What Should You Do If Your Newborn Is Awake At Night
So what can sleep-deprived parents do, aside from waiting it out? McGinn suggests that you send your child environmental and social cues throughout the day and night. Keep your infant exposed to sunlight and everyday noises during the day, even while she sleeps at night, turn the lights low and keep your interactions quiet, she says. Nighttime feeds and soothing should be brief and boring.
You could also try keeping a log of your babys sleep habits. At the newborn stage, babies should be sleeping between 16 and 18 hours per 24-hour period, though they wake often. A log may help you discern some newborn sleep patterns you didnt recognize before, so you can get some rest.
What not to do? Keep your baby awake all day, thinking it will make her sleep better at night. It sounds good in theory, but this tactic backfires on babies, who get cranky and harder to soothe, and actually sleep less at night, than babies who nap regularly. McGinn recommends you pay close attention to sleep cues, including drowsy eyes, yawning and fussiness theyre how your baby communicates that shes ready to go back to sleep, even if she hasnt been awake for very long. By acting on early signs of sleepinessbefore she gets overtired and overstimulatedyoull help your baby fall asleep more easily and sleep more soundly.
Are There Any Signs Of Sleepiness In A Newborn That New Parents Often Miss Or Misinterpret
A very common mistake is to misread a babys signals and respond in just about the opposite way that your baby means for you to. A typical sign of tiredness is looking away and losing interest in people or toys. Many people interpret these tired actions to mean Im bored, or I need you to sing louder, or shake the rattle more, or bounce me more, or try harder to get me to smile, when what the baby is desperately trying to say is, I am tired and I need to sleep please help me to fall asleep! If you learn to speak your babys language you will enjoy the prize of clear communication and easier sleep.
General Baby Sleep Guidelines
So, how much sleep does your baby need? Here are some general guidelines for how many hours the average baby sleeps at night and naps during the day.
The total time may fluctuate as much as 2 hours, and the number of naps may be flexible as well. Since newborns do not yet have an internal biological clock or circadian rhythm, their sleep patterns are not related to the daylight and nighttime cycles. In fact, they tend not to have much of a pattern at all.
While there’s no need to rigidly follow a schedule, it can give you an idea of what to expect of your baby’s sleep habits.
- Newborns: 8 1/2 hours of sleep at night 3 naps totaling 7 hours 15-1/2 hours sleep total
- 3 months: 10 hours of sleep at night 3 naps totaling 5 hours 15 hours sleep total
- 6 months: 11 hours of sleep at night 2 naps totaling 3 1/4 hours 14-1/4 hours sleep total
- 9 months: 11 hours of sleep at night 2 naps totaling 3 hours 14 hours sleep total
- 12 months: 11-1/4 hours of sleep at night 2 naps totaling 2 1/2 hours 13-3/4 hours sleep total
Read Also: How Long To Breastfeed Newborn
Blood Sugar Could Be Fluctuating
If you develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, this could affect your baby in a few ways if not adequately controlled. Unfortunately, doctors still don’t understand why some women get gestational diabetes, but obesity can play a role. Your doctor should counsel you on simple methods to combat this, like diet and exercise. However, if it goes ignored, it can lead to babies being over nine pounds, increased injuries during birth, or needing a c-section.
Sometimes babies who are born to women with gestational diabetes will develop low blood sugar shortly after birth. Hypoglycemia is often resolved within a few months but in some cases can persist longer.
Children born with hypoglycemia can struggle with respiratory distress syndrome, which makes breathing difficult. Hypoglycemia can also cause seizures, obesity, and type 2 diabetes later in life.
Is It Normal For Babies To Take Naps
It is very common for babies to nap and obtain a meaningful portion of their total sleep during the day. Newborns often nap for at least 3-4 hours during the day, and though total nap time decreases as they get older, its typically for infants to continue to nap for 2-3 hours or more each day.
This napping is not just normal but also beneficial. Research has found that frequent naps allow infants to consolidate specific memories. In addition, naps enable a more generalized memory that is important for learning and brain development.
You May Like: How To Take Care Of A Newborn Belly Button
How Will Your New Baby Sleep
Your baby should always be placed on his back to sleep. Avoid using sleep wedges to prop your baby on his side and avoid placing her on her stomach. As your baby gets older, he may roll herself onto his stomach. Once your baby is strong enough to roll herself over, it is ok to leave her sleeping in that position once if she gets there on her own. Back sleeping is strongly recommended by the American Association of Pediatrics to help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome .
Reasons Why Babies Sleep So Much And When To Worry
Eat, sleep, look cute, repeat! This is all a baby seems to do during the first crucial months. A newborn needs to sleep and feed adequately to thrive and attain their milestones on time.
However, newborns do not sleep and wake up in the same pattern, as it takes time for them to get adjusted to life outside the womb. An irregular sleep schedule might make new parents wonder if their baby is sleeping too much, and, in some cases, it could be a cause for concern.
In this post, we tell you how to know if your baby is sleeping too much, the possible reasons behind it, and when it is a cause for concern.
Also Check: How To Treat Colic In A Newborn
Baby Moves A Lot In Sleep How To Fix The Problem
Baby moves a lot in sleep and even cries while his or her brain is still sleeping. Your kids usually kick legs and arms out while making the loudest noises at the same time. Though this does not happen all the time, but only at times. So what to do to relieve them?
Dont worry when they seem to be in pain while sleeping, theres always a reason and heres what you, as a parent, should know.
References: What Scientific Studies Say About Newborn Sleep
Anders TF. 1979. Night-waking in infants during the first year of life. Pediatrics 63: 860-864.
Bennett C, Underdown A, and Barlow J. 2013. Massage for promoting mental and physical health in typically developing infants under the age of six months. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Apr 30 4:CD005038. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005038.pub3.
