new baby sleep : how did it work for you?

[Katekoom]

I'm currently bfing my 9 day old and although I'm not expecting anything resembling a sleep routine to happen soon, I'm wondering how it happens for others? She currently only sleeps with a feed and cuddle and wont really go down in the basket for long, plus she feeds most of the night. Did you introduce a routine or did it just happen? What can i expect (apart from the unexpected!)?

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter! I had my baby in the bed with me, fed on demand. I may have sorted out a routine quicker if he had not been in the bed but he only really started sleeping through in his own cotbed from 9 months after sleep training. But most of the other Mums I met in groups had their sleep routine sorted by 3-5 months old. I don't think they can self soothe right away so just go by her cues. Every newborn is different.
Enjoy your newborn.

Didn't try to introduce a routine - she just started to develop her own. First 6 weeks: she fed loads and randomly - usually every 2 hours through the night but sometimes more often. Then she suddenly developed a pattern of feeding at about midnight, then about 4, then some time between 6 and 7. Then at about 8 weeks the 4am feed started moving to 5 or 5.30. Then at 10 weeks she suddenly started sleeping till 7.30 or even later. This was nothing to do with anything I tried and completely took me by surprise - I wasn't going to try to stretch her or impose a routine because once she started crying it was so much easier just to feed her and both go back to sleep.

She used to feed to sleep but sometimes that doesn't work now. At about midnight she sometimes needs rocking and a dummy as she will fight sleep and lie awake looking around and gradually get over-tired and upset. She is very sucky and finds the dummy very comforting.