A newborn’s sleep cycle differs from an adult, lasting about 2 hours. At first, your baby’s tummy is tiny. Breast milk is easily digested, so it’s natural for your baby to wake often. It’s necessary for babies to eat at least 8 times and up to 12 times in 24 hours. Instead of expecting a fixed distance between feedings, count the total number of feedings in 24 hours, as feedings are rarely evenly spaced. Just like us, babies have large meals and snacks. Sometimes babies cluster several feedings together, and then take a nice long nap.
To ensure your baby is getting plenty of milk, you’ll want to offer the breast whenever you baby shows signs of hunger such as increased activity, sucking hands, licking and rooting.
Overfeeding in the evening in the hopes of getting extra sleep seldom works, so long as your baby is getting plenty of breastmilk during the rest of the day. This practice is common among sleep deprived new parents, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against it because it may increase the risk of SIDS, especially if a breastfeeding baby is given a large meal of infant formula at bedtime.
Sleep training methods are not appropriate for newborns. Many child behavior experts do not approve of sleep training at any age. In the newborn period, sleep training has been associated with poor weight gain and failure to thrive. Unmet needs and excessive crying can increase stress hormone levels and alter brain function. The fight-or-flight reaction takes over to shut down learning and bonding.
Babies learn to trust when their needs are met promptly and consistently, beginning in the newborn period. Behavioral scientists agree that you really cannot spoil your newborn, as older relatives may suggest. Newborns should be held and cuddled and fed whenever they desire.