Your baby’s sleeping and feeding patterns
During their first few weeks, your baby will spend the vast majority of time either sleeping or feeding. In the early days it’s sensible to let them dictate when they feed and sleep. But once you find your feet, you may find that setting some kind of routine makes life easier.
Breastfeeding needs in the first month
- Day 1. You’ll be encouraged to feed your baby very soon after birth. Depending on your baby and the birth experience, they may feed very enthusiastically or with difficulty. Breastfeeding takes time to master, so be patient and ask for lots of help from your midwife
- Day 2. It’s important to feed your baby whenever they want. As a rule of thumb, you should feed them around 8-12 times in a 24-hour period
- Days 3-4. Around this time, you stop producing colostrum (a watery, golden-yellow substance) and begin producing milk. You may notice your baby is more satisfied by each feed and there’s a difference in the consistency and colour of their poo
- Days 5-28. Hopefully, you and your baby will be getting more confident at breastfeeding by now. Keep feeding on demand. Expect to still feed 8-12 times in a 24-hour period
If you’re concerned about your baby’s feeding pattern, some mums find it helpful to write down how long they feed for and when. Often you’ll see a pattern you didn’t realise was there.
Sleeping Needs
Although your newborn needs a lot of sleep, they probably won’t sleep for long periods
- It’s common for them to want to feed every 2-3 hours
- Try to sleep whenever your baby does, even if it’s only a quick nap
Knowing when your baby is tired
If you can read the signs of tiredness, you can help your baby get off to sleep before they become overtired. Signs of tiredness include:
- Rubbing eyes
- Pulling an ear
Creating a night-time routine
You could try giving your baby a bath in the evenings, so they begin to recognise the end of daytime and the start of night-time. This should help get them into a routine later.
Other things you can do to help them recognise night-time:
- Rubbing eyes
- Pulling an ear
- Your baby has faint dark circles under the eyes
- Dim the lights
- Talk quietly and as little as possible
- Play a lullaby
- Once you’ve fed and changed your baby put them down to sleep straight away