and every three hours of the night.

In cases of low weight babies, suction difficulties or who get tired when breastfeeding, in LactApp they recommend breast compression when the baby is breastfeeding, so that the shot is as productive as possible in the shortest time.

In addition, in any of these cases it may also be necessary to express milk and replace the baby, especially if you do not finish hooking to the chest, it is difficult to wake up or seems to have no strength to suck. The finger-syringe technique is usually the most effective.

In summary: in case of healthy babies, who grow correctly and have recovered the birth weight, it is not necessary to wake them up to offer the breast when breastfeeding is established and offered on demand. However, in the mentioned situations it is important to pay special attention and vigilance, at least until the pediatrician considers or the lactation has been regulated.

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