Cheruku SR, Montgomery-Downs HE, Farkas SL, Thoman EB, and Lammi-Keefe CJ. 2002. Higher maternal plasma docosahexaenoic acid during pregnancy is associated with more mature neonatal sleep-state patterning. Am J Clin Nutr 76:608-13.
Cubero J, Valero V, Sánchez J, Rivero M, Parvez H, Rodríguez AB, Barriga C. 2005. The circadian rhythm of tryptophan in breast milk affects the rhythms of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and sleep in newborn. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 26:657-61.
Cubero J, Narciso D, Terrón P, Rial R, Esteban S, Rivero M, Parvez H, Rodríguez AB, Barriga C. 2007. Chrononutrition applied to formula milks to consolidate infants sleep/wake cycle. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 28:360-6.
Custodio RJ, Junior CE, Milani SL, Simões AL, de Castro M, Moreira AC. 2007. The emergence of the cortisol circadian rhythm in monozygotic and dizygotic twin infants: the twin-pair synchrony. Clin Endocrinol . 66:192-7.
Dement W and Vaughan C. 1999. The promise of sleep. New York: Random House.
Doan T, Gardiner A, Gay CL, Lee KA. 2007 Breast-feeding increases sleep duration of new parents. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. 21:200-6.
Image credits for Newborn sleep patterns
Also Check: What Should I Bring To The Hospital For My Newborn
Possible Reasons Your Baby Is Sleeping More Than Usual
If your baby starts to sleep more than usual, it could be due to the following reasons.
They Don’t Know Day From Night
When infants are born, their circadian rhythm lacks development because for nine months your child was bundled up inside of a dark womb. Night and day mean nothing to them because in the womb, it didn’t matter. When they emerge they have no concept of this and, as a result, will take a bit of time to adjust.
To help develop this cognitive function, it may help to employ a few tricks to encourage sleep. Things like darkness and soft noise can help children to sleep and spur the adjustment of their internal clocks.
It can help to keep their bedroom very dark so when they’re inside it’s easier to sleep. Investing in blackout curtains may sound like a pain, but they come at a variety of prices and can be installed by even the clumsiest of humans.
Additionally, white noise machines for babies are known to help as well. You’d be surprised how loud the inside of a womb is, and it can remind them of this cozy time inside.
Recommended Reading: How Many Oz Milk For Newborn Baby
When Should I See A Doctor About Sleeping Too Much
Having a baby that seems overly sleepy on occasion is no need for concern. Whether its a growth spurt, exciting day, they are just fighting a cold, or absolutely no reason at all, a baby sleeps longer than usual all the time.
When a baby is consistently showing signs of sleepiness, then you should check in with your pediatrician. If your baby is sleeping through feedings, they may lack needed nutrients and potentially could not be gaining appropriate weight.
You will also want to contact your doctor or pediatrician when the sleepiness is accompanied by sluggishness, crying, and irritability when he or she is woken from sleep, if your child seems dehydrated or isn’t responsive after you wake them.
A doctor visit isn’t needed most of the time, but if your newborn exhibits any of the signs above along with general sleepiness, it’s always best to check in with your pediatrician.
How Do You Know If Baby Has Reflux
Symptoms of reflux in babies include: bringing up milk or being sick during or shortly after feeding. coughing or hiccupping when feeding. being unsettled during feeding. swallowing or gulping after burping or feeding. crying and not settling. not gaining weight as theyre not keeping enough food down.
Recommended Reading: When Do You First Bathe A Newborn
How To Tell If A Baby Sleeps More Hours Than Usual
In the early days, little ones should be nursing or drinking formula 8 to 12 times in a 24-hour period. This means they should be feeding approximately every two hours during the day and every three to four hours at night. No wonder new parents are so bleary-eyed!
Once the first couple of weeks have passed and nursing/bottle feeding is well established, the occasional long stretch of four to five hours may be fine. The best way to tell is to pay attention to your babys diapers and weight gain. Newborns should have around three to four dirty diapers and six or more wet diapers a day and be gaining weight consistently.
A great way to tell if your infant is sleeping more than usual is to use a tracking tool. There are plenty of free apps that allow you to log feedings, diapers, and sleep, but you can also do it the old-fashioned way with a notepad and pen.
Dr Qaisrani Tips For Grunting And Stretching Of The Newborn Baby
When you notice a baby stretching and grunting, check for the following:
Is the baby hungry? If you have not given feed to your baby, immediately feed him and you will notice that he has stopped stretching.
You just fed your baby? Now, if the baby starts stretching after the feed, this can be due to the digestive problems and the trapped gas in his stomach. This is normal. You can use Colic Calm Drops to help the baby.
Check the face of the baby? If the baby feels satisfied while he is grunting and stretching, do not worry. If you notice that he is uncomfortable then you should be concerned.
Is your baby crying while he is stretching? If your baby is constantly crying while he grunts and stretches, you should be concerned. This is the sign that you should consult a doctor.
Did you recently change the formula milk? If you have just changed the formula milk or shifted the baby from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding, this can be the cause.
Is there fever along with stretching? Whenever you notice that your baby stretches, check for fever. Most of the time, you will notice that there is no fever but if you notice fever, consult your doctor.
Recommended Reading: What’s Needed For Newborn Baby
Baby Has Skipped A Nap
Skipping a nap is a big indicator your newborn will express more difficult behavior later in the day. Not only are tired babies more cranky but they’re more challenging to settle when it comes time to put them down for another nap or bedtime as well.
If you’re out and about and they do miss a nap or take a short one in the car, just keep in mind that they may be cranky later in the day and have a harder time settling down. If you can’t get home, extend that car nap by running through the drive thru or taking the long way home to avoid a meltdown later in the evening.