Your Newborn Baby's Eight Week: they start 'sleeping through the night'

During 8th week of newborn baby’s physical development includes holding things in his/her hands at this point. Stick a rattle in his/her palm and watch his/her little fingers close around it. This week your baby's infant vision is improving and he/she is starting to distinguish colors more now, so surround him/her with complex designs and bright, colorful objects. 

Newborn babies need lots of sleep but they also need to fill their tiny tummies at regular intervals. It's only when they can last for six to eight hours without a night feed that they start 'sleeping through the night'. In the first weeks of life, babies sleep for an average of 16 to 18 hours a day. A newborn will usually sleep for two to four hours at a time, wake up for a feed and short play and then drop off again. Your baby's feeding and sleep cycles will usually be the main focus for both you and your newborn baby. Newborns are very sensitive to bright light and are more likely to open their eyes in low light.

This week your baby to still needs at least 6 feeds/24 hours at 8 weeks. Many babies go through a growth spurt at this age and demand to be fed more frequently. If you are breastfeeding, you may find your baby wants to cluster feed in the late afternoons and evenings, making you doubt if you have enough milk for them. As long as your baby is growing well and gaining 150-200grams per week, having 6 or more, pale, wet nappies a day and is happy and alert, feel reassured that your lactation is sufficient for their needs.

Babies usually focus on developing one major task at a time. Your baby is learning to babble new sounds. His/her head is still wobbly, but those neck muscles get stronger by the day. Around this age, your baby can lift his/her head about 45 degrees. Put him/her on his/her stomach for brief periods every day so he/she can practice. He/She may even try to do mini-pushups! Encourage him/her to look up by placing a mirror or dangling a toy in from of him(her).

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