Week 1: Your tiny baby is fresh from the womb, often very sleepy, feeding often, and finding calm in your smell, voice, and skin-to-skin cuddles as you both start to get to know each other.

• In week 1 many babies feed very often, sometimes close together, because their stomach is small and they are learning to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing.
• Parents are often advised to look for early hunger signs, such as stirring, rooting, or sucking on hands, and to offer the breast or bottle then, rather than waiting until crying starts.
• Plenty of wet nappies across the day and a baby who usually wakes for feeds and then has some calmer, settled spells afterwards can be reassuring signs that feeding is moving in a good direction.

• During the first week many newborns sleep for much of the day and night in short stretches, waking often to feed and for cuddles, so it is common for there to be no clear routine yet.
• Parents are often advised to let their baby sleep on their back in a clear, flat sleep space in the same room as them, and to keep lights low and noises gentle at night to support safer and calmer sleep.
• Because night waking is frequent at this age, sharing baby care where possible, resting when the baby sleeps, and lowering expectations for housework or other tasks can help you manage tiredness.

• In the first days it is common to see black, sticky meconium nappies, which then usually change over the week to softer poos that become lighter, then greenish or yellow, as your baby takes more milk.
• Wet nappies tend to become more frequent across the first week, and many parents use this, together with their baby’s general alertness and feeding, as one of the signs that their baby is taking in fluids.
• Because poo and wee can vary, parents are often advised to ask their midwife, health visitor, or paediatrician if nappies suddenly become very rare or if the colour or smell of poo worries them.

• Even in week 1 your baby is busy learning through their senses, and simple things like talking softly, singing, and holding them close help them recognise your voice, smell, and touch as safe and familiar.
• For very short awake windows you might quietly describe what you are doing, look into your baby’s eyes, or show them your face at arm’s length, then let them rest again when they turn away or seem tired.
• If your baby is calm and awake, a few gentle moments of lying on their tummy on your chest or a firm surface, while you stay right next to them, can help them start to practise lifting their head and feel their body in space.

Sources

• NHS – Caring for a newborn baby
• NHS – Breastfeeding: the first few days
• HealthyChildren.org (AAP) – Your Newborn's First Week: How to Prepare & What to Expect
• World Health Organization – Early initiation of breastfeeding

This content is general information only and is not medical advice. If you are worried about your baby, contact your midwife, health visitor, paediatrician, or local emergency service.