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At three weeks old, my baby was sleeping very well at night. Now at four weeks old, she seems to have regressed. She only sleeps for one to two hours at a time and will not sleep in her bassinet. We have increased her feedings during the day, we rock her until she's fully asleep and swaddle her, but she still manages to wake herself up within minutes of leaving our arms. Is this normal behavior and what can i do to encourage sleeping in her own bed?
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At three weeks old, my baby was sleeping very well at night. Now at four weeks old, she seems to have regressed. She only sleeps for one to two hours at a time and will not sleep in her bassinet. We have increased her feedings during the day, we rock her until she's fully asleep and swaddle her, but she still manages to wake herself up within minutes of leaving our arms. Is this normal behavior and what can i do to encourage sleeping in her own bed?
Typically, a newborn will sleep around 16 hours a day, for up to 3-4 hours at a time. Depending on if she is breastfeeding or bottlefeeding, she will still be feeding fairly frequently throughout the day and night. Because newborns still need these frequent feeds, it is typically not recommended to establish regular sleep patterns until closer to 2 months of age.
However, in general, if she has been falling fully asleep while being rocked or fed, this is a pattern she will come to expect. Infants typically will awaken a few times briefly during the night, and if they are used to falling asleep with the cues of rocking or feeding, it is difficult for them to return to sleep without these cues. In general, if she can be put down in her crib when drowsy but not quite fully asleep, it will become easier for her to fall back asleep on her own. She may fuss a little when being laid down, but if she is crying a lot, you can give her brief reassurance by holding and patting.
Things usually get better as your infant gets older, but if you can establish these habits early on, it will pay off in the long run.
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