Sleeping 6 Week Old

by Angela David
(Halfax/ Canada)

My six week old little girl is waking up and drinking one to two ounces every 4-5 hours, she does not burp and falls asleep right away, I'm worried that she is kinda sick... Her eyes above her lash line are purple.. please help.

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Sleeping 6 Week Old

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Feb 06, 2009

Sleepy girl
by: Baby Help Line

Hi Angela,

Congratulations on your daughter!

From what you describe I am not quite sure why you suspect that she is ill. Is it that she sleeps so much, drinks so little or something else?

Being six weeks old it is quite normal to be sleepy. However, if she doesn't gain weight or produces 6-8 wet and heavy diapers per day, she might be ill or at least not eating and drinking quite enough.

Also, if she was more alert earlier it might be a warning sign.

However, so young, babies do tend to have periods when they sleep a lot. Then they might have periods when they are awake and very hungry (a growth spurt). These two type of episodes tend come to regularly until the baby is around 3 months old and the growth rate slows down.

You can take a look at this baby sleep schedule, which shows how much the "average baby" sleeps at different ages.

But if you are the least bit worried that she is ill, contact a doctor. 6 weeks old, one shouldn't take any chances in my view!

I hope this helps a bit!

Paula

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