A day in the life of your newborn

Your first days and weeks with a newborn can be full of joy. But it's also full of diaper changes, naps, feedings, and questions about what's normal.

As you get to know your child, you will get to know his signals and the schedule that works best for him. But there are a few basic things you can expect from your newborn, from sleep to diapers to food.

Eating

Most newborns will want to eat every 1.5 to 3.5 hours. Their feeding schedule usually depends on whether you are breastfeeding or formula feeding your baby. Breastfed babies tend to eat more often than formula-fed babies because their bellies digest breast milk faster.

Babies can tell you they're hungry in a variety of ways. He may make sucking movements, put his hands or fingers in his mouth, or you may notice that your baby turns his head towards you and opens his mouth if you gently stroke his cheek. Babies cry when they want to eat, but this is usually a late sign of hunger.

Try to spit up your baby during and after feedings. If he stops eating and falls asleep or turns away from the bottle, that's a good sign he's had enough. If they cry towards the end, it may mean that they are hungry for more. And keep a bib handy—most newborns spit up after feedings from time to time.

Diapers

Newborns have at least six wet diapers and four or more poop every day.

For about the first week, your baby's stools will be thick and black or dark green. It's called meconium, and it's the stuff that filled their intestines before they were born. After leaving the body, their feces become soft and watery. If you are breastfeeding them, they will have slightly yellowish rat poop. If they eat the mixture, it will be firmer and yellowish brown in color.

After a few weeks, the poop slows down. Breastfed babies can live a week with one bowel movement, while formula-fed babies need to poop at least once a day.

Crying

Crying is the primary means of communication for babies, especially in their first days of life. The screams can be hard to decipher, but you might want to think about their schedule or their surroundings to figure out what's wrong. If it has been 2 hours since they last ate, they are most likely hungry. If they haven't slept in an hour and a half, they probably need to take a nap. Babies can also be bored or overexcited.

If it’s not time to feed your baby and he has a dry diaper, you can try other ways to calm him down:

• Tightly swaddle them in a large, thin blanket, to mimic how they were snuggled in the womb.
• Snuggle them to your chest and gently pat them on the back.
• Rock, walk, or bounce them.
• Move to a quiet place and turn on a calming sound, like a fan or a white noise machine.
• Offer a pacifier, or help them find their finger or thumb to suck.

Sleeping

Newborn babies often get tired after being awake for only an hour or two. For the first few weeks, your baby will sleep about 16 hours a night, usually in 2-4 hour increments, at any time of the day or night. Many people fall asleep while eating or breastfeeding, and this is normal.

Yawning, drooping eyelids, looking away, fidgeting and rubbing of the eyes are all signs of a sleeping baby.

Always put your baby to sleep on their back, on a firm sleeping surface, with nothing in the crib or bassinet.

At the end of the first month, newborns begin to organize their sleep for longer periods. But it will be a few more months before your child starts a predictable pattern of morning, afternoon, and late afternoon naps, as well as a longer nap at night.

Playing

Between all meals, sleep, and diaper changes, newborns have short periods of being awake and awake. This is the perfect time to play with them. Your child will recognize the sound of your voice, the sight of your face and your touch. Smile, sing, read and talk to them, rock with them to the music, make funny faces for them to imitate, and offer them interesting objects to sniff and look at. At this age, children do not need toys.

This is also the time you can introduce your baby to the tummy. A few minutes of lying on his stomach every day will help him strengthen his head and neck muscles and improve the coordination needed to roll over and crawl.