Your baby at one week: development, feeding and what is normal

Newborn · Development · Reviewed 20 June 2026 · All articles

The first week with a newborn is a time of extraordinary adjustment for both of you. Your baby has moved from the warm, muffled world of the womb into a place full of light, sound and sensation. You have moved into a kind of love that probably surprises you with its intensity. This guide walks through what is typical at one week old: weight, physical appearance, feeding, sleep, senses and health. Remember throughout that most babies follow these patterns, not all, and variation is part of what makes every baby their own person.

Development at a glance

• Typical weight: 5 to 10 percent below birthweight, beginning to recover toward end of week one
• Typical length: close to birth length (babies do not grow noticeably in length during week one)
• Feeding: 8 to 12 feeds in every 24 hours, breast or formula
• Sleep: 16 to 18 hours total per day, in short stretches
• Senses: hears well, recognises familiar voices, attracted to high-contrast shapes
• Key milestone: umbilical cord stump drying; meconium passed; newborn jaundice may be peaking

Physical development in week one

Newborns fresh from the womb rarely look the way they appear in photographs. That is completely normal. The first week is a time of settling and adjustment for your baby's body, and some of what you see may look surprising.

Skin

Your baby's skin may appear wrinkled, especially around the hands, feet and thighs. This is the result of the skin having been immersed in amniotic fluid throughout pregnancy and then rapidly adjusting to air. Peeling, dry patches in the first week are also very common and require no treatment. Many babies also show a mottled, blotchy appearance to their skin, particularly when cool. Called cutis marmorata, this is simply a sign that the circulatory system is still maturing its response to temperature changes.

You may notice a yellowish tinge to the skin or whites of the eyes. This is jaundice, covered in more detail in the health section below. Some babies are born with small white spots across the nose and cheeks called milia; these are blocked skin pores and clear without treatment within weeks.

Head and face

After birth, especially a vaginal birth, the head may be elongated or lopsided. The skull bones are designed to overlap during delivery, and the head rounds out over the days that follow. The fontanelles, or soft spots, on the top and back of the head are normal and protected by a tough membrane; gentle touching will not harm them.

Weight

Almost all babies lose weight in the first few days of life. Most lose somewhere between 5 and 10 percent of their birthweight. This is expected: the loss reflects the passage of meconium, adjustment to feeding, and fluid shifts that happen after birth. Weight loss beyond 10 percent warrants a conversation with your midwife or doctor, not necessarily alarm, but a closer look at feeding. By around day four or five, most babies stop losing and begin to regain; by two weeks, most are back to their birthweight. Your care team will track this at every check-up.

Feeding your one-week-old

Feeding is the central occupation of the first week, and it can feel relentless. That intensity is purposeful: frequent feeding drives milk supply, provides essential calories and nutrients, and creates the opportunity for bonding and skin-to-skin contact.

How often

Most newborns feed 8 to 12 times in a 24-hour period. That works out to roughly every two to three hours, though the spacing is rarely perfectly even. Some babies cluster-feed, taking several feeds close together and then sleeping for a longer stretch. This is normal and does not mean supply is low.

Breastfeeding

If you are breastfeeding, the first milk your body produces is colostrum: a thick, concentrated fluid rich in antibodies and protein. Even small volumes of colostrum provide significant immune and nutritional benefit to your newborn. Mature milk typically comes in between days two and five, and you may notice breast fullness or engorgement when it arrives. Frequent feeding and a good latch are the two most important factors in establishing supply. If latching is painful beyond the initial moment of attachment, or if your baby seems consistently unsatisfied after feeds, speaking with a lactation consultant early is worthwhile.

Formula feeding

Formula-fed babies generally feed slightly less often than breastfed babies because formula digests more slowly. Starting volumes are typically around 60 to 90 ml per feed for a term newborn. Follow the guidance of your healthcare provider for amounts, and watch your baby's cues rather than insisting on a fixed volume at every feed. Some babies take more, some less; appetite varies from feed to feed.

Hunger cues

Learning to read hunger cues helps you respond before your baby reaches full crying. Early cues include rooting (turning the head and opening the mouth), hand-to-mouth movements and small sucking motions. Crying is a late hunger cue; a very distressed baby can be harder to latch. If you can catch the earlier signals, feeds tend to go more smoothly for both of you.

Sleep in week one

Newborns sleep a great deal: between 16 and 18 hours in every 24-hour period is typical. What makes this sleep challenging for parents is that it arrives in short stretches of one to four hours, distributed across day and night without any preference for the nighttime hours. A baby's circadian rhythm, the internal clock that distinguishes day from night, does not develop until around three to four months of age. In week one, your baby genuinely does not know the difference.

Short bursts of light, noise and activity during the day and calmer, dimmer environments at night can gently begin to reinforce the difference, though meaningful results are weeks away. The most important thing in week one is safe sleep: place your baby on their back, on a firm flat surface, with no loose bedding, pillows, bumpers or soft objects nearby. If you are bed-sharing or room-sharing, discuss the safest arrangement with your midwife or paediatrician.

Sleep deprivation in new parents is real and cumulative. Sleeping when your baby sleeps is not a cliche; it is genuine advice. Letting feeds and other care be shared by a partner or trusted person during this first week, even for short windows, can make a meaningful difference to your recovery and your wellbeing.

