I have a 7 week old who, for the first time last night slept 7 hours! woo hoo! BUT, the whole next day, he has been SO tired, and i can hardly keep him awake for longer than an hour at a time. He isn't running a fever or anything, and when he IS awake, he is smiley and coos, but soon after wants to sleep..is this a growth spurt? should I be worried?
Ahhh.... the weirdest thing about babies and young children EVER (IMHO)...
Sleep begets sleep.
It's weird, and it's useable (if you need them up early, put them to bed late... and vice versa if you need more sleep and want them to sleep longer... put them to bed earlier), and it lasts for several years. Enjoy.
Sounds like little one is growing...
There is no pattern for newborns, they will sleep when they need to, eat when they need to, etc. It takes a while longer for them to start to really develop a pattern. Good luck and don't worry! Read Healthy Sleep Habits happy Baby... it's a great book!
I remember being worried about each of my children when they went through phases of sleeping a lot as newborns. My daughter slept the most. I would actually watch her sleep and think that I wish she would wake up so we could play! There were days that she would sleep the entire day. But that all changed after some time and she became the baby who only takes one nap a day - then I missed those days of all that sleep! What you are describing is normal. When they are asleep their brains are growing as are their bodies. He is probably going through a growth spurt.
Sounds normal. Newborns sleep a lot. Pick up the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Weissbluth. He does a great job talking about the different stages of sleep patterns/needs a baby needs.
I think that for the first (approximately) 3 months babies do need to sleep all the time. There really is no need for you to keep him awake for more than an hour--at this age he doesn't need much interaction and entertainment. And, the more sleep he gets, the better he will sleep. So don't worry, sleep while you can!
A 7-week old instinctively knows what they need to do. Your baby is sleeping because he needs to - and yes, he is probably having a growth spurt.
Hello C.,
Don't worry too much about that. Just let me sleep. My son was sleeping a lot when he was just newborn. I was so worry about him sleeping too much that I tried to wake him up every few hours just to feed him. But my mom told me that when the baby is sleeping, he is actually growing. And he will definately let you know that he is hungry or need change. So just try to get some rest while he is sleeping, because before you know it, he will be awake and you won't have time to do that. Trust me. Good Luck. ^_^
M.
Your baby is not oversleeping - at this age, they wake up to be fed and/or changed, and then they go back to sleep. This will all change around the 12 week mark, so enjoy this time! And sleep when your baby sleeps....
As long as your baby is waking up at least every three hours to feed, you are doing great!
My youngest is four months. He slept all night (waking for feedings) at that age, and most of the day. All the time. It was great! Something changed around 3 months or so. He still sleeps at night but less during the day.
They go through different growth spurts. You will notice they will sleep for a couple of days, then they won't sleep as much, then they will eat (if you nurse you will be like OMG!!) more than ever, then they won't eat as much a couple days later. This cycle continues till they are around one, then they even out. I kind of get bugged when 'parents' say feed your kid every __ hours, if they are hungry FEED THEM. Same if they are tired. They have their own internal clock. : )
