Is it normal for newborns to sleep ALL the time?

[PinkandPoo]

Baby is a week old and sleeps literally all the time, apart from when feeding or being changed. He barely even opens his eyes, only for about 15-30 mins throughout the day.

So far he is the easiest baby in the world but he can be difficult to feed as he's so sleepy.

He's so different from my first child who was really alert from day 1 and a lot more demanding, I can't quite believe it...

I'm a bit worried this isn't normal...?

He does has mild jaundice and had lost 10 oz in weight on day 5, but all midwives so far have been happy with him and say he's healthy.

Yes, if the mws are checking him regularly and he seems to be feeding well it's fine. It's hard work being born, takes a few days to recover!

Enjoy the peace, it won't last

Congratulations btw xx

Totally normal, and should last for a good few weeks. Enjoy : )

Try stripping him down to his nappy and tickling his feet or cheek to get him to feed. My DD was jaundiced and sleepy too and all her grandparents were horrified beyond words that she had every feed in just a nappy!

Oh I'm quite sure it won't last

I just can't believe how different he is to DD.

Yes I've tried the cold changing mat trick and stripping him down It seems so cruel but I need him to feed for longer than a minute for my poor breasts sake.

My DD slept for about 20 hours a day as a newborn! I was constantly worried but she was doing a lot of growing, she was asleep way more than friends' babies and continued to struggle to stay awake for more than a couple of hours all the way up to six months. She is 14 months now - early crawler, early walker and down to one reluctant nap so it didn't matter in the long run. Enjoy the cups of tea and peace and quiet!

Congrats on your new baby! My youngest was similar, born with jaundice (had to have UV light treatment for a few days). She couldn't be more different from firstborn, who didn't seem to sleep much at all.

Youngest was an absolute dream in comparison, only waking up long enough to feed, then back to sleep again. I am convinced she spent her first two months asleep! Then somewhere in the 3rd month she got reflux and that put an end to peaceful days/nights, and along came weeks of constant washing.

I say just relaxed and enjoy it, expecially if your baby is gaining weight still. I have heard the first three months should be considered like the '4th trimester', and in the animal kingdom they would still be inside the womb - and it's only because human brains/heads grow proportionally so big that in order to get out, they 'need' to be born at 9mths, rather than any later/bigger. So being snuggled and asleep and basically emulating the womb-like experience is very normal and natural for the first 3mths. That sounds quite flakey the way I've put it, but I think there is some scientific theory behind it.