All newborns are different. Some are naturally more sleepy and some are more alert. During the first few weeks they are doing a lot of adjusting to life in the outside world. Everything is new to them (and you as parents!) and they are learning all the time. Did you know that a newborn baby thinks they are part of their mother and are one person? They don't realise that the little hands and feet in front of them are their own.
Here are some key facts to help you understand what they are going through and to hopefully help you navigate through the first few weeks:
A baby’s circadian rhythm is not developed and so they don’t know the difference between day and night. The circadian rhythm is the body’s biological clock and helps to shape each 24 hour period. It is responsible for appetite, blood sugar, blood pressure, body temperature and hormone production- mainly melatonin and cortisol. In adults it creates ‘monophasic’ sleep meaning we have one long stretch of sleep in each 24 hour period. In babies it creates ‘polyphasic sleep’ where they need to alternate shorter periods of sleep with being awake. The circadian rhythm takes up to 6 months to fully settle and mature.
A newborn baby’s awake window (the optimum time they can be awake for) is really very small; 45 minutes to one hour. In that time they are going to have a feed, a nappy change probably and so it doesn’t actually leave that long for much else. Using awake windows as a guide can really help support good sleep and helps ensure they don’t become overtired.
Newborn babies do not produce their own melatonin. Melatonin is the main sleep hormone. It is released in the dark and its levels start rising in the early evening and continue rising overnight until they peak around 4am. Newborns have a store of melatonin from the placenta which they use for the first two months until they start producing their own. The levels from the placenta start off high which is why newborns can seem very sleepy to begin with. After around three weeks the levels of melatonin start to decrease and at around 8 weeks of age, a baby will start to produce their own melatonin. Melatonin can also be passed from the mother through breast milk.
Newborn babies can sleep for 14-17 hours over each 24 hour period. They wake regularly for feeds, reassurance and to ‘check in’ with their surroundings.
It is not possible to spoil a newborn baby so enjoy the first weeks of newborn cuddles and when you feel ready to move into more of a routine then there are lots of gentle things that you can do to help support your baby with their sleep.
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