Health and senses

Stools: from meconium to yellow

In the first day or two of life, your baby passes meconium: a dark, tarry, greenish-black stool made up of amniotic fluid, mucus and cells swallowed during pregnancy. As feeding becomes established, stools transition through greenish-brown and then to yellow. For breastfed babies, yellow stools are typically soft and seedy in texture; formula-fed babies tend to have slightly firmer, paler stools. By around day four or five, most babies are producing several yellow stools per day. This transition is a useful signal that feeding is going well and your baby is getting enough milk.

Newborn jaundice

Jaundice, the yellow colouring caused by a build-up of bilirubin in the blood, affects the majority of newborns to some degree. Bilirubin is a by-product of the natural breakdown of red blood cells; newborns have relatively high levels because they are born with extra red blood cells and their livers need a little time to process bilirubin efficiently. Physiological jaundice typically appears on day two or three, peaks between days three and five, and fades on its own over one to two weeks. Frequent feeding supports clearance.

Jaundice that appears in the first 24 hours, spreads below the knees, or is accompanied by very sleepy or hard-to-wake behaviour deserves prompt medical attention. Your care team will check your baby's bilirubin level if they have concerns. Phototherapy, a light treatment that helps break down bilirubin, is effective and safe when it is needed.

Vitamin K

Newborns are born with very low levels of vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting. A single injection of vitamin K at birth is recommended by most health authorities to prevent a rare but serious bleeding condition. If you had questions about this at birth or your baby has not yet received it, speak with your midwife or paediatrician.

Senses: your baby already knows you

One of the most moving discoveries of the first week is how much your newborn already perceives. Hearing is well developed at birth: your baby has been listening to muffled sounds from inside the womb for months, and responds to familiar voices with visible calm. Research consistently shows that newborns prefer the sound of their mother's voice and the voices of people they heard frequently before birth.

Vision is less developed: at one week old, your baby sees most clearly at a distance of about 20 to 30 centimetres, roughly the distance to your face during a feed. They are strongly attracted to high-contrast shapes, especially the contrast between a hairline and a forehead, or the edges of a face. Colour vision is present but limited. Prolonged, direct eye contact during feeding is one of the earliest forms of communication between a parent and baby.

Smell is also acute. Newborns can distinguish the scent of their own mother's breastmilk from that of another mother within days of birth. This sensitivity supports bonding and helps a baby orientate toward feeding.

What comes next: week two and beyond

The second week brings several small but meaningful shifts. For most babies, weight regain moves into full swing around days seven to ten, and returning to birthweight by two weeks is a common milestone your care team will be watching for. Jaundice, if present, typically continues to fade.

You may notice your baby becoming slightly more alert in short windows each day. These awake periods are still brief, but they are the beginnings of social engagement. Eye contact becomes more sustained. Your baby may begin to track a slowly moving face or object. These early interactions are the foundation for the social smile that most babies produce somewhere around six weeks of age.

Feeding usually becomes more settled in week two as both you and your baby gain experience. For breastfeeding families, supply and demand begins to regulate. For all families, you will have accumulated enough data points to start to recognise your baby's individual rhythms and patterns, even if they still feel unpredictable.

The umbilical cord stump, if it has not already separated, continues to dry and will typically fall away between one and three weeks of age. Keep the area clean and dry and watch for any signs of redness or odour around the base.

Above all, the most important thing at the end of week one is this: you are doing it. The exhaustion is real, and the learning curve is steep. Most of what you are experiencing is not a sign that something is wrong; it is the shape of the beginning.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal for my newborn to lose weight in the first week?

Yes, most newborns lose 5 to 10 percent of their birthweight in the first few days. This is expected and normal as babies pass meconium and adjust to feeding outside the womb. Most babies begin to regain weight by day four or five and return to their birthweight by around two weeks of age. If your baby loses more than 10 percent of birthweight, or is not showing signs of regaining, speak with your midwife or paediatrician.

How many times should a one-week-old feed in 24 hours?

Most one-week-olds feed 8 to 12 times in every 24-hour period. For breastfed babies that averages to once every two to three hours; formula-fed babies may go slightly longer between feeds. Feeding frequently is important for establishing milk supply and ensuring your baby gets enough calories. Watch for hunger cues such as rooting, hand-to-mouth movements and fussing rather than watching the clock alone.

When does newborn jaundice appear and when should I be concerned?

Physiological jaundice, the yellow tinge caused by a build-up of bilirubin, typically appears on day two or three and peaks between days three and five. For most babies it fades on its own within one to two weeks as the liver matures. Jaundice that appears in the first 24 hours, spreads to the arms and legs, or is accompanied by extreme sleepiness or poor feeding needs prompt medical review. Frequent feeding helps the body clear bilirubin more quickly.

When does the umbilical cord stump fall off?

The umbilical cord stump typically dries, shrivels and falls off somewhere between one and three weeks after birth. Keep the area clean and dry; fold the nappy below the stump to let air circulate. You do not need to apply alcohol or any solution unless your care provider specifically advises it. Contact your doctor or midwife if the skin around the base of the stump becomes red, swollen or has a foul smell, as these can be signs of infection.