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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Stupid question - newborns - do they just sleep and feed?

23 replies

MoragG · 13/01/2010 17:11

At 38 weeks and have just been reading 'What to expect when you're breastfeeding'. It's very good, but seems to indicate that all newborns do is feed and then sleep. This is a really stupid question, but are very small babies awake at any point and NOT feeding (i.e awake and able to be cuddled/played with)? Or is all of their time awake spent feeding? I feel that the more I read the more confused I become! I feel really clueless about what to expect.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

chocolaterabbit · 13/01/2010 17:15

they have wind too and need to be burped - even bf babies. They also do enormous poos.

Most cuddles seem to be newborn-going-to-sleep cuddles and they don't really start to play for a few weeks.

rubyslippers · 13/01/2010 17:18

some do

mine don't!

you will find feeds may take a long time, and then it may take a long time to actually go to sleep and stay asleep

they don't need entertaining or playing with to be honest until they are a few weeks old

DD is coming up for 14 weeks and is now beginning to play a bit - ie lay on her playmat and bat at things with her hands

she still feeds like a demon!

wasabipeanut · 13/01/2010 17:22

Hmmm. I feel this myth that all newborns do is eat and sleep needs nixing. They also cry. A lot. I could never understand why Ds wouldn't go to sleep for the regulation 16-18 hours that the books indicated but he didn't!

He chilled after about 3 months or so.

MrsBadger · 13/01/2010 17:23

they also poo copiously and frequently and howl like banshees for no apparent reason

and remember that 'asleep' doesn't usually mean 'asleep by themselves in basket/cot' but 'asleep in your arms, immediatley waking and screaming if put down, thus pinning you to the sofa'

and that feeding involves playing and cuddles simultaneously

(Nb consult some other books too - Bestfeeding perhaps, or The Food Of Love - just to get some variety of input. Try the library or borrow from friends to avoid shelling out )

Original poster

MoragG · 13/01/2010 17:27

Should have mentioned that I do know they will cry and poo too! But are there any times when they are doing none of these things (sleeping, feeding, crying, being winded, pooing)?? What I mean is, are there times when they are just awake and not needing something done? Sorry if this sounds stupid!

OP posts:

madwomanintheattic · 13/01/2010 17:28

dd1 didn't. she didn't sleep in the day at all until she was about 4 months or so. the first time she fell asleep at lunchtime i was a nervous wreck - totally abnormal.

dd1 also cried and vomited lol.

ds1 slept a bit, but did a fair amount of being carried around awake, and screaming if you put him down

we won't discuss dd2 at your tender stage lol

LillianGish · 13/01/2010 17:33

Essentially true, but what I didn't realise until I had a newborn was just how difficult it can be to get them to sleep. Not for nothing is there an entire industry of experts who will give you widely differing techniques for teaching your baby to sleep.

Francagoestohollywood · 13/01/2010 17:36

Other people's babies feed and sleep. That's the general rule

butadream · 13/01/2010 17:38

They gaze into your eyes and if you stick out your tongue at them they will eventually stick theirs back out at you.

They smell nice.

They hold your little finger.

Babies are ace, and they only get better.

BlameItOnTheBogey · 13/01/2010 17:41

Oh mine has long awake periods. Usually between midnight and say, oh around, 4am..... yawn.

Actually DC2 is two weeks old now and really does very little during the day except sleep, feed and produce explodapoos.

malovitt · 13/01/2010 17:42

I remember panicking a bit because my new baby slept for such long periods at a stretch, then would feed and sleep again for another age.

MIL ( paediatric nurse) assured me it was normal...

peppapighastakenovermylife · 13/01/2010 17:44

Having now had toddlers I love newborns . With mine I found they took at week or two to 'wake up' so to speak. Until this point they did generally just feed / sleep but the sleeping was in my arms or whilst feeding rather than being on their own. You also quite like holding them at this stage - before the novelty wears off . Once they are a bit older they do spend more time with their eyes open but for the first few weeks it is more staring and looking at their hands or other things than playing per se. They will probably want to do this from your arms though. Particularly 'interesting character' babies will only like this if you stand up whilst you hold them

I found that they didnt really play with things until a few months old really. They dont really do much at first - much to the annoyance of older siblings expecting a play mate! Make the most of it though - you can go out for coffee and just cuddle them rather than chasing them around the place!

