One-Week-Old Baby: Feeding and Sleeping Expectations - Baby Chick
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One-Week-Old Baby: Feeding and Sleeping Expectations

View a breakdown of a one-week-old baby's feeding schedule, learn tips for nursing them, and find out what their sleep schedule will be like.

Updated October 13, 2024

by Tracey Agnese, MD, IBCLC

Pediatrician and Lactation Consultant
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Congratulations! You have a newborn baby at home . . . now what?! It seems like the only thing this new little human wants to do is eat or sleep. And most new parents find themselves wondering if that’s normal. Yes, it is normal! Eating and sleeping all day sounds easy to manage, but it’s not that simple when you’re doing it for the first time. So many questions come up, like, Do I have to wake the baby to feed?” “How much should I feed them?” and “How often do I do this?” The good news is that most newborns follow similar patterns in the beginning. Knowing these patterns and what to expect can be very helpful for a new parent — since newborns can’t tell us in the traditional manner if they’re hungry or tired!

Fluctuations Are Normal

Newborns have tiny tummies. And as they grow, their tummies also grow. So, their needs are constantly changing. And just like you, they’re not necessarily going to eat the same amount at every meal.1 Sometimes you’re a little hungrier than other times, and this is true for your baby too! Everything you read about feeding babies should just be used as a guide. The best thing you can do from the start is to get to know your own baby’s cues.2 If they seem hungry, feed them. If baby seems to want a little more or less than what you read, that’s okay. It can be hard to figure out their cues at first, but you will undoubtedly catch on with time!

Weight Loss Is Normal

Almost all babies lose weight after birth. We usually don’t like to see them lose more than 10% of their birth weight, though. They should be back up to their birth weight by around two weeks of life.3,4

Note: When we talk about feeding intervals for babies, we count from the beginning of one feed to the start of the next.5 This might seem like an inconsequential technicality if you’ve never fed a baby. But once you do it, you’ll understand how important this is. The process of feeding your baby (including burping, changing a diaper, and all the other messy things that can happen) can sometimes take almost up to an hour!

Feeding Your One-Week-Old Baby

Here’s a breakdown of feeding your newborn in the first few days:

Day 1 (0-24 Hours)

Birth is an exciting and stressful event for both the parents and baby. Just like you, your baby will likely be revved up for about an hour after the event and then want to pass out. So, take advantage of skin-to-skin contact as soon as you safely can. If you or your baby aren’t medically stable enough for skin-to-skin yet, please don’t worry; you will have plenty of snuggle time later. Safety first!

If you’re nursing, try to get your baby to latch during this first hour when they’re most awake and alert.6 Don’t expect to see much right now. Even if nothing or just a few drops of colostrum come out, that’s okay and still very beneficial.6 Try for about five to 10 minutes on each breast, every one to three hours.7 Your goal should be about eight to 12 feeds in 24 hours.1,5,9

If you’re bottle-feeding, your baby might take only around 5-15 milliliters (mL) every one to four hours.8

Day 2 (24-48 Hours)

If nursing, your goal should be eight to 12 feeds in 24 hours.1,5,9 Don’t let your baby go more than three hours between feeds, day or night.5,6,7,16 Try for at least five to 10 minutes on each breast. And take advantage of all the help you can get. Now is not the time to be shy! Nurses, postpartum doulas, physicians, and lactation consultants can all be helpful. Getting the technique down can seem challenging for some, so having an extra set of hands from a partner can be very helpful.

