I have an (almost) two week old baby girl. Her first days home I expected her to sleep almost every minute of the day. Now that she's past the "first few days", I expected her to be alert/awake for at least a few more hours a day. I've talked to my pediatrician about this. Because of my concern, we checked the following which all turned up normal: blood suger levels, oxygen levels, temperature, weight gain.
In a 24 hour period she is awake for about 5 1/2 hours total. She'll wake up to feed (usually) and then fall right back to sleep.
My son, who turns 2 this summer, was not this sound of a sleeper.
Moms, have you had infants that slept this much?
Both of my girls were the same, and my son barely slept when he was a newborn. Maybe it is a girl thing!! Do not worry about it. AS long as she is eating and having wet diapers, I would not worry. Some babies just need more sleep than others. It could be worse, she could be up all day screaming!
My daughter was the same way. However, when she hit 3 weeks she got colic. I would appreciate it while it lasts!
My daughter was like that it seemed like she would never wake up and then at 3mo. she started to go go go. she still sleeps 10-12hr. a night and some days 5 1/2hrs of naps. Enjoy it because once she wakes up she may never stop.
i wouldnt worry about it--- if your ped. has done the tests and everything came back normal, the just consider yourself lucky! i have an almost 4 wk old son and i don't think he is awake even as much as your daughter!
My firstborn (daughter, now almost 8) was even sleepier! I would write down all the brief times she was awake during a 24 hour period, which sometimes was less than 2 hours total, and take it to the pediatrician. The doctor just kept telling me to enjoy my happy, healthy, sleepy baby and not tell any other new parents. She's perfectly fine now! She slept through the night for the first time when she was 4 weeks old (from 7:30 pm to 4:30 am) and slept through the night consistently starting at 6 weeks of age. She was a big baby, being 9 lbs at birth, and weighed more than 10 lbs by 4 weeks, which I think helped. Also, she was breast-fed and thriving. I know it seems odd, but, I've now had the exact opposite, so I can honestly say that the sleepy baby is way better than the baby who cries for 10 hours a day. The only time the sleepiness is a problem is if it interferes w/ her ability to eat. Sometimes I would have to strip my baby to her diaper and have my husband put a cold hand on her back to wake her up enough to eat. But, slowly, she did wake up more often and stay awake slightly longer. By 6 weeks of age there were little spells of wakefulness about half an hour long where we could play and she could smile. Enjoy this chance for you to rest and spend some time with your son! Good luck and congrats!
Enjoy it while it lasts! My daughter was the same way and at 2 months of age she decided she had better things to do than sleep...SHe is 16 months and I still get no sleep!
My only advice is to trust your instincts. If you think something is wrong, definitely have her looked at again- even if that means a second or third opinion. Mommies have great instincts when it comes to our kiddos.
Also, please make sure you are waking her up to eat. Sometimes babies who are hungry will sleep MORE, not wake up and cry like we'd typically think. You probably know that already, but sometimes when we're worried, we get brain fog :)
so I thought I'd mention it!
M.,
Are you waking her up every 3 hours to eat? Was she early at all? My guys are older now (6yrs. and 3 yrs.), but I remember the pediatrician/nurse stressing to me how important it was to wake them up to eat every three hours when they newborns. I know with premies at least, they will not let you know they are hungry, they will just keep sleeping. I am sure if she is gaining weight and all is good with blood sugar and O2 levels then she should be fine. Try to sleep yourself when she is sleeping or at least rest. Good Luck!
Sounds normal to me. Enjoy it!
The majority of babies sleep that much. Be glad; that gives you time to catch up on your rest. You'll need it soon enough. Your son was the exception with the not sleeping. Your little girl is fine.
M.,
My 2nd child was also a sleepy baby for the first 2 months. We would wake her to eat during the day after 4-5 hours of napping. She took a lot longer to feed than my son, often 45 minutes to an hour so I think she was getting more food and not needing to eat as often.
It ended after 2 months although she is still easier to get to sleep for napping. She gradually became more alert. Her Doctor called her a power eater so maybe some babies just have different styles.
My baby was 7 1/2 lbs but I've heard smaller babies often sleep a lot too.
A.
A little about me:
FT working mom with 5 mo old daughter and 3 yr old son.
Very Normal! She's still brand new, give it some time. She's been sleping in your womb for this long doing a lot of growing. New borns eat, sleep and poop, enjoy the snuggel time, she'll grow quick. Best wishes and Congratulations!
Both my kids slept that much. I really wouldn't worry! I agree that as moms we have our instincts about things but we also have a lot of fears and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the two.
