Day / Night Confusion in Newborns
It’s common for newborns to have what is referred to as day/night confusion. Since there is no difference between day and night in the womb, babies are not born with a circadian rhythm. Their bodies do not differentiate between daytime and nighttime in the first few weeks of life. Babies love movement and tend to sleep better with motion. During the day most pregnant women are active so babies often get used to sleeping all day in the womb and being more active at night when there is typically less movement on the part of the mother. Many mothers will attest to the fact that during pregnancy their babies were most active at night while they were trying to sleep! This general schedule for their sleep can persist even when they are outside the womb.
It’s common for newborns to have a lot of awake time in the middle of the night and it can be very tough on new parents. The good news is that with some simple support, they can resolve this quite easily within a day or two. In order to help them develop their circadian rhythm we want to do the following:
Expose them to light when they first wake in the mornings and then throughout the day. This can be outside (shade is fine) or inside near windows. The light exposure helps their body to naturally learn the difference between night and day.
Stimulate them during their small daytime wake windows (between 30-60 minutes) by talking to them, encourage movement by allowing them space to just lay on an appropriate play space (blanket on the floor, etc). If they are only staying awake for 30 minutes try to extend that a little to 40 or 45 minutes. Make sure during their wake times you allow for typical daily sounds to take place in the home - phone calls, TV, other children, or whatever it might be!
Allow babies to fall asleep when they need to during the day but don’t allow the sleep to extend beyond two hours. Waking them up once they have slept for two hours allows them to get the daytime sleep they need but also allows you to extend the wake windows and their daytime wake time to allow for better nighttime sleep. This is just until the day/night confusion resolves.
Decrease as much stimulation as possible at night. Their sleeping space should be dark and when they wake try to meet all of their needs in as low a light as possible. Avoid fully turning on the lights unless absolutely necessary. Care for them with lots of love at night but without a lot of talking. Shushing noises are fine as those are helpful for sleep.