Hi there! I am Jane, your newborn and family photographer in South West London.  I would love to create some stunning memories for you that will last you a lifetime.

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Newborn Family and Children Photographer in South West London Wimbledon SW19 Studio and Outdoor locations

 

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Jane Atter Photography

WHY DOES MY BABY SLEEP SO MUCH AFTER BIRTH?

Your newbonr baby sleep routine worries a lot of new parents. Is it normal that my baby sleep for most of the day? Shall I wake my baby up for feed? How much sleep can one reasonably expect a healthy baby to need during those first few months of life?

The fact is that babies sleep and it is perfectly normal. Here are some facts about babies and sleep that may help to put the minds of new parents at ease.

The reality is that babies sleep. In fact, newborn babies sleep a lot. While the sleep pattern for a baby may not be the same and coincide with those of parents, there is need to be alarmed if your infant sleeps through most of the night and still sleeps a great deal during the day. Even if the baby sleep reaches up to 20 hours per day, with short periods of awake time for feed and change scattered throughout the day, there still is no reason for alarm.

One of the reasons why babies sleep so much is the fact that the baby is still adjusting to a new environment, and grows rapidly at the same time. A lot of sleep for babies early on is a good thing. Proper development demands that babies sleep a lot. Growth hormones are secreted by the pituitary gland at a much faster rate while babies sleep.

So what baby does to grow is the body prioritizes growing at the expense of nearly anything else. This means taking in the right amount of breast milk and formula and then turning that food into growth.

So for my BABY PHOTOSHOOTS I use that knowledge of baby sleep patterns and adjust newborn photo session timetable accordingly to create the most comfortable atmosphere for your baby and the parents of course.

newborn baby photoshoot baby sleep on a tiny bed newborn photo studio in London SW19
newborn baby photoshoot baby sleep on a tiny bed newborn photo studio in London SW19

HOW LONG SHOULD BABY SLEEP FOR?

The first month of a newborn’s life is the period during which they should sleep the most. As they grow older, you’ll start to see that sleep time gradually decrease. Here are some benchmarks in terms of sleep times and what to expect with your baby’s sleep time:

Newborn to 1 month: 15-17 hours of sleep. Around 7-9 hours during the night, 8 hours during the day. From my baby photographer’s experience, longest nap of the day is in the morning between 9-12 as baby is catching up on sleep she didn’t get during the night.

  • 1 month to 3 months: 14-16 hours of sleep. Around 7-9 during the night, 6-7 hours during the day. The older your baby the less sleepy she will become, that is why it is advisable to schedule your newborn photoshoot for the first two weeks from birth, whilst your baby is sleeping the most.
  • 3 months to 6 months: 13-16 hours of sleep. Around 8-10 during the night, 4-6 during the day.
  • 6 months to 9 months: 12-15 hours of sleep. Around 9-10 during the night, 3-5 during the day.
  • 9 months to a year: 12-15 hours of sleep. Around 10-11 during the night, 3-4 during the day.
  • 1 year to 1 1/2 years: 12-14 hours of sleep. Around 10-11 during the night, 2-3 during the day.
  • 1 1/2 years to 2 years: 12-14 hours of sleep. Around 10-11 during the night, 1-3 during the day.

When taking a look at the above sleep schedule, it’s important to keep a few things in mind.

A newborn baby is likely to only sleep for 1-2 hours at a time, waking frequently and then falling back asleep after a short interval. Over time, these sleep intervals start to stretch out longer, becoming 2-3 hour intervals, up into 3-4 and finally into longer blocs of sleep centred more around night time.

HOW TO HELP YOUR BABY SLEEP FOR LONGER DURING THE DAY TIME?

While sleeping babies don’t go into a deep sleep, instead they go in and out of deep sleep rhythmically and their sleep cycle lasts for about 20 minutes at the time.

 If they happen to hear a sudden sound when they are out of their deep sleep, then it will startle the baby and they will wake up. This is the regular sleeping pattern of babies.

If you play white noise while baby is sleeping, then it masks any sounds which baby is likely to hear when out of the deep sleep. That is why baby feels cams and comforted while listening to the white noise in their sleep. White noise reduces the stress in babies and helps them to dose off into sleep again.

White noise reminds babies of the sounds  he or she was hearing in mummy’s tummy during pregnancy, familiarity keeps them comforted and helps them to relax. This is why babies sleep continuously and for longer when you play white noise on the background.

Being armed with the above knowledge I use newborn white noise at my photo studio during the newborn baby photoshoot to help your baby sleep for longer. I also use essential oils by doterra with Lavender scent to keep calm welcoming atmosphere in my photo studio during the photo session.

HAVEN’T GOT WHITE NOISE TO HAND?

Here I have prepared some 10 hour long white noise video for you to help your baby sleep your baby

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more information of your baby’s first few fays of development and cute pictures of course:))

 

 

Newborn Family and children photographer in South West London, SW19 UK Wimbledon area. Taking beautiful maternity baby and family portrait photos

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