What is a typical day like with a newborn?

In my experience there was no "typical" day. DD was all over the show. If you are lucky you might get a 2-3hour sleep, but we didn't. Usually they are up for an hour before they are tired again and need more sleep. But some babies fight sleep!!!

All I can say is prepare for anything. You might get the "perfect" baby who sleeps well, or you could have one that doesn't sleep at all, luck of the draw, every baby is differnt. You will be tired no matter what though, no baby sleeps through the night when they are little.

Every baby is different but most babies sleep in 3-4 hour stints. So they have a change of nappy, a feed then they go to sleep. They then wake in another 3-4 hours and you do the same thing. However, some babies do it in 1-2 hour stints.

It is hard, it's VERY hard. You're dealing with being a mum for the first time and the pressures that come with it (both from society and from your own expectations) and then you have broken sleep on top of that. But it does get better. The first 6 weeks are the hardest. Nothing really prepares you though. It's not until you're living it that you understand what people really meant lol.

Have you got a supportive partner, family and friends? If you do and they offer to help take them up on it!! Get them to cook a meal, clean the house, run a bath for you, change bubs nappy, whatever you need them to do get them to do it. Let your housework and everything else slide until you and bub are in a bit of a routine.

Hi there,

I'm having a baby on the 4th May and just want to know what a typical day is like with a newborn. I have been told to prepare myself for the hurdle but I actually don't know what to expect. I was told it's HARD, but what exactly is hard? How much sleep do you honestly get? Do you get two hours at a time? More? Less?

Thanks for your time, I am really keen to know so that I don't get a rude shock when the time comes lol.

Love
Alysse

there is no typical day, the bub might sleep 2 hours at a time or maybe even up to 4-6.Go with the flow is my advice.My eldest was a good sleeper as was the youngest.The middle one woke every 1.5-2 hours at night but would not drink much so he would wake often for a little feed but not enough to fill his belly.Now he says he tried to let me know he did not like milk!Good luck with it all

Every baby is so different! my DS1 screamed and screamed. for up to 4hrs a day.. thats a hard part sad .. he would also wake in the night screaming. DS2 well, he slept like an angel from day one ! completely settled, though there was momemts of crying, it was not half as bad as what my first son was like.
Even with a settled baby, there will be some days that are so laid back, they sleep eat and have a play. or some days where they are grizzly and fussy.
You have to be ready to expect anything and everything .. You will be fine smile . But patience is the key !! hehe

Jas
xx GOODLUCK

couldn't have said it better than layla22 LOL

To me it was just like she said blur blur feed, bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur put to bed, blur blur feed again etc etc.

DD began off as a horrible sleeper when she was NB and DF and I had to do the whole night shift/day shift ( The only time I didn't regret DF not having a job ) I would get maybe 2 hours during the day when DF watched her and then at night maybe another 2 if I was lucky. When I was younger I pretty much stayed awake every night and day so for me sleep deprivation wasn't a big issue, but having to do everything else was lol For me it was next to impossible to be able to sleep when I knew things needed to be done. It's just who I am tongue But now DD is an amazing sleeper wink

But as they say EVERY baby is different. Who knows you may have a very easygoing baby or a not so very easygoing baby lol but either way, even with everything being so tough for a few weeks it is still an amazing and beautiful experience smile

I like to think it's
like starting a new career and being thrown in the deep end and being expected to know everything without any training. It is tiring but the hardest thing I found not being able to start a task and finish it. When you have a bub everything takes so long feeding, settling. You may feel pressure of others expectations but I came to realize that the person that was the most critical of me was myself.

The only advice I can offer is sleep when you can, make sure you eat, the house work can wait, don't be hard on yourself and get help with feeding. Oh and try to be organized, it makes leaving the house so much easier.

