Newborn babies sleep a lot. Expect your baby to be asleep for up to 18 hours over the course of 24 hours in his first few weeks. But he/she won't sleep for more than three hours or four hours at a time, day or night. This unfortunately means that you and your partner can expect some sleepless nights, especially at first.
This is a necessary phase for your baby and it won't last long, though it may seem like an eternity while you're sleep-deprived.
Your baby’s sleep cycles are far shorter than yours. He/she spend more time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is a light, easily disturbed sleep. This is necessary for the changes that are happening in his brain.
Once he/she is between six weeks and eight weeks your baby will probably sleep for shorter spells during the day and longer periods at night. But he/she still wake up to feed during the night. He/she have more deep, non-REM sleep and less light sleep.
