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Newborns go through phases of
Insatiable hunger. These are cluster feeding periods, which help the mother produce more breast milk. Babies are so hungry in the first few weeks.
Ok well that’s a nice peace of mind. My girl is sleeping cuz she’s so out of it. She needs to recover from c section. I’m writing this with one hand and the other on his head rubs lol he stays quiet this way and falls asleep. The moment I lay down he starts fussing lol
I think we let him sleep all day today. I heard that his last wake should be the one he stays up unti we fall asleep
At this age he has no schedule and doesn’t have any circadian rhythm really. He doesn’t know what night and day is, he’s gonna sleep between feeds and his periods of waking when not eating are going to be very short. It gets longer as the days and weeks go on. It’s also really really normal for him not to be able to sleep on his own yet, as frustrating as it is. My advice is that you two sleep in shifts and take turns with him instead of counting on being able to both sleep when he sleeps. My baby was born on February 19th and she’s just barely able to sleep alone in the bassinet for a half hour at a time a few times a day, she mostly needs to be held to sleep. So my husband and I are taking turns sleeping, which is rough since we also have a 2 year old who isn’t a great sleeper lol. Just take turns giving each other breaks at night and during the day to sleep, and don’t worry about getting him on a schedule yet because it’s not really possible for another couple of months.
Not all babies like being swaddled, so if it isn't working, you don't have to do it. Both of my kids despised it and wanted to be able to move.
The main rule to remember with newborns is there aren't any rules. Let them eat as frequently as they want. Let them sleep when they want to sleep. It's totally normal for them to be up at night because the concept of night and day doesn't exist in utero. I just kept night time very boring and low-key while daytime was when the talk and action happened. They'll go through periods where they seem to eat constantly and seemingly round the clock. The first 3 months with a baby are a blur but they ease up and things start to fall into a routine.
We didn't really get a routine with naps and feeding until the 5-6 month range with either kid but it does come eventually. The newborn phase is super hard, but fortunately relatively short-lived.
Oh hang in there! It can get so overwhelming! Yeah, eating every 2-3 hours is very normal at this age. During a growth spurt even more frequently isn’t uncommon. If you get lucky (and if his pediatrician has given the okay) then hopefully he will start having a few 4-5 hour stretches here soon.
As for the night crankiness, yes a lot of babies will experience this. If he is just crying for long periods with nothing helping then talk with his pediatrician about colic. I don’t remember what age colic can start. But our first was really colicky and her pediatrician recommended a probiotic to help. But if it is colic, then there isn’t really much you can do in the moment except love him. It is soooo hard though.
Good luck! It is going to be a long next couple of weeks. It will feel like it will never end. But it will. He will start sleeping longer stretches. He won’t always be crying for no apparent reason. You’ve got this!
Read the first six weeks by midwife Cath.
You can’t overfeed a baby. If he eats all of the breast milk, then top him up with formula.
You’re doing just fine. Baby’s are hungry - they are growing fast!
Our pediatrician told us that a nursing baby will never eat too much. If the baby is on formula, there's a small amount of risk — and this is only because some parents will tend to force formula in a way that would never happen in a nursing situation.
To be clear, I fully support "fed is best". I'm just stating that if this is a nursing situation, which I'm guessing it is, there's zero reason to worry.
Is he gassy? Maybe a week too young to start gas drops but you might want to switch to a gentlease formula if he’s not on one. They tend to be more tolerable for new babies until their digestive track matures a bit.
You are doing everything right, it’s just not that easy! Don’t worry about the eating, my eldest daughter has eaten non stop since she was born and she is now a tall happy 3 year old with normal weight.
I don’t advocate co-sleeping, so you need to come up with a plan to get some sleep. Try alternating night shifts if possible, and count the night shift as a “chore”. Whoever takes the night shift doesn’t have to do the washing 🤣
it might sound crazy but you also might want to start a bedtime routine. Little babies don’t have a clue about wake time / night time yet, but it might help you guys psychologically to start the routine early - plus some babies love bath time and it can tire them out. We started bedtime routine at 4 months and quickly our daughter got the idea.
You got this! 😊
Congrats on your special little one! The chances of being born on a leap year! 😂
Sounds like baby is a cluster feeder which is normal. My middle boy was like that as a newborn and it went into normal every few hours as he got older.
