The first week with your newborn will be a total whirlwind! It doesn’t matter how much or little you prepared for this moment, adjusting to life with a baby will take time. Plus, you are recovering from delivering your baby too!
The most important things to focus on during the first week with newborn are:
- Keeping your baby fed
- Giving your baby a safe place to sleep
- Focusing on your own postpartum recovery
There are of course so many other little things in between too. This post will break down everything you need to know about how to survive the first week with your newborn including what you need for a newborn, the newborn eating schedule and sample newborn feeding guide, newborn sleep schedule and tips, bottle feeding tips for new moms, what to do with your baby all day and so much more!
I will also share my top tips for the first week with a newborn and toddler for all the moms reading this who are expecting their second baby.
This post is all about the first week with a newborn.
First Week with Newborn
What You Need For A Newborn
I’m sure you put together a big baby shower registry, have endless baby toys and clothing and probably have the picture perfect nursery set up. But what if I told you you really only need a few baby essentials?
I know, I know… it’s not what you want to hear. But during the first week with your baby, you really don’t need much. Your baby will be doing A LOT of sleeping and eating on repeat and you will most likely be cooped up at home, with some visitors coming to you.
So the most basic newborn must haves for the first week are:
- Footed pajamas – My babies lived in these day and night.
- Diapers, wipes, diaper cream – No need for a wipe warmer in my opinion.
- Bassinet or crib – Safe sleep for your baby is critical.
- Swaddle – This will be used for sleep at night.
- Sound machine – I recommend this portable option.
- Bottles and formula – If you are bottle feeding.
- Pacifiers – It never hurts to have a few different kinds on hand.
And that’s pretty much it. The toys and teethers will come in due time but for now, your baby is going to be taking a lot of contact naps and waking up only to eat and have his or her diaper changed.
Newborn Eating Schedule
As a first time mom, newborn eating can feel so overwhelming at first.
Many moms want specific directions about when and how to feed their newborn and my best advice is to feed as much and frequently as your baby needs or at least every 2.5 to 3 hours.
Keep in mind that newborn babies have very tiny stomachs so they do not drink as much formula or breastmilk in one feeding as you might think. But for that reason, your baby will be looking for a bottle pretty frequently, especially in the first few days.
On average, you can expect your baby to need about 2 to 2.5 ounces per pound of weight. So a 7lb baby will need on average anywhere from 14 ounces of formula to 17.5 ounces.
This is just an average though so do not panic if your baby is eating more or less than this. You will be working alongside the pediatrician and seeing them frequently, which will include weighing your baby.
The newborn feeding schedule, especially in the first week, can be ALL over the place so there really isn’t a sample newborn feeding guide to share with you.
Overall, you should expect to feed on demand, or about every 3 hours.
You can also expect your baby to be looking for food throughout the night as well and for months afterwards too. And during the first week with your newborn, your pediatrician will most likely instruct you to wake him up to eat at least every 3 hours (yep even overnight..) until your baby is back up to his birth weight.
Although it sounds daunting, there is something oddly special about feeding and rocking your newborn while the rest of the house sleeps.
Young babies also go through periods of cluster feeding, when they want a lot of shorter feedings over a few hours. Cluster feeding can happen any time but typically occurs in the afternoon or at night. Just remember that although it is exhausting, cluster feeding is temporary and will pass before you know it. Babies will typically fully outgrow it by three to four months of age.
Newborn Sleep Schedule and Tips
The newborn sleep schedule is anything but that because let’s face it, there really isn’t a schedule with a newborn. Are you noticing a theme here? 🙂
You can expect your baby to sleep A LOT during the first few weeks. I really love this sleepy newborn phase where you can soak up all of the baby snuggles while your body rests and recovers from delivery.
But on the flip side, babies are not born knowing the difference from night and day. So although they may sleep so soundly during the day, they will most likely be up quite a bit overnight.
Your baby will eventually learn the difference but your first week to weeks at home may be lacking in the sleep department.
My top tips sleep tips include:
- Use a swaddle
- Place baby on his/her back (not stomach or side)
- Don’t put anything else in the crib or bassinet
- Use a pacifier for comfort
- White noise machine
- Dark room at night and very bright during the day
- Try to embrace the extra time during overnight feeds and remember that they are just a phase.
If you would like more detailed and specific guidance, I highly recommend Taking Cara Babies’ Newborn Sleep Class. It is exactly what my family used and I swear it’s the reason we were able to get three to four hour sleep stretches from my son at four weeks old.
What To Do With Your Baby All Day
My tips for the first week with a newborn revolve around holding and snuggling your newborn as much as possible.
Obviously you have basics needs too like sleeping and eating, but I can say from experience that your baby will never need you more than they do right then and there.
Forget about the toys and the dirty dishes for the week. Your baby will be going through a major transition from life in the womb to life outside of the womb and he or she will need your familiar voice, smell and comfort.
The first week is all about making sure your baby’s needs are met – eating, sleeping, diaper changes, safe sleep and making sure he or she is warm.
This post was all about the first week with a newborn.
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