How do I wake a new born baby for feeding that is only 4 days old and wont wake up?

Question

Our baby does not want to wake up for feeding all day. At night she is awake all the time, but during the day she will not wake up for her every 2 hour feed? Any tricks to how to wake up a new born baby for feeding?

Answer 1

With mine i would change them and change their clothes that always woke them up. At 4 days old they do sleep alot so just takes a bit to let them learn night and day. Be patient and sleep when your baby does. When she is hungry she woill let you know.

Answer 2

There are several tricks to this:

1) play with their feet, babies usually hate this
2) pick her up, and get into feeding position, then gently undress her, this way she is a little cool and not warm and comfortable (make sure the room isn't too cold and that there's no draft)
3) take a wet cloth and wipe her face, make sure it's not too cold as to shock her

*** A baby at this age definitly needs to be woken up for feedings, if he/she doesn't wake on their own. They can't always do this themselves, also some babies especially at 4-8 weeks can nurse every 2 hrs. It depends on the baby and how quickly your baby digests the breast milk. Each child is different.

Good Luck !

Answer 3

It's so hard at this stage, everything is so new to both of you. It's normal for her to sleep alot during the day. For some reason they always have night and day backwards. I wouldn't jostle her too much to wake her. Pick her up, change her diaper, then if she's awake enough you can feed her, if not let her sleep and by alll means take a nap yourself! This was hard for me too ~ I hated being up all night, I was convinced my son would change my schedule before I changed his! It does get better, I promise!

By the way, it's perfectly normal for a newborn to be eating every two hours.

Congrats on your baby girl, good luck and hang in there!

Answer 4

Please don't listen to these people that say "don't wake a sleeping baby"!! Not all babies will wake up when they are hungry, especially that young, and especially if you are nursing her. Breastmilk simply digests faster and their tummies are sooo tiny!! My daughter wouldn't wake for feedings no matter how long we waited, so we finally stopped waiting for her sake- so if you think you need to, then wake her up! :) You are doing just fine waking your daughter that often, too. The suggestions above are good ones; change her diaper, tickle her feet, you can also take her clothes off so that she feels a bit cool, talk loudly (nicely) to her, play music or turn on the tv (sounds that she is not used to hearing...), if it gets bad you can stand up and walk around while feeding her...
But as for the day/night confusion, of course that's natural, too. Your body moving in the daytime lulled her to sleep, and when you were still at night, she got up to play. She'll slowly get switched around, or if you'd like to help that along, play with her and keep her up short amount of times each day, gradually getting longer, and she'll sleep a bit more at night. Hope this helps, you're doing great! Good luck~

Answer 5

I was like that myself. I was a preemie though so I was behind on everything.. I think my small body was too small to know when to wake up for feeding and when not too.. babies need to be fed every 3-4 hours at least. Don't feel bad for waking her, she will fall back to sleep when she finishes eating. A baby has to eat though..

Answer 6

The most common ways of waking up a baby are:
Changing the diaper
Undressing
Cold cloth (back of the neck, lower back, feet)
Tickling the feet, etc.

However you should also try to get out and get at LEAST 15 minutes of direct sunlight on you and the baby between noon-4 pm each day. To help regulate melatonin.


http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/basics/hunger-cues.html
"My newborn wants to sleep all the time! Should I wake him to nurse?"

Yes, if he doesn't wake on his own. Many newborns are very sleepy in the early days or weeks and may not exhibit hunger cues as often as they actually need to eat. Newborns should be nursed anytime they cue hunger, but at least every 2 hours during the day and at least once during the night. Once your baby has established a good weight gain pattern (at least 4 ounces per week, for babies under 4 months), you can stop waking baby to nurse and let him set his own pattern.
"My baby just started sleeping longer at night. Do I need to wake him to nurse?"

If your baby is younger than 4 weeks, then it is a good idea to wake baby at least every 4-5 hours at night to nurse if he does not wake on his own. If your child is older than 4 weeks, you can allow baby to sleep as long as he wants at night as long as he is peeing, pooping, and gaining weight within normal parameters.
"My baby frequently sucks on his hands. Does this always mean that he's hungry?"

Answer 7

Just pick the baby up and start feeding it. They will get the idea. They only know how to do a very few things at 4 days old. Don't worry about waking her they fall back asleep very easily.
Sounds like she has her DAYS & NIGHTS mixed up. Make her wake up and make sure she gets sunlight - she needs to reset her internal clock to the right DAY & NIGHT.

Answer 8

I had to wake my baby too, the tricks that worked for me were to sit her up, which usually got her awake. Then strip them down to the diaper the cooler temps usually wake them up. Also skin to skin contact if the baby isn't breast fed go ahead and lift your shirt a little to where their skin is touching yours, this is supposed to stimulate the sucking reflex. If your baby is bottle fed you can try the bagged bottles and actually push on the bag releasing some milk or formula into the baby which will get them to suck and swallow. Good luck I know it's difficult!!

Answer 9

you can do switch nursing......

it is usually recommended that you nurse for MUCH longer on each side..........

BUT if you have a sleepy baby - you can keep on switching sides to keep them interested in nursing. Nurse for about 5 minutes, then switch sides. The act of latching on and off can keep them awake and nursing.
Other things to do are loosening (or removing) clothes, moving them to a more upright position, and tickling. Also try to have a "play session" (interaction with you). She will grow out of it....but at the moment she has day and night mixed up!

La Leche League recommends that you should nurse every 2-3 hours if you are EXCLUSIVELY breastfeeding a newborn. If you are bottle feeding or supplimenting with formula then a baby can go for 3-4 hours between feeds.

If you can possibly do it...spend a day in bed with your little one.....wear as few clothes as possible and let her enjoy being with you. You (and your breasts) are there and available all day. It`s a lovely way to bond (and have a well-earned rest yourself) and encourage breastfeeding

PLEASE contact your local La Leche League for breastfeeding advice. You don`t have to be a member.

Answer 10

I had this same problem with my son! It was physically tiring, but after a few months with persisting and some advice i finally turned things around...maybe it will work for you maybe it wont but you can try. At night time when baby wakes up don't look at them, dont talk to them just feed burp and change nappy then put back in to bed, you will probably have to do the cry control for a little while till they learn that your not coming in, but in the mornings and during the day you can stimulate them by talking to them and touching them they will soon prefer to see you in the mornings than during the night when your tired and grumpy!

Answer 11

Sometimes they are awake, just not opening their eyes - remember, newborns cant really see too far. Just pick her up and try putting the bottle in her mouth - and caressing the side of the cheek - instinctively, she should begin to suck. You can also try tickling the bottom of her feet.. They dont eat much at 4 days old - only an ounce per feeding at the most.