First Night Home From Hospital And Baby Won’t Sleep

You’ve spent months waiting for the arrival of your precious baby. Now that they are here, you may be thinking “Now what?”. 

When you get released from the hospital and head home with your little one, it can be difficult to know what to expect for the first night at home. 

It’s important to note that newborns don’t adhere to the plans we’ve made or the expectations we set for how parenthood is going to be. Your best bet is to let go of your assumptions and follow your baby’s lead as best you can. It does help if you prep your first night home from the hospital and baby won’t sleep.

It’s no secret that the first night at home with a new baby can be challenging, stressful, and exhausting. What will you do if the baby stays up all night? When do you get to sleep? How often do they feed?

Take a deep breath and keep reading.

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Tips for the first night home from the hospital and your baby won’t sleep

It’s your first night home from the hospital and baby won’t sleep — before you panic, here are a few tips worth trying to see if you can help get the baby settled. 

Take shifts so both parents can get some sleep

Coming home from the hospital is a huge relief for both parents. As you get settled, talk about your plan for the evening. Most parents just play it by ear, see how the baby does, and roll with the punches. 

If your partner is feeling wired and awake, let him or her take the midnight shift so you can get some rest. If you’re lucky, you’ll get 4 to 5 solid hours of sleep, and may be able to avoid being a total zombie when your shift begins in a few hours.

Make sure baby is swaddled and comfortable

Your baby has been comfortable and safe inside your womb for the better part of nine months, and that environment is the only one they know. They were snuggled up inside your belly, with the sounds of your lungs, heart, and your voice calming them and lulling them. 

Trying to mimic that same environment is a great strategy to calm an upset newborn. Get the baby swaddled, but make sure the temperature in the room is comfortable so they don’t overheat. 

Swaddles make babies feel safe and secure and help them drift off to sleep. Check out some of our favorite affordable Amazon swaddles. 

Babies can’t regulate their own temperatures for a few months, so any change in climate will affect them. Be aware of this as you get them ready for bed with pajamas, a swaddle, and the temperature in the room. 

Let his hands free so he can suck his thumb

If the swaddle doesn’t seem to help calm him, try adjusting the tightness so he can wiggle his hands out of the swaddle. 

Your baby soothed himself in the womb by sucking on his thumb or fingers, so he may be looking for that same comfort now that he’s out in the world and trying to adjust to his new environment. 

Try breastfeeding

If you are nursing, you may find the baby is more calm and more content while breastfeeding. 

If he falls asleep nursing, gently remove your breast from his mouth and let him sleep on your chest. Hopefully, he will fall into a deeper sleep and you’ll be able to move him to his bassinet.

When all else fails, snuggle! 

Snuggling may not sound like the most ideal activity when you’re exhausted, sore from delivery, and feeling delirious.

But in the first few weeks of your baby’s life, the more snuggling he gets from you, your partner, and other family members, the better. Babies need touch to feel comfort, and when they are comfortable, chances are good they will drift off. 

Is the first night home with baby the hardest?

The first night home with a new baby may not be the hardest night, but there will be challenges involved. Whether this is your first baby or your fifth, every child is different and has its own needs. 

You may already know that during the first few weeks of their life, newborns sleep anywhere from 14 to 17 hours a day. Some of those hours may be at night, and some may be during the day. Every baby has their own sleep schedule (or lack thereof), especially in the beginning.

While they may sleep up to 17 hours a day, sleep stretches may be anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. This means that at the beginning, you’ll be up every 2 to 3 hours to nurse or feed them a bottle. 

The dreaded lack of sleep is certainly one of the most challenging parts of having a newborn, but don’t forget — this too shall pass. 

TLDR; the first night home with your baby might be hard, or it could be a breeze. Just know that the first few weeks may be challenging, from lack of sleep and adjusting to your new normal, so feeling overwhelmed and exhausted is normal and it will pass. 

Related: Help! My baby won’t sleep in our new house!

How can I settle my newborn at home the first night?

Make sure your baby is fed and burped with a clean diaper, and is resting in a calm environment. Besides that, the night will go how it’s going to go. 

Remember that your baby has just entered this world from a very warm, cozy place and he is likely to be unsettled. It’s probably the biggest adjustment human beings make, so it’s normal if it doesn’t go smoothly for your child. 

Things that may help calm and soothe your baby include a sound machine, a wipe warmer for those late-night diaper changes, and a comfortable, safe place for him to sleep or rest. 

Related post: What to do if baby won’t sleep for mom but will for dad

How do I get my baby to sleep in his bassinet the first night?

Soothe, rock, and cuddle your baby until he is drowsy or almost completely asleep. Gently place him, swaddled, into the bassinet. Turn the sound machine on so his environment is similar to the womb.

Whether you’re using a Pack and Play or a bassinet, make sure it’s close to your bed so you can access him easily to soothe him, feed him, and change him. 

How do you cope with a newborn and no sleep?

Patience, caffeine, and outside help are the best strategies to cope with a newborn baby. If you have family, friends, or neighbors who are willing to help you with this transition, accept the help graciously. 

Let the family take your older children to their home for a night or two, friends can bring meals over and help with laundry and other household chores, or neighbors can come to watch/ feed the baby while you catch up on sleep.

Simply put — the best way out is through. 

Related posts: Surviving The First Few Weeks With A Newborn and Toddler

Wrap up- It’s the first night home from the hospital and baby won’t sleep

Every phase of your baby’s life is new and different, and you are both learning as you go. As you heal from childbirth and adapt to a new role, give yourself (and your partner) grace and patience to find your footing as a family, even from that first night at home. 

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