One of the most difficult things for new parents is adjusting to the lack of sleep. They are awake off and on all night to feed the new baby. The only question resonating in your mind is how soon will the baby sleep patterns change so we can enjoy a good night of sleep again.
You may be thinking during the first month your baby has no sleep pattern at all. The reality is they have a very exact sleep pattern. They sleep until they are hungry, and then they let you know in no uncertain terms. Normally the sleep with last 2 to 3 hours, followed by being awake for long enough to eat, and stay awake a little while. A newborn can sleep up to 18 hours each day. The problem is they do not care whether it is night or day, and those 2 hour sections of sleep seem very short.
After about one month the baby sleep patterns begin to change a little. They consume more breast milk or formula, stay awake a little longer, and sleep 3 to 4 hours at a stretch. Those longer periods already feel better to you. You can get a little more rest, and the dark circles start going away.
During the second to third month you will see a more distinct pattern starting to form with your baby. Make sure you gently guide it towards the right portion of the day. You do not want to establish a sleep cycle where the longer periods of sleep occur during the day. While you may be told by some people your baby should be sleeping through the night, it is not common at this time
Month four to five usually brings the best news in baby sleep patterns. During this time period is when your baby will start sleeping 6 hours or more during their longest sleep period. Hopefully you have gently guided this towards the night hours, so you can sleep, too. One of the biggest troubles parents run into is when the sleep pattern is reversed and the baby sleeps for six hours during the day. Then they are ready to play and have fun at exactly the wrong time. Do not be afraid to wake up your baby during the day to make sure to guide the longer sleep times towards the night. You may go through a few days of a grumpy baby, but it is better than months of grumpy parents.
By six months old you can expect your baby to sleep up to 10 hours at night. You can have a couple hours of freedom before heading to bed and getting a good night of sleep. Your baby sleep patterns at this age will include a couple naps of 2 to 3 hours during the day time, too. By this time in your baby’s life everyone is on a regular sleep pattern again, and those frayed nerves are done. That is the news you were really looking for.