6 week old baby sleeping more than usual, im worried!!?

Question

she is 6 weeks, she is usually up all day till 4 then takes a nap. Last night she was sleeping on and off from 6pm till around 12. She was up for a few minutes at a time, when we fed her, she fell asleep halfway through eating.

Then she went back to bed, woke up at 2 to eat, then slept till 7:30 to eat now she is still back to sleep and its 10:00 in the morning...when she woke up she is alert and smiles...she has just never slept this long before...im worried, is this normal and any ideas why???

Answer 1

she's having a growth spurt.

enjoy the sleep while you can! now is a great time for you to have a good sleep too :)

Answer 2

All newborn babies can sleep like almost 24hrs straight. Its up to us to wake them up and make sure they eat every 3-4hours. Babies grow the fastest before they turn a year old. So she's always gonna be tired. As long as you wake her up periodically and make sure she eats she should be fine. Check on her every hour to keep yourself from panicking.  

Answer 3

My son went through a growth spurt at 6 weeks.  Scared me that he was sleeping more than normal.  He now does it about every 4 - 6 weeks now and I'm thankful!!  

If she's alert, I wouldn't worry too much.  If she becomes really sluggish or lethargic I'd call the doctor.

Answer 4

I had massive problems with getting my 3 month old son to sleep.  He would just lie awake and cry for hours, then when he finally went to sleep he would wake every hour or two hours through the night and cry again!  Talk about pulling our hair out .... we were absolutely desperate for sleep!

It was a baby sleep audio program recommended by a friend that finally saved us. We followed the advice and began by creating a baby sleep routine which included bathtime, dimming of the lights, putting Paul into his crib, final nappy change and then lullabies. We also made recommended changes to his naps during the day and used some of the other recommended techniques. Within two weeks he was sleeping through the night most nights with just the odd night where he would just wake once!

Definitely start by creating a good baby sleep routine though and you could find that solves most of your baby sleep problems.

Good luck!

If you want to take a look, the audio program is at http://www.babysleepsolution.com

Answer 5

I think it's normal.  A baby has so much new stuff  to sort out that they shut down to let their brain work through it all, especially after a few weeks of life.  They are also growing at a super fast rate and that wears them out.  If it worries you, you should give your pediatrician's office a call and ask.  They won't think you're dumb...they hear it all.

Answer 6

She is probably going through a growth spurt, but call your doctor for some reassurance if it will make you feel better.

Answer 7

Keep an eye on her and call our Dr if you're really worried but at 6 wks babies go through a growth spurt so she may be eating/sleep more because she is working so hard at growing!  

Answer 8

This happens once in awhile with babies.  Usually with a growth spurt or with mine I noticed he does this for about 2 or 3 days, followed by a day or 2 of waking in the night (he hasn't done that in 3 months) right before he hits a milestone or breaks a tooth.  

There is a growth spurt for most babies around 6 weeks though so in your case, that's most likely it.  Check to make sure she doesn't have a fever and if not, try to take serious advantage of the extra time...it may not last long :o)

Answer 9

Growth spurt.  She'll have 2-3 sleepy days and then eat like crazy a couple days.

Answer 10

when babies go through their growth spurts, they will sleep a little longer. It is completely normal so dont worry about it.