Goodluck

in my 2 experiences, the days in hospital were the hardest. especially with DS2. i couldn't sleep during the day because there are so many interruptions in hospital (midwives, drs, lunch ladies bring in lunch then collecting trays) even during the "rest time" i had difficulty sleeping. then at night DS2 was wanting to feed constantly. i am talking 2 hours at a time, then i thought he was asleep so i would put him down and 5 mins later he would want another feed. i tried so hard to keep him in the room with me because i knew i would have no choice when i was home so needed to suck it up but in the end i caved and had to send him to the nursery to get some sleep before i had a nervous breakdown!

when i got home it was easier with DH's help those first 4 weeks. bf was difficult for me, and i was feeding for up to an hour, he would sleep 20 mins then appear starving again and feed another hour. that went on all night! i suffered with migraines due to my fluctuating hormones, having 2 day long migraines once a week. in the end along with the CHN and midwives we came to the conclusion my milk wasn't coming in so changed to formula and started getting a bit more sleep.

he would sleep during the day a fair bit for the first 2 weeks. at night we would get him down at about 9pm and then go to bed ourselves. he would feed about every 2 or 3 hours.

around 5 weeks he started to go until about 1am for his first night feed. at about 10 weeks we started doing a dream feed at 10.30pm and that would stretch him out a bit longer but i stopped doing it after a couple of weeks, and not long after that (12 weeks) he started sleeping through.

he was sleeping well during the day (has always had 1.5 to 2 hour naps) and is always happy.

i would try to nap when he was having a nap but with a toddler it doesn't always work out. occasionally they will both have a nap at lunch time though so i take advantage of that and have one too!

Im a new parent my baby is 12 weeks old and i was expecting sleepless nights, being stressed and all over the show. i got a really easy baby! im so blessed.. she sleeps 10-12 hrs a night. and thru the day she sleeps 2-3 times but for bout 1-2 hours.. i do get the odd days where shes grumpy and hard to get to sleep cos yes some babies fight sleep at some point haha.. but once ya get the hang of things u can tell a hungry cry to a tired cry ect.. you'll pick up on signs when theyre tired and you'll fit things around babies sleeping time. i find when bubba is sleeping i do dishes / washing / clean and hv showers as its hard when theyre awake as they like attention and entertaining. smile i think you will cope fine and enjoy motherhood ! smile

Hi there,

I'm having a baby on the 4th May and just want to know what a typical day is like with a newborn. I have been told to prepare myself for the hurdle but I actually don't know what to expect. I was told it's HARD, but what exactly is hard? How much sleep do you honestly get? Do you get two hours at a time? More? Less?

Thanks for your time, I am really keen to know so that I don't get a rude shock when the time comes lol.

Love
Alysse

I think as a newborn they are actually quite easy smile They sleep most of the day, but you'd expect to be woken every 3 hours or so overnight?? Though every baby is different......then they wake up though & who knows how it will be. You might have a great sleeper, or you might get a bub that is just a sticky beak & has to know everything wink I've got 2 of those! Whatever you get though, you do get through it & you do survive smile

Ive had two very different babies.

DS was a silent reflux and colic baby who screamed and screamed and hardly slept day or night as we couldnt lie him down due to reflux pain. once he got on reflux medication and the colic went he slept a bit better but i went to a sleep school and came home with a dream sleeper smile

DD was very settled right from the start. She would sleep 2-3 hours during the day, have a bf and be back in bed after 1.5- 2hours. Overnight she slept 3 hourly then at 8 weeks started sleeping through. we had to ask the chn if it was normal how much she slept after our experience with DS smile

check out ngala.com.au they have lots of great sleeping info

My advice to you is to work towards a routine as soon as possible.
It does take a couple of weeks to settle into a routine, but once you have one established it makes life a lot easier and bubs will thank you.
I fed during the day roughly every 3 hours. So 7am, 10am, 2pm, 5pm, 7pm. I then gave my babies a rollover at 10pm and then they woke when they woke after that.
The idea is to get enough day feeds in so that the night feeds are eliminated. The first feed to go should be the one between 10pm and 7am.
I found for the first 4-5 weeks my babies went straight back to sleep after a breastfeed (which takes about 45-60 mins at the start) and slept until the next feed time. Make the most of this and try to rest as you won't get an uninterrupted sleep during the night and this really takes it's toll on you after a few days.
My last baby slept from 10pm to 7am from 1 month old, so we were fortunate there, but my system has worked with all 4 of my children. Make sure you wrap them tightly and pop them in the cot to sleep so they learn how to self-settle and GOOD LUCK!

Every baby is different. When i was a baby i slept 12 hours every night at 10 days old. But my son was up every 3 hours, 24 hours a day till he was 2 months old, then suddenly started sleeping 12 hours a night. Then at 4 months started waking 2-3 times a night again which kept up till 7 months then after that it was interchangable with sleeping through and waking and its still going at 1 year plus a few weeks.
Good luck