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How long
my newborn
should sleep?

I’m sure you have been asked to “Keep in mind that all babies are different”. It is the kind of tiny line that tends to be overlooked.

That being said, here are what I wish more parents have been told:

So yes, some babies will sleep much more than others. That is for sure, and yes that means the spectrum of the expected amount your newborn can sleep is wide (10 - 19h in total per 24h). So I want to give you a frame, some guidance around that, so you are sure you are not at the edge or outside of the spectrum — even if that spectrum is really wide.

How long my baby should sleep?

So first thing (literally the first thing) I want you to know that, if your baby is sleeping what-feels-like-too long stretches, meaning up to 4 to even 6 hours some days, you don't need to wake them up for a feed. It's okay for a newborn to sleep 4 to 6 hours some days without eating.

IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THE OPPOSITE

BABY STRUGGLE TO SLEEP, this Why my baby is not sleeping- mini-blog serie might be the journey you want to be in instead.
It will either reassure you or prepare you for a sleep consultation if you feel you need it

"Wake your baby up" or "let baby sleep"

－How will you decide?

Actually, there is even a medical/nursing consensus around that.

I will give you the whole explanation in the next episode, but let give you straight away, the answer I give to the parents I work with (as a reminder this only apply to babies that fits in the profile I describe in that disclaimer).

MY ANSWER FOR YOU

If your baby is sleeping four to six hours, basically what I want you to know is: You don't have to wake them up for a feed, if you don’t want to.
— slight exception made if you are in the case of breastfeeding — but it’s not because it is a matter of your baby sleeping too much or something being wrong with your baby. It’s much more a matter of maintaining and building your breast milk lactation.

Let me add that you are not gonna break anything in your baby from doing it if you can’t help but do it,or if someone else did it. This is here to support the mental load of the decision making, for when you are in a place where you can choose and want to own the decision you make.

With that episode and the next one you will have all the understanding, the full picture to find what you want to do and know where to allow yourself so flexibility and claim some more routine, according to what you need.

What will (really) help your baby to gain weigh? － THE MEDICAL CONSENSUS