If bottle-feeding, your baby might take around 10-30 mL every one to three hours.8 Again, don’t let baby go more than three hours between feeds, day or night.2,16

Day 3 (48-72 Hours)

If nursing, your goal should be eight to 12 feeds in 24 hours.1,5,9 Try for 10-20 minutes on each breast. Breastfeeding is a supply-and-demand event; the more your baby feeds on your breast, the more hormones are released in your body to stimulate the production of milk. So, the more baby feeds, the more milk you will make.10,11

If bottle-feeding, your baby might take around 15-60 mL every one to three hours.8 For both, don’t let baby go more than three hours between feeds, day or night.2,16

Day 4 to 2 Weeks

Your milk should come in sometime around days three to five.12 But you’re still establishing your supply for the first few weeks, so continue to offer both breasts for each feed.13 If you’re nursing, your goal should still be eight to 12 feeds in 24 hours.1,5,9 Continue about 10-20 minutes on each breast. If you do more than that, your baby is likely just using you as a pacifier. You and your nipples need a break!

If bottle-feeding, your baby might take around 30-90 mL (1-3 ounces) every one to three hours.14 To estimate how many ounces your baby needs in 24 hours, multiply your baby’s weight in pounds by 2.5.15 For example, an 8-pound baby will take 8 x 2.5 = 20 ounces/day. If your baby feeds 10 times per day, that’s about 2 ounces per feed.

For both nursing and bottle-feeding, don’t let your baby go more than three hours between feeds, day or night.2,5,16 Once baby is consistently gaining weight and back above birth weight, it’s usually okay to go more than three hours between feeds.17 However, I still recommend waking your baby during the day so that if they do a long stretch between feeds, that happens at night. Doesn’t four hours of uninterrupted sleep seem glorious right now?

How Do I Know If My Baby Is Getting Enough Milk?

The best way to know if your baby is getting enough breastmilk or formula is by weight gain and wet and dirty diapers.18 For the first week, there’s a great rule for this, too! Your baby should have the same number of wet (pee) diapers in 24 hours as the number of days they are old.19 So, on day one, they should have one wet diaper. On day two, they should have two wet diapers. This holds until about days five or six of life. The number of dirty, poopy diapers doesn’t matter as much as the consistency does. Their poop will go from thick meconium to more liquid stool as baby eats and gains weight.19,20

Here are a few nursing tips for the beginning:

  • Don’t expect baby to be latching and sucking the whole time while breastfeeding. Think about how you eat a sandwich. You take a bite, chew, and swallow, and then you might put it down for a few minutes before picking it back up again. Your baby will have their own eating style, and you’ll learn what that is with time.
  • Don’t put up with or suffer through a bad latch. You might feel some pain with the initial letdown, but if it’s painful or pinching throughout the feed, gently break the baby’s latch with your clean finger, remove them from your breast, and try again.21 Suffering through a bad latch will destroy your nipples, and your baby won’t effectively get the milk out.21,22

Sleep and Your One-Week-Old Baby

Newborn babies sleep a lot — up to around 16-18 hours of sleep in 24 hours!23 However, they don’t sleep for more than a couple hours at a time.24 And they don’t have an established circadian rhythm yet.23,25 They might mix up their days and nights for at least the first six to eight weeks.

Especially for the first two weeks, babies are very sleepy, even more so during the day.24 One of the biggest struggles new parents often have is waking their baby to feed. But it’s very important to do this until baby is back up to their birth weight.26 Newborns often “wake up” around 2 weeks old. Until then, ensure you have the lights on and your baby unswaddled for feeding time. You don’t want it to be too warm and cozy if baby keeps falling asleep while feeding.

Don’t Forget To Take Care of YOU!

So, that’s my summary of eating and sleeping during your little one’s first week. Now, please, don’t forget to eat and sleep yourself, new parent! Both look very different for you now than they used to, but they’re still so important.

Drink plenty of water, and have a large jug around at all times! Straws are helpful for getting you to drink. And eat lots of healthy snacks throughout the day. Think proteins, healthy fats, carbs, all of it! Even if it’s one-handed snacks and some crumbs fall on your baby, that’s okay.

Sleep also looks very different for you now. You won’t get what you need, but it’s important to make sleep a priority for you as well. Leave the dishes in the sink for now. Or ask someone else to do them. You need to eat and sleep just like your newborn baby! 🙂

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