Should You Wake a Sleeping Newborn to Feed?

Yes, in the early weeks — then no. It is one of the few newborn questions with a clear answer. The catch is that the answer depends entirely on which week you're asking from.

After your baby has regained their birth weight — usually around two weeks — you can generally let them sleep and feed on demand. Until then, you wake them. The exact timing depends on weight gain, feeding method, and what your midwife has advised.

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Why You Need to Wake Them in the Early Weeks

Newborns are born with very small stomachs and lose weight in the first few days after birth — typically 7–10% of their birth weight, according to Sundhedsstyrelsen (SST). This is normal, but it means feeding frequently is essential to help them regain that weight quickly.

The problem is that newborns are also extremely sleepy, especially in the first week. Some will wake and signal hunger reliably. Others will sleep through feeds without complaint, which can look peaceful and feel like a win, but isn't — not yet.

SST recommends breastfed newborns feed at least 8–12 times per 24 hours in the early days (SST, Amning — en håndbog for sundhedspersonale), which means waking them if they haven't fed within a 3-hour window. For breastfed babies especially, frequent feeding also helps establish your milk supply — the demand signals production, so skipping feeds early on can affect how much milk you make.

Your midwife will weigh your baby in the days after birth and track whether they're back to birth weight by around day 10–14. Until your baby is gaining weight consistently, keep waking them.

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When You Can Stop Waking Them

Once your baby has regained their birth weight and your midwife or health visitor is happy with their growth, you can start following their lead. A healthy baby who is gaining weight well and has regular wet and dirty nappies can be allowed to sleep longer stretches without being woken to feed.

For most babies this point comes somewhere between two and four weeks. Some reach it earlier; some take a little longer. Your health visitor is the right person to confirm when your specific baby is ready — don't rely on a general timeline if you have any concerns about weight gain.

After that point, the middle-of-the-night question becomes: if the baby is sleeping, do I wake them? Generally, no. A baby who is healthy and growing well can be allowed to sleep as long as they naturally will overnight. If they wake hungry, they'll tell you.

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How to Tell If Your Newborn Is Getting Enough

Since you can't measure how much a breastfed baby has taken, the signs to watch are:

  • Wet nappies: 6–8 heavy wet nappies per day from around day 5 onwards (SST, Amning — en håndbog for sundhedspersonale)
  • Dirty nappies: Frequent dirty nappies in the early weeks; frequency decreases after 4–6 weeks (SST, Amning — en håndbog for sundhedspersonale)
  • Weight gain: Steady gain once birth weight is regained — roughly 250g per week in the first two months (SST, Ernæring til spædbørn og småbørn)
  • Feeding behaviour: Swallowing sounds during feeds, seeming satisfied after feeding (SST, Amning — en håndbog for sundhedspersonale)
  • Alertness: Wakeful and responsive between sleeps (SST, Amning — en håndbog for sundhedspersonale)

If your baby is consistently hard to wake for feeds, feeding for very short stretches, or not producing enough wet nappies, contact your midwife or health visitor. A persistently sleepy, difficult-to-rouse newborn who is not responding to feeding cues can be a sign of jaundice — which requires prompt assessment (SST, Gulsot hos spædbørn).

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How to Wake a Newborn Who Really Doesn't Want to Wake Up

Some newborns are determined sleepers. If your baby needs to be woken and isn't cooperating:

  • Change their nappy first — this almost always works
  • Undress them — skin-to-skin contact and a cooler temperature usually rouses them
  • Stroke the soles of their feet
  • Sit them upright — gently supporting the head and moving them to a sitting position often prompts them to open their eyes
  • Try skin-to-skin — placing a drowsy baby against your chest can trigger feeding instincts even without full waking

You're aiming for a drowsy-but-alert state, not a fully awake, screaming baby. They'll often latch and feed without ever properly waking up, which is fine.

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Night Feeds: A Different Question

Once you're past the early weight-gain phase, the question shifts from "should I wake them" to "how long can I let them go between night feeds."

There's no universal answer. A healthy, growing baby can technically go longer stretches than most parenting advice suggests — but this varies hugely by baby, feeding method, and age. Formula-fed babies tend to go slightly longer between feeds because formula digests more slowly. Breastfed babies often feed more frequently.

What most parents find is that this resolves itself: the baby starts naturally extending their stretches as they grow and their stomach capacity increases. You don't need to engineer it. It happens.

The middle-of-the-night version of this question — "they've been asleep for five hours, do I wake them?" — is one I remember asking at 2am, staring at a monitor, waiting for the answer to feel obvious. It doesn't. But if the baby is gaining weight well and your health visitor is happy, you can let them sleep.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I feed my newborn?
In the first weeks, every 2–3 hours from the start of one feed to the start of the next — so 8–12 feeds per 24 hours. This includes waking them if needed. After birth weight is regained and your health visitor confirms steady growth, you can follow your baby's hunger cues rather than the clock.

What if my baby falls asleep during a feed?
Very common, especially in the newborn stage. Try the techniques above — nappy change, undressing, stroking the feet — to rouse them enough to finish the feed. A feed that's cut short repeatedly can affect weight gain and milk supply.

Is it okay to let a newborn sleep through the night?
In the first few weeks, no — you should wake them to feed. After birth weight is regained and growth is confirmed as steady, a baby who sleeps a longer stretch at night can generally be left to sleep. Always confirm with your midwife or health visitor for your specific baby.

My newborn is very hard to wake. Should I be worried?
Occasional hard-to-rouse moments are common, especially on day 2–3 when the initial alertness wears off. But if your baby is consistently very sleepy, difficult to keep awake during feeds, or has fewer wet nappies than expected, contact your midwife. Persistent sleepiness in a newborn is worth checking.

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Sources

  • Sundhedsstyrelsen. Amning — en håndbog for sundhedspersonale. 2023. https://www.sst.dk/udgivelser/2023/amning-en-haandbog-for-sundhedspersonale
  • Sundhedsstyrelsen. Ernæring til spædbørn og småbørn — en håndbog for sundhedspersonale. 2019. https://www.sst.dk/da/udgivelser/2022/Ernaering-til-spaedboern-og-smaaboern-en-haandbog-for-sundhedspersonale
  • Sundhedsstyrelsen. Gulsot hos spædbørn. https://www.sst.dk/da/Fagperson/Graviditet-og-smaaboern/Barnets-sundhed/Forebyggende-sundhedsydelser/Observation-og-behandling-af-spaedboern/Gulsot-hos-spaedboern