Newborns - how much sleep?

[WhoahThereCrazyHorse]

When do the sleep patterns of newborns start to change, I know they basically sleep nonstop for the first week or so but when does this start to change, does anyone know the average sleep per 24 hours for the first few weeks?

I'm sure there's a baby sleep website I've seen linked to on here before, does anyone know what it is?

Thanks in advance

Sorry, appallingly put together first paragraph!

average about 16 hours out of 24 for newborns. decreasing to about 14 hours by 6 months.

My DS slept around 11 hours out of every 24 from birth. He never spent most of the time asleep, ever. He was always alert.

When he was about 6 months, this increased to about 13 hours. And now he is 2, he needs anything between 10-14 hours per 24 hours.

So I think it varies a lot.

DH has just laughed at me for writing 11 hours and forgetting the hideous Xmas when DS was 4 months old where he slept for around 8 hours in 24 (few of them at night). So actually he was slightly worse some of the time.

Most babies I knew were a bit sleepier though. DS was entirely rubbish and I'm hoping his younger brother to be born in the spring won't follow the same template.

The book your baby week by week tells you roughly how much sleep the baby needs in each week, obviously all babies are different but I found it really helpful. My lo is now 19 weeks and sleeps 15 or 16 hours a day.

Hugely, hugely variable. My DS didn't sleep much at all, or at least it felt like that. Wouldn't get too hung up on figures tbh, it won't help and no one can tell you when you'll get o sleep at night again! If its good at the moment, then enjoy it while it lasts.
Agree with pp, week by week is a great book for giving the idea of what's normal.