How to Wake a Sleepy Newborn to Breastfeed

It's only been an hour since you last breastfed your newborn. Then you hear little cries coming from the bouncer or crib. You walk in to check on the baby, and you find his or her mouth opening and closing, the tongue sticking in and out, all telling you that your little one is hungry. . .again. And so here goes another round of "feed the baby" for the ninth time that day/night. In this round, you're sure that your newborn will start snoring as soon as five minutes have passed while you feed him or her on one breast. Before you can offer the second breast, it seems like you can hear snoring coming from your baby because he or she is sleeping so soundly.

You might be concerned that your baby hasn't eaten enough because you noticed that he or she hasn't had enough stools and urine-soaked diapers lately. This is a legitimate concern and a good reason to try to keep your baby awake. If you have a baby that is having enough poopy and wet diapers during the day (around one every feeding, or 8-12 per 24 hours), it's best to feed him or her whenever the mood so strikes. That could very well be every hour or so. A schedule of feedings will probably develop for you both after the newborn stage is complete.

Some ways to keep your little one awake are listed below. You might be able to rouse your baby better with one technique than with another. You might combine some of these ideas or develop your own, using these tips as a springboard.

Change the Diaper-Diaper changing in the middle of a feeding can help to wake up your baby. The stimulation may last long enough to get him or her interested in eating off of the other breast. The cold air when you undress him or her and the movement of his or her legs and body can help to wake your baby up.

Skin-to-Skin-If your baby is undressed and laying next to your bare chest, he or she may wake up long enough to eat some more. Your body heat will warm him or her up, and the contact of skin on skin can stimulate him or her to wake up.

Burp-Once 10 minutes or so has passed or your baby is finished with one breast, try burping him or her. This can wake up your baby for a bit, and it might be long enough to get your baby interested in eating some more.

Milk-Hold your breast by cupping your hand in the form of a "C," and squeeze some milk into your baby's mouth or onto the lips. The milk going into your baby's mouth or the taste of the milk can help to wake him or her up.

Bounce and Tickle-Hold your baby upright, and bounce him or her up and down a little. Tickling your baby's bare skin can also help to wake him or her up.

There are lots of ways to wake a sleepy newborn who doesn't want to finish meals. Try some of these ideas, and get creative with your baby. See what works, and keep trying. Eating every 2-4 hours is important for newborns, and it's vital that they get enough to eat. Newborns will sleep through just about anything usually, and they may sleep through hunger, too. If this is the case with your baby, wake him or her up to ensure enough nutrients are getting into that growing body.

Resources:

How To Alert the Baby for Feeding
Waking a Sleepy Baby
Breastfeeding Fact Sheet