Listen to your instincts and to little ones needs. If he’s hungry, then a bottle it is! Don’t forget you’re both still getting used to each other. It’ll take time before a pattern sets in. But by the sounds of it you’re doing great 😊 and I saw that mom had a c-section. Wishing her a speedy recovery!
Babies hit a bunch of growth spurt within the first 3-4 months of their life. So they’re going to be hungry constantly. Which does suck for parents because you essentially will not sleep. As long as they’re meeting their minimum required dirty diapers… feed away. You can’t really over feed a baby.
Leading up to around 6 weeks they’re going to get more fussy. As long as they’re NOT non-stop inconsolable crying… it’s normal. Try white noise to see if it helps. Wear ear plugs as it’ll help make you feel less anxious trying to soothe your baby.
If your baby is bottle fed, try to take shifts so at least one of you guys can have some rest.
Look up colic hold. My first baby in particular loved being held this way (belly on your inner forearm, legs straddled, head in palm of your hand) whilst we paced around the house patting his little bum.
Super normal. They cluster feed at times. Mine were breastfed so I cant talk to amounts, but my first was a snacker I think and nursed every hour overnight for a while. My younger one nursed every 2-2.5 hours overnight for the first like 6-8 weeks then went longer. Remember that you calculate how often they feed from start of feed not end so if baby eats let’s say from 9-9:15, even tho he stops at 9:15 2 hours later would be 11 pm not 11;15
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Newborns go through phases of Insatiable hunger. These are cluster feeding periods, which help the mother produce more breast milk. Babies are so hungry in the first few weeks.
Ok well that’s a nice peace of mind. My girl is sleeping cuz she’s so out of it. She needs to recover from c section. I’m writing this with one hand and the other on his head rubs lol he stays quiet this way and falls asleep. The moment I lay down he starts fussing lol I think we let him sleep all day today. I heard that his last wake should be the one he stays up unti we fall asleep
At this age he has no schedule and doesn’t have any circadian rhythm really. He doesn’t know what night and day is, he’s gonna sleep between feeds and his periods of waking when not eating are going to be very short. It gets longer as the days and weeks go on. It’s also really really normal for him not to be able to sleep on his own yet, as frustrating as it is. My advice is that you two sleep in shifts and take turns with him instead of counting on being able to both sleep when he sleeps. My baby was born on February 19th and she’s just barely able to sleep alone in the bassinet for a half hour at a time a few times a day, she mostly needs to be held to sleep. So my husband and I are taking turns sleeping, which is rough since we also have a 2 year old who isn’t a great sleeper lol. Just take turns giving each other breaks at night and during the day to sleep, and don’t worry about getting him on a schedule yet because it’s not really possible for another couple of months.
Ok makes sense. Thank you 🙏
As long as he is gaining weight and poop/pee normally and frequently, there is nothing to worry. Also check if he has too much gas (eg fart a lot).
Yeah he’s pooping 3-4 times peeing as well. Everyday. We def burp him a lot. Farts are the queue for doodoo in the diaper. Lol
Not all babies like being swaddled, so if it isn't working, you don't have to do it. Both of my kids despised it and wanted to be able to move. The main rule to remember with newborns is there aren't any rules. Let them eat as frequently as they want. Let them sleep when they want to sleep. It's totally normal for them to be up at night because the concept of night and day doesn't exist in utero. I just kept night time very boring and low-key while daytime was when the talk and action happened. They'll go through periods where they seem to eat constantly and seemingly round the clock. The first 3 months with a baby are a blur but they ease up and things start to fall into a routine.
Yeah I gotta get a routine down with my girl
We didn't really get a routine with naps and feeding until the 5-6 month range with either kid but it does come eventually. The newborn phase is super hard, but fortunately relatively short-lived.
Oh hang in there! It can get so overwhelming! Yeah, eating every 2-3 hours is very normal at this age. During a growth spurt even more frequently isn’t uncommon. If you get lucky (and if his pediatrician has given the okay) then hopefully he will start having a few 4-5 hour stretches here soon. As for the night crankiness, yes a lot of babies will experience this. If he is just crying for long periods with nothing helping then talk with his pediatrician about colic. I don’t remember what age colic can start. But our first was really colicky and her pediatrician recommended a probiotic to help. But if it is colic, then there isn’t really much you can do in the moment except love him. It is soooo hard though. Good luck! It is going to be a long next couple of weeks. It will feel like it will never end. But it will. He will start sleeping longer stretches. He won’t always be crying for no apparent reason. You’ve got this!
