The average working American sleeps approximately 7 ½ hours per night, with only work and related activities topping sleep time at about 8 ½ hours. However, a one-month-old averages out needing 15 ½ hours of sleep at night and day time. Yes, your brand-new bundle of joy will most likely spend the majority of his infancy with his eyes closed.
What is thought to be astonishing brain development occurs during baby's 8 ½ hours of night time sleep and 7 hours of day time sleep, broken up into three naps. But, if you're like most parents, you soon discover that you won't be getting to sleep a straight 8 ½ hours while your child sleeps or even the average 7 ½ for most Americans. Newborns typically sleep no longer than two hours at a time. Why?
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Babies spend a significant amount of time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a lighter, easily disrupted form of sleep. This REM sleep greatly aids a child's growth.
Don't rush to your doctor if your child sleeps a total of 11 or 17 hours per day. With babies, there are exceptions to every average. That's why they're called averages, because you take the child who sleeps 20 hours per day and the kid who sleeps 9 hours per day and lump them together with a variety of other figures to come up with the magic number: 15½ hours.
My daughter usually slept more than 15 hours per day when she was a newborn. But each and every day was different. Her moods changed daily, and our activities for the day varied, just as any other household would attest. Some days she decided to sleep less than usual and other days more. I suggest keeping a log of your baby's sleep patterns because chances are, he is developing his own sleeping timetable. It also might be helpful to jot down when he eats. That way, you can coordinate your day around his schedule. And most importantly, if at all possible, sleep when he sleeps.