Newborn Sleeps a LOT

I think that is somewhat normal - was she born to term or a little early. I'd would follow up with her doctor.

My daughter was born 5 weeks early - and it's quite a difference than one born to term - the later or term the baby the more alert they same - regardless most babies seem to sleep a lot at first.

My only did this the first week of his life. Saving up his energy, I'd say.

Yes, dear heart- I have. My oldest God-son was exactly like that- from new-born on--- a quiet- content--- easy-going little boy who really had his own style and it was the OPPOSITE of what every mother dreads--the ''instantly awake - instantly starving- reactive - type A ''gotta do it NOW''' baby-- not him--- and his poor Mommy was so concerned - as it was hard to get him to stay awake to eat- but I know you will check with your baby-doctor and be sure that weight gain is on-track ------other than that--- enjoy.

Blessings,
J.
aka-Old Mom

I agree with the other posts that say she may just be saving it up or inherently mellow. You also might want to have her double-checked for jaundice again... one of the symptoms is lethargy (ie: waking them up to eat). Don't hesitate to call your pediatrican if you're concerned though, that's what they are there for!!

My four week old takes a lot longer to get to the "wailing" stage for wet diapers, feedings, etc. than her 2.5 year old sister did! It's kind of nice to hear her starting to rouse herself awake and give me time to get ready to feed or change her. She also slept 5 hours at a time several nights in her first week home, so that was only one middle of the night feeding. Her pediatrician said that as long as she was eating during the day, producing lots of wet diapers (holy moly can this little one pee!), and seemed happy, I didn't need to wake her up to feed her. She said women are told to do that the first few days of life to make sure they nurse as much as possible to help establish milk supply in addition to monitoring the baby.

Congrats to you and your husband!

I would contact your pediatrition. If she is only eating a couple of times a day she could be dehydrated- has she had any wet diapers? I'm not saying it is necessarily anything serious but I would check with a nurse- maybe Children's hopsital nurse?- just to get a medical opinion. I got this phone number off of their website 1-866-987-2500. Just to be on the safe side for such a little one. Good luck.

K.,

My 3rd baby slept the same way the first couple of weeks.
For me, it was because she had a latching issue and wasn't getting enough milk. She was also hardly peeing at all, and at her first dr appt she had lost more weight.
I went to an appt w/ a lactation consultant, and she gave me a nipple shield. It made all the difference! She was able to eat 6oz at a sitting (the LC weighed her before and after) and almost immediately started being more awake and alert.
Now, this was my baby, and for yours it could be something else entirely. If she's eating well, peeing normally and gaining weight, then she just may have a case of the nb sleepies!

Good luck!

My third child (who is now 5 months old) was the exact same way. He slept so much that he hardly ate, and got down to less than 10% of his birthweight. He would fall asleep when he started to eat, and would not wake up for anything!

Nothing was ever figured out about why....and week by week, as he got older, he stayed awake more, and ate more. Now he's topping the scale at nearly 20lbs!! He's a very laid back kid, so we just attribued the early sleepiness to his personality. Just mellow, go with the flow, and if nothing's going on, I'll take a nap.

Hi K.,

My son was the same way for the first month or six weeks. Slept 19-20 hours a day and dozed off mid-meal every time. I finally learned to strip him to his diaper, puff air gently on his face, and tickle his cheek/chin/feet while he nursed to keep him from falling asleep. I couldn't bring myself to run a cold washcloth over him. In fact, he was super-melow until about 8 months and then suddenly the "on switch" was flipped and he's been go-go-go since then. Enjoy your new little guy!

Call your ped. doc. and tell him/her about this. It is something important.

Hi K.,

my daughter slept a lot too, and I also had to wake her up to eat.
You do want to make sure he is eating, gaining weight and does not have jaundice, which can make babies sleepier, but generally babies tend to sleep a lot and stay awake only for short periods during the first days of life.

I think there is a well-baby scheduled at 7 days anyways, if not take him to your doc and make sure he's alright, you can also call the hospital or midwife if you have questions.

That said my baby was perfectly healthy and started being awake longer and more often eventually - it was a slow progression (hard to recall those days).

Congrats!