I am quite lucky in that I never had crying babies - they very rarely cried in that way where you couldnt fix the problem. They cried to feed, be held or have their nappy changed and once you did that they were fine. Saying that if they wanted feeding / holding I always did so.

I'm not sure if its different if they are formula fed because then feeds are often quite measured / faster. Breastfeeding is about comfort to and quite often they like to latch on and then fall asleep.

Somehow this sleeping / feeding / nappy changing takes up all your time though...

BexJ78 · 13/01/2010 18:22

From what i have experienced so far, that appears to be about the extent of it. My LO is 1 month old and is awake a little bit more now, and is taking a bit more interest in what's going on around her, but in general it is eat, burp, nappy change and sleep (with a fair bit of crying thrown in for good measure.) she does like to look at things though. she seems particularly keen to look at the windows, but that is about it at the mo!

MrsCrawf · 13/01/2010 18:59

I remember my sister saying that when the baby first smiles it is a bit of a built in defence mechanism as mum is probably bored stiff by then of not getting anything back for all the crying, pooing, feeding and sleeping! I kind of agree - and that first smile will melt your heart.

Newborns are of course very cute and you will absolutely adore him/her but they are not particularly interesting for a few months!

Abubu · 13/01/2010 20:14

What I remember (probably not a lot!) is:

Sleeping
Feeding (most of the time in the case of my DTS)
Pooing
Crying
Burping.

pretty much sums it up.

they are lovely though.

Blackduck · 13/01/2010 20:18

crying and you are there going 'wet, no, hungry, no, cold, no,warm no....then what the HELL is the matter....' First month or so is hell IMO.....I thought I was going mad Sleep would have been nice.....

crankytwanky · 13/01/2010 20:35

They will gaze into your eyes, as BUTADREAM said.

That will take up a good six hours of your day. It's what the first few weeks are for. They can only see as far as boob to eye, so looking at your face and hearing your voice are like a blockbuster movie for the little cherubs.

The tiny pores on it's nose and it's chest moving up and down will be enough entertainment for you to leave you no time to do anything else.

Beanigan · 13/01/2010 21:06

My DS1 was overdue and only slept a couple of times during the day so had long awake periods where he wasn't crying, sleeping, feeding or pooing. I think it depends on the baby.... I was expecting far more sleep during the day than he actually did!

I think I spent a lot of the time trying to get him to sleep or just cuddling him! and he smiled at 4 weeks which makes all that hard work worth it.

Believe me, you think they don't do a lot when they're newborns but for some reason you still can't get dressed before midday, the house is a tip and you never have time to brush your hair! The 1st 6 weeks are hell, if you have one with colic, the 1st 12 weeks are hell... but it gets better as the days go by and newborns really are just lovely!

YanknCock · 13/01/2010 21:10

Mine did mostly that, OP. He also gazed at me with a perplexed look, as if to say 'what the hell is going on?' a lot of the time.

Now he's 4.5 months old, babbling constantly, dribbling, grabbing everything to stuff in his mouth, and grinning like a loon.

BabyGiraffes · 13/01/2010 22:29

My dd spent time awake staring at anything except me and dh. The curtains seemed particularly fascinating... Remember wondering if she was autistic because she would not meet my eyes (at a week old) until my mum told me not to be ridiculous

Wonderstuff · 13/01/2010 22:35

I remember dd at 2 weeks old not crying or feeding and yet being awake and thinking wtf do I do now? (can't remember what I did just vividly remember thinking what now)?

MrsMattie · 13/01/2010 22:37

First child - hardly slept, fed constantly.

Second child - slept all the time, had to wake her to feed her.

There is no 'normal'.

Very exciting time for you, though...congrats and good luck xx

cakeywakey · 13/01/2010 22:41

I used to have to change my DD up to six times a day thanks to a bottom that resembled a reverse black hole - matter just poured out .

So, she spent a lot of time pooing, and I spent a lot of time being fingers and thumbs getting her dressed, and trying to keep up with the washing. Didn't last for long though, and I loooooooved all the cuddling.

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