Conclusion. The newborn stage is difficult for most parents, whether you're a first-time or seasoned mom. The abrupt change to your lifestyle, the sleep deprivation, and the demands of a baby make these weeks and months one of the hardest for any parent.
The first three months with your baby often seem the hardest. Sleep-deprived parents can feel overwhelmed, but that is normal and you will quickly learn how to read your baby's cues and personality. Don't worry about “spoiling” your baby at this stage. The more responsive you are, the more secure your baby will feel.
Most people find the first six to eight weeks to be the hardest with a new baby. And, although people may not openly discuss many of the challenges in these early weeks of parenthood (if at all), there are a number of common hurdles you may face at this time.
Usually by week 10, babies are less fussy, start going to bed earlier, and become more peaceful little creatures. Plan for it. Tell yourself it is coming whether you 'fix it' or not. Know that you can get there…even when it is really hard, tell yourself that you will make it to week 10.
Newborns are a lot of work. They seem to constantly need fed, changed, or just held. Then there are the growth spurts where they “cluster feed”–aka eating what seems like every five minutes. It can be exhausting, especially when you're a new mom and have no baseline to reference.
Second-night dramas. Referred to colloquially as the 'second-night syndrome,' this is the time your baby is thought to recognise how much his life has changed. Their idyllic life in utero has been replaced with one that is bright, noisy and feels altogether different.
Just as you start something, your baby wakes up, a nappy needs changing, or they need a bit of attention. Sometimes you can feel as though life is completely out of control. This can make you feel very tense and frustrated.
Vision is also improving. To top it off, there is also commonly a growth spurt happening at six weeks. A growth spurt may cause a baby to want to eat more often, day and night. All of these things put together means you will likely experience some extra fussiness and your baby waking even more often at night.
However, many babies tend to get "easier" around 3 to 4 months old. Around this age, infants may begin to sleep longer stretches and feed on a more predictable schedule. You may also start to adjust to your new set of responsibilities as a parent. This being said, every baby is different, as is every family.
Most infants will be able to sleep through the night with one or two feeds by the time they are 6 months old. However, every infant is different and will have their own pattern of sleeping. These sleeping habits will change as they grow and develop.
As your baby passes through the milestones of learning to self-soothe, outgrowing colic, and sleeping through the night, parenting your newborn will get easier. While it'll get easier with each passing day, you can expect caring for your newborn will be much easier by the time they're about 3 months old.
After a couple weeks, the extreme feelings usually subside. At three months, you'll see progress. And finally, at about six months you'll be totally back to normal. If you're in the middle of some serious baby blues, hold on tight.
The first few weeks with your new baby are tough. Those first 2 weeks with a newborn may be the hardest. What is this? However, it's likely to get a little tougher before it gets easier.
Babies cry a lot in their first 3 months. On average, babies cry and fuss for almost 2 hours a day, and around 1 in 10 babies cry for a lot longer than this. Crying usually reaches a peak at about 6 weeks of age and then gradually lessens to approximately an hour a day by 12 weeks of age.
Colic is the main cause of recurrent crying during the early months. All babies have some normal fussy crying every day. When this occurs over 3 hours per day, it's called colic.
Older parents are generally less at risk for depression than younger ones. Parents still in their early 20s appear to have the hardest time because they are struggling with their own move from adolescence to adulthood while at the same time learning to be parents.
By three months your baby will begin to turn their head, kick their legs, make eye contact and smile. Colourful baby mobiles and bold black and white pictures will usually attract their attention. So will shaking rattles or the sound of voices. Some babies like to lie on 'baby gyms'.
It can last a few minutes to a couple of hours. For most babies, the witching hour starts to occur around 2-3 weeks and peaks at 6 weeks. It will typically completely resolve by 3-4 months.
At 6 weeks old, you are still in a phase with your baby marked by increasing crying, fussiness, and colicky symptoms. In fact, 6 weeks is a peak week of colic.4 Your baby is probably doing most of their fussing and crying in the evening hours, which are often known as “the witching hour.”
Around this time, most babies cry and fuss more. This is a typical part of development and will pass in time. It usually peaks around 6-8 weeks and starts to settle at around 12-16 weeks.
New mothers are often overwhelmed by their changing role in life. Whereas before they were individuals surrounded by friends and possibly a challenging career, now their needs are secondary to the newborn baby. They may feel less important now that their days are filled with diaper changes, feedings, and chores galore.
Are Babies Fragile? "Babies are tougher than they appear and won't 'break' with normal handling. While it's important to support their head until they have the neck strength to hold it up on their own, their head won't fall off if you forget.
New mother syndrome is a term that describes the feeling of sadness, anxiety, or loss that new mothers experience after giving birth. It is also known as postpartum depression.