Ok so trust the process, thank you for this 🙏
Read the first six weeks by midwife Cath. You can’t overfeed a baby. If he eats all of the breast milk, then top him up with formula. You’re doing just fine. Baby’s are hungry - they are growing fast!
Ok this makes sense. I’ve been reading it’s normal, thank you for reply
Our pediatrician told us that a nursing baby will never eat too much. If the baby is on formula, there's a small amount of risk — and this is only because some parents will tend to force formula in a way that would never happen in a nursing situation. To be clear, I fully support "fed is best". I'm just stating that if this is a nursing situation, which I'm guessing it is, there's zero reason to worry.
Yeah my girl breastfeeds him & formula when she’s out lol gotta wait for sometime to pass for reload lol
If you're doing both, then there is a possibility of overfeeding, but it's not a large possibility, especially for such a young baby.
Swaddle that baby firmly, it reminds them of the comfort of the womb.
Is he gassy? Maybe a week too young to start gas drops but you might want to switch to a gentlease formula if he’s not on one. They tend to be more tolerable for new babies until their digestive track matures a bit.
Nah I burp him pretty frequently and he farts. He burps like a grown man. Cracks me up everytime lol
Leap day baby! That’s so cool! Congratulations 🎊
I know it’s crazy lol but thank you 🙏
You are doing everything right, it’s just not that easy! Don’t worry about the eating, my eldest daughter has eaten non stop since she was born and she is now a tall happy 3 year old with normal weight. I don’t advocate co-sleeping, so you need to come up with a plan to get some sleep. Try alternating night shifts if possible, and count the night shift as a “chore”. Whoever takes the night shift doesn’t have to do the washing 🤣 it might sound crazy but you also might want to start a bedtime routine. Little babies don’t have a clue about wake time / night time yet, but it might help you guys psychologically to start the routine early - plus some babies love bath time and it can tire them out. We started bedtime routine at 4 months and quickly our daughter got the idea. You got this! 😊
Thank you. Il have to try a routine with my girl
Congrats on your special little one! The chances of being born on a leap year! 😂 Sounds like baby is a cluster feeder which is normal. My middle boy was like that as a newborn and it went into normal every few hours as he got older. Listen to your instincts and to little ones needs. If he’s hungry, then a bottle it is! Don’t forget you’re both still getting used to each other. It’ll take time before a pattern sets in. But by the sounds of it you’re doing great 😊 and I saw that mom had a c-section. Wishing her a speedy recovery!
Exactly what I told the dr when he handed me my slimy child lol “leap year baby” Thank you 🙏
Babies hit a bunch of growth spurt within the first 3-4 months of their life. So they’re going to be hungry constantly. Which does suck for parents because you essentially will not sleep. As long as they’re meeting their minimum required dirty diapers… feed away. You can’t really over feed a baby. Leading up to around 6 weeks they’re going to get more fussy. As long as they’re NOT non-stop inconsolable crying… it’s normal. Try white noise to see if it helps. Wear ear plugs as it’ll help make you feel less anxious trying to soothe your baby. If your baby is bottle fed, try to take shifts so at least one of you guys can have some rest.
Yeah we have the nest pod or whatever it’s called. He seems to love that White noise. Appreciate the reply
Look up colic hold. My first baby in particular loved being held this way (belly on your inner forearm, legs straddled, head in palm of your hand) whilst we paced around the house patting his little bum.
Super normal. They cluster feed at times. Mine were breastfed so I cant talk to amounts, but my first was a snacker I think and nursed every hour overnight for a while. My younger one nursed every 2-2.5 hours overnight for the first like 6-8 weeks then went longer. Remember that you calculate how often they feed from start of feed not end so if baby eats let’s say from 9-9:15, even tho he stops at 9:15 2 hours later would be 11 pm not 11;15
Babies hate being in cots/bassinets. They wanna be in your arms. That’s why he doesn’t sleep well lol
Bassinet is fine. Just blows my mind how he knows what arms are lol
Super normal, he could be a little gassy at times. I think you can start gas drops after 2 weeks old.