Precious Newborns – The First 6 Weeks

Cuddling, feeding, sleeping and crying – that’s what newborn behavior is all about.  It’s important to respond quickly and lovingly to your exquisite little package.

A newborns first week is spent adapting to the outside world. You can help by providing warmth, love, security and cuddles.  Your newborn baby is working out what the world is like. The way you respond to your baby’s behaviour, especially crying, tells your baby a lot about the world.

For example, your baby might find out that when they cry someone comes to give them what they need. This might be a nappy change, a feed or a cuddle. If this happens, baby will learn that the world is a pretty OK place.

When you respond quickly to comfort your crying newborn, your baby might cry less often overall. It’s absolutely fine to pick up your newborn baby when they cry. It helps your baby feel safe and know that you’re nearby.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ‘SPOIL’ A NEWBORN

Newborns need a LOT of sleep and they need to sleep often. It’s sometimes hard to believe how often we should be putting young babies down for naps.

Some things you should know about Newborns:

• Newborns spend around 50% of their sleep time in ‘active sleep’, a light sleep phase.  As you can imagine, your baby’s sleep is most vulnerable when they are in this light sleep phase. Any number of things can cause them to awaken, including hunger, changes in temperature, an unfamiliar sound, or their own startle or moro reflex.  
• Babies spend around 25 minutes in this light sleep phase before moving into a deeper, or quiet, sleep. During this phase breathing is steady and rhythmical and there is little movement. External noises tend to not wake bub up during this phase.
• These 2 phases will last approximately 45 – 50 minutes, a typical sleep cycle. Newborns wake frequently as they are, as yet, unable to link their sleep cycles.
• For the first 3 weeks baby’s still have lots of maternal melatonin and are able to sleep almost anywhere! 
• Newborns need 16 – 18 hours sleep a day.
• Their awake window will be around 45 – 75 minutes.   This is from the time they wake up to the time they are fast asleep again.
• During the first two weeks of life, your baby will not have a distinct wake time apart from feeding time. Your baby’s feeding time IS their wake time, because that’s all a newborn can handle before sleep overtakes their little body

At this precious age we are just trying to develop healthy sleep environment and habits.  The room temperature should be between 20 – 22 degrees and the sleeping space peaceful and calm. White noise machines create a comfortable, womb-like environment that calm anxious infants, encouraging them to stop crying and fall asleep faster.

Swaddling your newborn is highly recommended. It envelopes the baby’s body, making them feel secure and safe, imitating the ‘snuggles’ of the womb. Swaddling helps prevent the jerky arms of a newborn from accidentally hitting/startling themselves, hence waking themselves up.  It calms baby and boosts sleep giving a similar feeling to being in a sling or cuddled skin to skin but has the advantage of being caressing and self-soothing.

Newborns are so precious but can cause chaos at the same time. If you are struggling with your Newborn and want tips and strategies to help calm them and develop good sleep habits book in for a free 15 minute consult  and you will  be on your way to better sleep!

Remember to give them lots of LOVE, they are so very special.

Chris X