Newborn baby not sleeping well

by An.

Question: My 1 week old baby will only sleep for 1 hour then wakes up screaming Heidi's Answer: Hi, newborn babies have these short sleep cycles which help them wake up easily when they need feeding or need help otherwise.

Unfortunately this also easily makes her wake up each hour, even if there is no apparent reason. Do make sure first that there is not a reason for your baby to wake up: not having been burped, not lying comfortably, a wet diaper, too hot or too cold (a wearable blanket is ideal), newborn acid reflux, ...

If she's fine otherwise, you can keep her from waking up by going to her about 10 minutes before she'll usually wake. Place your hand on her tummy, around her forehead or on her shoulders to comfort her. Be very soft and gently, you don't want to wake her.

The idea is that you keep her asleep through that '1 hour wake up moment'. You will see her half-wake up, and then doze back off. You can then leave her to go on sleeping by herself again for the next hour. Give it at least a few days of practice, it takes some getting used to for the both of you.

For full details about your newborn's sleep cycles and how to get the best sleep in these first weeks, see my Newborn Sleep Guide.

Good luck, take care,
Heidi