Hi,

I agree that some can and some can't - but the information about whether this baby is one that can or can't go 4 hours is not tattoed on the baby's forehead, and I would worry that you would put the mother's milk supply and the baby's ongoing breastfeeding relationship at risk by letting them go too long. It's physiologically normal for a newborn to feed at least 8-12 times in 24 hours, and this is what the mother's body expects to keep her supply going. Also, when babies are in special care nursery they are often separated from their mother, and may show subtle signs that they want to feed - but in the plethora of business which is a special care nursery their cues might be missed.
In my experience it is important to express as often as possible in the early days. Unfortunately many Drs and nurses in special care don't think about breastfeeding long term when they give advice. They don't see normal fullterm babies very often and it skews their way of thinking