I teach the nurses at my hospital that babies should be "offered the breast
every 1 1/2 hours", that means that the baby is unwrapped (if sleepy) and
placed on moms chest/ offered the breast until he feeds.  If more than 3-4
hours passes since last feed and baby (laying on moms chest) still is
sleepy then we check a blood sugar( not that I think it's that imperative,
but I'd rather that than formula), if the blood sugar is fine the baby gets
to wait on moms chest another hour or two.  However, it's been my
experience that babies usually will awaken if on moms chest, on moms chest
mom is a little more aware of her babies cues early on, and if all else
fails that heel poke for the blood sugar will wake them up.  I use the
analogy for them that on a cold winter morning when I am all cuddled up
under my down comforter, when my husband wakes me up to eat breakfast I
tell him I'm not hungry, however if he starts frying bacon, cooking sweet
rolls the aroma gets me out of bed all on my own.  The babies who have
trouble feeding often enough, IMO are the ones rolled up like a burrito and
left in the crib to sleep, I say "bring them into the kitchen, and let them
smell whats cookin'"  Barb in Shell Lake, WI

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