When do you wake a sleeping baby?

[MyLittleWarrior]

DD is 8 days old, and a terrific sleeper, and a terrific nurser. I have a little bit of oversupply (nothing like the problems I had with DS2 though) and when she nurses I offer the same breast for about an hour, and she'll nurse, then burp, then nurse, then burp off and on for that hour, then she'll be awake and looking around for 10-15 minutes, and she'll drift off to sleep. But then she want's to sleep for 3 or more hours before waking for a feeding. I've actually been waking her at about the 3 hr mark to eat because my breasts are full (it's now been 7 hrs since I nursed the other side) and I worry about her sleeping so long. I let her go about 4.5 hrs at night before I wake her to eat. She is having plenty of wet/dirty diapers. I change her before every feeding, and sometimes after if I hear her fill a diaper while nursing, and they're always soaked. So when do you wake up a sleeping baby to feed them (1 week old), or do you just let them sleep if they seem to be getting enough?

[shoefairy3]

i am a big into letting a sleeping baby lie, unless of course there is a nutritional or medical reason they need to be woken to eat. My babies tended to be very very sleepy the first few days (all of them actually) I did the feeding from one side only per feeding session too and eventually it all evens out

[PatioGardener]

I'd wake a healthy newborn with good poops and pees every 3 hours or so to nurse until they are back at birth weight. Once back at birth weight I'd definitely go 5 hours at night! More than that and I'd worry about mastitis/engorgement/supply issues.

[funkymamajoy]

I stop waking them up when they reach their birth weights (not that mine ever that much anyway).

[shoefairy3]

oh I didnt think about the birth weight thing since my kids rarely lost weight. Good points

[Mrsboyko]

Unless there are jaundice issues, I wouldn't wake a sleeping baby after your milk has come in. Then again both my babies were at bith weight or above by 4 days old....

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by shoefairy3

my kids rarely lost weight.

Originally Posted by Mrsboyko

Then again both my babies were at birth weight or above by 4 days old....

I love to hear this! I wish all Mamas could have this experience! I'm picturing your happy milky-faced newborns

[shoefairy3]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener

I love to hear this! I wish all Mamas could have this experience! I'm picturing your happy milky-faced newborns

it is funny too b/c I make nice round babies that grow into long/tall/skinny twig children

[BaaBaa]

nak

i always woke mine every 2 hours to nurse, maybe not all the way woke but enough to get them sucking

for me it was about establishing and keeping a good supply.

i think over 3 hours is too long for most babes to keep thier blood sugar up
better safe than sorry, low sugar = grumpy