Although you won't have a routine nailed down the first night you bring baby home, the main things you'll focus on during the first night with a newborn are feeding, soothing, sleep, and diaper care. Before each feeding session, be sure to change the baby's diaper.
Newborns spend their first weeks feeding, sleeping and bonding with caregivers. You can bond with your newborn baby by cuddling, talking and smiling. If you're concerned about your newborn baby, speak with your GP, child and family health nurse or paediatrician.
Night two can bring way more crying that the first 24 hours. The theory is that during the second to third day postpartum, your newborn is discovering they are no longer in the comforts of your womb. They are experiencing many new firsts – the feeling of hunger, cold air across their skin, lights and stimulation etc…
Most people find the first six to eight weeks to be the hardest with a new baby. And, although people may not openly discuss many of the challenges in these early weeks of parenthood (if at all), there are a number of common hurdles you may face at this time.
Second Night Syndrome
Generally occurs about 24 hours after birth for almost every baby. Your baby will want to be on the breast constantly but quickly fall asleep. If you put him down, he will probably wake up. If you put him back to breast, he will feed for a short time and fall asleep.
The first night, your newborn will often sleep to recover from their big journey but the second night they might be more awake and alert. After 24 hours, babies have a strong need to be skin-to-skin with their mothers and may want to breastfeed very often.
Babies have the right to be protected from injury and infection, to breathe normally, to be warm and to be fed. All newborns should have access to essential newborn care, which is the critical care for all babies in the first days after birth.
There are no set rules about how long to wait before taking a newborn out into the world or when to let people near the baby. Some doctors recommend that parents wait until their baby is a few months old before going to crowded public places (like malls, movie theaters, and airplanes).
Generally, newborns sleep a total of about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and a total of about 8 hours at night. But because they have a small stomach, they must wake every few hours to eat. Most babies don't start sleeping through the night (6 to 8 hours) until at least 3 months of age.
Usually, this involves getting your partner involved. For instance, they can take some of those night feedings, or bring the baby to you if you are breastfeeding. You also can consider having extended family or a postpartum doula/baby nurse come over regularly so you can catch up on sleep.
Sleepless nights are common in new parenthood, but they do not last forever. Most babies will begin to sleep for longer periods at night from the age of 6 months old. Newborn babies need to feed every few hours until the age of 3 months.
Sleep While the Baby Sleeps
New parents are often severely sleep deprived if the only sleep they're getting is overnight. “Sleeping while the baby sleeps can sometimes be challenging because of other kids in the house or our internal body clocks, but it's a good idea to try and get some rest,” says Pien.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends room-sharing without bed-sharing. While room-sharing is safe, putting your infant to sleep in bed with you is not. Bed-sharing increases the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and other sleep-related deaths.
The “first night effect” (FNE) is a well-known phenomenon in polysomnographic (PSG) recordings characterized by decreased total sleep time, lower sleep efficiencies, reduction in REM sleep, and longer REM latencies on the first night of testing (Agnew, Webb, & Williams,1966).
In essence, the first night at home with your newborn may be more stressful than you hope due to the fact that both you and your little one have a lot of adjustments to make together. It's perfectly normal and expected for newborns to be fussy and cry more when we try to put them down.
“Second night syndrome” is a perfectly normal response to being born, and most babies experience a bit of fussiness on their second night of life. It doesn't mean that anything is wrong or that your baby is starving. It can feel overwhelming, but there ARE some things you can do to help survive the second night! 1.
Hold your baby in your arms until they fall asleep. Use gentle rhythmic patting, rocking, stroking, talking, or softly singing before putting your baby into the cot asleep. These repetitions signal relaxation and sleep. If your baby wakes after a baby sleep cycle you may need to re-settle.
Gently rub their back. If your baby goes to sleep, remember to always lay her down in her crib on her back. Turn on a calming sound. Sounds that remind babies of being inside the womb may be calming, such as a white noise device, the humming sound of a fan, or the recording of a heartbeat.
How often does my newborn need a bath? There's no need to give your newborn baby a bath every day. Three times a week might be enough until your baby becomes more mobile. Bathing your baby too much can dry out your baby's skin.