How much should she sleep?

[Heaven]

How much should a newborn sleep during the day? When we first came home for the first couple of weeks DD pretty much slept all the time. Then she started having a couple of awake times during the day where she wouldn't sleep between a couple of feeds. But she was still sleeping alot. Now she's only 3 wks old but she's hardly sleeping during the day from 9am until about 7pm. She only has a couple of hrs sleep! Everytime I think she's asleep and put her down she wakes up after 10mins!! Don't know how I'm ever supposed to do anything, lol.

Maybe it's just that she wants to be carried though because she's now in the hug-a-bub sound asleep I almost blew it a minute ago though by accidentally sneezing on her head she screamed but then thankfully went straight back to sleep.

[lilima]

Heaven - Don't have an answer, but I feel your pain. Emilia has been the same all day today.

[catherinemoses]

I found that Flynn was tired/needing to go back to bed after about an hr to an hr and a half.
Have you tried wrapping her? Does she fall asleep fairly quickly if she is in the hab? Have you got a little nap 'routine' happening? For us that looked like this: mum sees tired signs. Checks the nappy and change if necessary. Sing-songs that it is time for a little sleep. Wrap. Little cuddle. Pop into cot and turn on the lullaby. Sometimes I had to do the routine 2 or 3 times but generally it was only once.
IMO she shouldn't really be up from 9-7! If she is waking fairly quickly after putting her down you could try and resettle. Don't pick her up (unless she is obviously very distressed) try patting and rocking and shushing. Really (ideally!!!) she should be sleeping for around 1.5 to 2 hrs at each nap (I know this is not true for everyone tho!)
You could try a dummy too. That worked for us.
HTH
GL

[Nai]

SJ, J has been the same all day too I find she sleeps longer if I'm walking with her in the pram. I think they should have at least 1 longer sleep during the day of 2hrs - I find that J will do this later in the day if she has been unsettled in the morning.

[Kailani]

Heaven I totally empathise. DS hardly sleeps day& night although I'm pretty sure it's due to wind & reflux - he's just so uncomfortable.He will eventually tire himself out from all the wriggling and crying but won't stay asleep long before it starts again Wish I had some answers for you, just feeling sorry for both of us right now!

[Arcadia]

Hmmm...how to answer this one? I know there are a lot of theories about how much a baby should sleep, but I was told about 16 out of 24 hours. My DD slept more than this is the early, early weeks, but would struggle to make 13 hours these days.

I had/have NO success patting her in her cot, or using the pram, so I just end up carrying her in a sling (although she used to sleep for hours in the hug a bub, now I barely get half an hour).

I just tried to think in terms of "cycles" of about 2 and a bit hours, so feed her, have a bit of awake time and have some sleep time. I could never get it in any order though, and would often feed to sleep, or go awake, sleep, awake.

Its one big guessing game at this stage hun. You're doing such a great job. Try not to think about it all too much and go with the flow (unless you WANT routine..which I thought I did, but baby had other ideas!)

[Heaven]

Thanks everyone!! Yep, we wrap her. She seems to sleep fine at night in the basinette, not too many dramas. Hmm......no, we don't really have any kind of routine going on yet, I just do what she wants so far, lol.
Hmm......so as soon as I write this then she sleeps more today, lol. Only in the hug-a-bub though. She woke up at 9am, slept from 12-2.30, then awake until 4, and she's been asleep in the hug-a-bub again since then. Maybe she was just having a cranky couple of days. This hug-a-bub is worth its weight in gold though!