Is my baby waking from hunger or just used to nursing to sleep?

When a baby cries at night and immediately wants the breast, it could be both hunger and habit. The most practical way to tell is to observe the waking moment and nursing style. If your baby wakes crying, starts nursing eagerly and quickly, nurses vigorously, and releases happily after feeding, this usually indicates real hunger. But if he wakes, immediately wants the breast, then starts nursing but slows down shortly after, his eyes close, and he's just holding it without really nursing and falls asleep, this suggests more of a nursing-to-sleep habit. To test this, one night when your baby wakes, try soothing him for a few minutes by stroking his back, making "shh" sounds, or gently rocking before offering the breast. If he can fall back asleep this way, then he was waking from habit, not hunger. With real hunger, these methods won't work — he'll want the breast. Both situations are normal at this age; what matters is that weight gain and overall development are good; there's no need to get caught up in night feeding frequency.