Congrats, welcome to the world of PINK and enjoy ;)
Hi M.,
I have experienced both sides of the spectrum. My daughter slept for most of her few first months of life. She is now 2 but when she was born, all she did was sleep. We could take her anywhere and she wouldn't make a sound unless she was hungry. She continues to be an excellent sleeper. She is down for 12 hours at night and 3 hours for a nap during the day. My son on the other hand, who is 3 months old, only slept soundly for the first few weeks. He is not a sound sleeper at all, and ends up being awake for most of the day and has been like that for at least 2 months now. I would suggest that you don't worry about how much your little one is sleeping. As long an she is eating fine, I am not sure that there is a problem.
Hope this helps,
Cari
Don't worry, it's perfectly fine. All 4 of my girls were like this. I actually don't think mine were awake that much at 2 weeks. My 5 month old still today is probably only awake 6 hours a day. She's a chub and gaining fine!
When I had my first baby 6 years ago, and maybe even my second, the nurses told us to wake every 4 hours for feeding. I didn't listen to them, I listened to the old adage of never waking a sleeping baby. Funny thing that when I had my last 2 - 2 years ago and 5 months ago, they changed their tune at the same hospital and now said never wake a sleeping baby and let her go all night without being woke up in the hospital to eat. I think it promotes better sleeping habits to let them wake naturally, all my kids have slept through the night from about 4-6 weeks on, and they all sleep great now. As long as she is gaining weight I wouldn't worry about it.
Congrats!
Sounds normal to me. IT's what most people would like. haha. Anyway if you talked to your pediatrician and he/she says not to worry then don't. Also if the baby is a good weight ie over 7lbs. I don't think you need to worry. It's when they are very small that you need to wake them and make sure they are fed. Take the time your new born is sleeping and spend it with the 20 month old. The sleeping won't last. Enjoy
Hi M.!
First of all congrats on your new daughter! You have your hands full for sure!
As for the sleeping... my daughter is still the same way at almost 3 years old. She is up about only 8-10 hours a day give or take a bit. Her Drs are not concerned over this since we all need different amounts. She is actually still sleeping right now from last night!
When she was a newborn she would sleep right through feedings and rarely fussed. At her 1 month check up I learned that she was losing weight (also because my son was in ICU in a coma and I was more concerned about my son and forgot to feed her). The Dr then made a point of letting me know that I should be waking her up for feedings until she was 4 months old or gaining properly.
She also used to fall asleep during feedings and I would have to tap her feet or cheek and if that did not work then I would get a cool rag and wipe her face with it or drop droplets of water on it.
As for the amount of sleep, remember each child is different! If all the tests proved normal and she is gaining weight I would not be overly concerned unless you notice other symptoms. Remember, one day she might be the little party animal in the middle of the night and you will wish you had this back! lol
Good luck and blessings to you and yours!
Hi M. G! I remember reading an article about things having to do with newborns that you (parents) may or may not know but I cannot remember where I read it. So in my search I found something from www.associatedcontent.com in the health & wellness section...
'Newborns definitely sleep a lot but if yours seems to be sleeping too much, there could be a problem. How do you tell if the baby is sleeping too much? If the child misses a feeding completely, this could be cause for alarm. If the baby simply sleeps past the usual feeding time, no worries, but if he/she continually has to be awakened to eat, call the doctor just to touch base with him about the issue. Babies generally wake long enough to eat and be changed, and may possibly stay awake for an hour or so, but then they normally drift back to sleep. If you have to wake them to eat, then they fall asleep while eating, consult the physician.'
I agree that as parents we sometimes do not know the difference between fear and instinct. So what's the answer? In my humble opinion, get answers until you feel comfortable. That's all you can do.
Keep up the great job and Happy Mother's Day!
-M. S
EDIT...I FOUND IT...
My 2nd daughter slept just as much. I too was concern, and was told that can be normal. My daughter is 5 years old now and perfectly normal and the best sleeper I have. I say just enjoy how easy she is.
Remember that every kid is different. If the tests came back fine and she's gaining weight/growing fine, then I wouldn't worry. It could be a growth spurt, which hits around the three week mark.
until they are about 3 weeks old they do sleep about 20 hours of the day, that is normal.
I do believe that expecting an almost two week old newborn to stay awake for more that 5 1/2 hours a day is asking too much. Firstly your child has been nestled inside of you for the last nine months. If she wasn't that active inside of you she definitely wouldn't be outside of you because she is used to sleeping. Secondly newborns need to rest because it takes alot of effort and energy for them to adjust to a whole new enviroment. Finally please let your little precious one sleep for as long as she wants for now. There will surely be plenty of mommy and me time in the future. Good Luck to you and baby!
M. my daughter who is now 9 months old was like that and is still like that she is only awake about 6 hrs a day so there is nothing to worrie about she is fine some baby/kids like to sleep more then others
My son never slept, and then my daughter came along....and all she did was sleep! It is a blessing. I was able to spend more time than I expected with my son who was a wild 2 year old. She was perfectly healthy, just liked to sleep, and still does 18 months later. She would be up for only the same amount your daughter at 2 weeks, and she was like that for almost 4 months! Enjoy it while it lasts!!
