Once the latch feels more settled, a new set of worries tends to move in. Is my baby gaining enough weight? Why are they so fussy every evening? Are they sleeping too much, or not enough? Studies on new moms find that feeding concerns and questions about crying or sleep patterns dominate the first couple of weeks after birth, and it makes sense. When you can’t see exactly how many ounces your baby just had, every fuss or extra long nap can feel like a clue you’re supposed to decode.
Here’s some of what’s genuinely normal:
Evening fussiness, often called the “witching hour,” is common in breastfed and formula fed babies alike and usually isn’t a feeding problem.
Cluster feeding, where your baby wants to eat every hour or so for a stretch, especially in the evening, is a normal newborn pattern, not a sign of low supply.
Sleep in the newborn stage is unpredictable by nature. Long stretches one day and short naps the next are both within the range of normal.
Weight gain is the one area where you don’t have to guess. Your pediatrician tracks it at every visit, and that number, along with wet and dirty diaper counts, is a far more reliable signal than how fussy or sleepy your baby seemed on any given day.
What actually helps
Trust your pediatrician’s growth chart over your own worst case scenario at 2 a.m. If your baby is gaining steadily and having regular diapers, the fussiness and sleep swings are very likely just newborn behavior, not a sign something’s wrong. If something feels off to you consistently, not just on a hard day, that instinct is worth a call to your pediatrician too. You know your baby, and that counts for something.
Next up in this series: Blog 5 is about a fear that has nothing to do with your baby and everything to do with you: the exhaustion, and the worry that you’ll never sleep, have time to yourself, or feel like you again.
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