Newborn schedule for baby’s fifth week. Baby newborn schedule and routine for the 5th week of life. 4-5 week old newborn routine.

Brinley is now five weeks old. This post discusses the time from 4-5 weeks old.

EMOTIONS

My emotions were awesome this week! I think I was pretty much just my normal self.

INSOMNIA

After I have a baby, I often get insomnia. It drives me crazy. So far, I hadn’t had it with Brinley–until one day this week.

I got her up at 10 for her dreamfeed, fed her, she woke at 3:15, I fed her, then I could not fall asleep.

I stayed in bed and tried and tried but it never happened. I ended up having to wake her at 7:30 AM–and it was on the weekend so I could have been sleeping until 7:30 AM. Isn’t that so sad? 

My uneducated theory (I haven’t looked into it at all) is that it is related to hormones. But that might not be right because not all people get it…what do I do about it?

I typically take one Tylenol PM before bed each night to help prevent the insomnia. If any of you have any insight, I am all ears. Or eyes.

Why does it happen? What do I do about it? I am very grateful it has only happened once so far. I usually have it quite often.

>>>Read: Falling Asleep Tips for the Sleep-Deprived Mother

NURSING

Still no mastitis. I will also share that she typically spends about 30 minutes nursing at each feeding.

>>>Read: How Long Should a Newborn Feeding Last?

DREAMFEED

The dreamfeed is still not perfected. She sometimes still will not eat from both sides. 

>>>Read: Dreamfeed Frequently Asked Questions

NEWBORN SICKNESS

She still had a cold this week until about the last day of the week. FYI, for the cold I just had her sleeping at an incline in her bassinet (which I then put in the crib). I removed the mucus from her nose by using a nasal aspirator. Toward the end of the cold, the mucous was harder so I would use some 
Little Noses Saline Spray/Drops.

NEWBORN NAPS

Naps are still great. Nothing has changed.

But I have to say, this week I got tired of the fourth nap. I always get this way. I just want her to be up more and want a longer period to not worry about her needing to go down for a nap so soon.

I know she will only need the fourth nap for at most 3 more months, so I can get by, but I remember feeling this way about the fourth nap with every child.

This is the age the fourth nap usually shortens.

>>>Read: Dropping Naps: A Quick Reference

WAKETME ACTIVITIES for NEWBORNS

These are the things we do during waketime. I don’t have a set waketime we do them in since her levels of sleepiness vary at this point in life.

• Bath (I always do this after her first feeding of the day)
• Get held by siblings/parents (this happens a whole lot)
• Tummy time
• Gym play
• Read stories
• “Play” on a blanket
• Lay there and have me take a million pictures of her

>>>Read: Best Toys for Baby: Ages 0-3 Months

SIBLINGS

So this is funny. When Brinley is held by Brayden, she is calm and alert.

When she is held by Kaitlyn, she relaxes so much that she is pretty well guaranteed to poop and fall asleep.

When she is held by McKenna, her eyes get huge and she stiffens up.

The funny thing is that this is the same reaction our cats have to the three children.

WITCHING HOUR

There really wasn’t any witching hour this week.

>>>Read: How To Manage Baby’s Dreaded Witching Hour

BLESSING DAY

This week, we had her blessing day at church. It was a perfect day! She did great. She did not sleep at all at church, but she sat happily and looked around. She was much admired 🙂

I let her be held while she slept by the family who came to visit. She did great with it. She slept well while being held and slept well afterward.

MILESTONES

Brinley rolled from her tummy to her back this week. She was doing tummy time and I thought, “I should video this.”

Then I thought, “Nah–nothing terribly exciting will happen.” Then about 30 seconds later she rolled over.

Always listen to yourself!

Another milestone was starting to “talk” a bit. Around this age, babies start to communicate some with vocal sounds. 

GROWTH

This week, Brinley grew a pound in five days. She is still little–she started out small, but that is quite the jump in a five day period!

SCHEDULE

This is our daily schedule that we shoot for. 
7:30–feed
8:20–nap
10:30–feed
11:20–nap
1:30–feed
2:20–nap
4:30–feed
5:20–nap
7-7:30 (time varies here)–feed, then bedtime
10:00–dreamfeed

Then night feed(s). Typically, this happens between 2-3 AM and then she wakes close to 7-7:30 AM.

Sometimes she wakes as early as 1:30 AM. Sometimes, she will wake another time at 6:00 AM. When this happens, I try to do the one side feeding and then get her up at 7:30, but if she wants two sides, we just do two and I let her go a little more than three hours for her feeds during the day so she can be on normal schedule. 

>>>Read: 5-6 AM “Night” Wakings

HELPFUL BOOKS

• Chronicles of a Babywise Mom Log eBook
• The Babywise Mom Nap Guide
• Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
• On Becoming Baby Wise
• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
• What to Expect the First Year
• The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems: Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior–Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood

RELATED POSTS

• Keeping a Newborn Awake During Feedings
• Adding Waketime to Your Newborn’s Day
• McKenna Newborn Summary: Week Five
• Brinley Newborn Summary: Week 6
• Brinley Newborn Summary: Week 4
• Sample Babywise Schedules: One Month Old (5-9 weeks)