Baby's first week

The first week with a newborn is a blur of feeding, nappies, catnaps and enormous feelings. It’s wonderful and utterly disorienting in equal measure, and almost nobody feels like they know what they’re doing. Here’s a gentle map of what’s normal in these first seven days, so you can tell the ordinary from the “call someone” — and go a little easier on yourself.

Feeding, constantly. Newborns feed little and often — frequently every two to three hours or more, around the clock — because their tummies are tiny and (if breastfeeding) frequent feeds build your supply. Cluster feeding, where they want the breast again and again in the evening, is normal too. Whether breast or bottle, feed on cue and don’t watch the clock too strictly; the feeding is the main event this week.

Weight loss, then regaining. It’s normal for babies to lose a little weight (up to around 10%) in the first days, then start regaining, usually back to birth weight by around two weeks. Your midwife or child health nurse will weigh your baby and keep an eye on this, so try not to panic at the early dip — it’s expected.

Nappies as a guide. What goes in comes out, and nappies are your best sign feeding is going well. Expect wet nappies to increase over the first days, and poos to change from sticky black-green meconium to softer yellow (breastfed) or tan (formula) stools. Roughly a wet nappy for each day of life early on, building to six or more heavy wet nappies a day once feeding is established, is reassuring.

Sleep, all over the place. Newborns sleep a lot in total but in short, random bursts, with no sense of day or night yet. Broken nights are the reality of this week. Always place your baby on their back to sleep, in their own safe space (a cot or bassinet to the Australian standard) with a firm flat mattress and no pillows, bumpers or loose bedding, in your room. Sleep when you can, whenever you can.

How your baby looks. Newborns are often not the smooth cherubs of adverts — expect a cone-shaped or moulded head, puffy eyes, peeling or blotchy skin, milia (tiny white spots), newborn rashes, swollen genitals, and maybe some vernix. The umbilical cord stump will dry and drop off within a couple of weeks. Nearly all of this is normal and settles.

Jaundice. A yellow tinge to the skin and eyes is very common from around day two or three, as your baby’s liver gets up to speed. It’s usually mild and fades, but your midwife will check it — and you should flag jaundice that appears in the first 24 hours, deepens, or comes with a sleepy baby who’s feeding poorly, as this needs review.

Your recovery matters too. You’re healing while learning to care for a newborn, on almost no sleep. Eat, drink, rest when the baby rests, take your pain relief, and accept help. Your midwife will visit or see you, and your child health nurse takes over as an ongoing support — lean on them freely.

When to seek help. Trust your gut. Seek urgent advice if your baby has a fever, is floppy, very sleepy and hard to wake, feeding poorly, breathing rapidly or struggling, has fewer wet nappies, or worsening jaundice — and call 000 for anything severe. It’s always okay to ring your midwife, nurse or GP; that’s what they’re there for.

This first week asks a huge amount of you, and feeling overwhelmed doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong — it means you’re a normal new parent in the thick of it. Keep the basics in view, take all the support offered, and know it genuinely gets more manageable from here.