The First 24 Hours & Your Baby's Second Night

For you

Try to prioritise sleep and accept help from your support people where possible. Your midwife will usually visit within 24 hours of birth, either at home or in hospital. It's normal to have vaginal bleeding after birth, similar to a heavy period, which gradually decreases over the following days and weeks.

For your baby

After their first feed, many babies have a long sleep, sometimes up to 6 hours. This is normal. After this initial sleep, we recommend waking your baby for feeds at least every 3–4 hours, though if they wake more often and want to feed, simply follow their cues.

To help your baby stay warm: dress them in roughly one more layer than an adult would wear comfortably, choose natural fibres where possible, and aim to keep the room around 18–20°C.

During the first 24 hours, we expect at least one wet nappy and one or more dark, sticky bowel motions (meconium). Please contact your midwife if your baby is too sleepy to feed, difficult to wake, appears increasingly yellow, hasn't passed urine in the first 24 hours, or if you have any concerns about their feeding or wellbeing.

The second night

Many parents are surprised by their baby's second night. After a relatively sleepy first 24 hours, babies often become far more alert and want to feed very frequently. This is completely normal, even though it can be a lot.

Your baby has spent nine months in a warm, familiar environment, constantly connected to you. After birth, they're adjusting to a world full of new sights, sounds, smells and sensations, and often seek comfort through close contact, feeding, and being held.

What you might notice

• Wanting to feed very frequently (cluster feeding).
• Becoming unsettled when put down.
• Falling asleep at the breast, then waking shortly after wanting to feed again.
• Seeming difficult to settle, and wanting to be held for long periods.

Many parents worry this means they don't have enough milk. In most cases, that's not the reason. Breastfeeding works on a supply and demand system: frequent feeding in the first few days stimulates your body to increase milk production. Babies also feed for comfort, connection and warmth, not just nutrition.

How to get through it

• Keep your baby close, with plenty of skin-to-skin contact.
• Feed whenever your baby shows feeding cues.
• Accept help from your partner, whānau, and support people.
• Keep drinks, snacks and entertainment nearby.
• Rest whenever you can, and remember: this stage is temporary.