Chorevia

Day 2 of 60 · Week 1

The second night

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 17 sources · Plain-text version

Why tonight may be hungrier than last night, what the hospital checks before you leave, and how to rest in shifts.

A Black mother in a dim hospital room at night breastfeeds her newborn in bed under one warm lamp, her partner asleep in the recliner beside her.

Many parents remember the second night as the one where the baby woke up. Tonight they may want to feed, and feed, and feed again. That isn't a problem with your milk or with you. It's a newborn finding out they're hungry.

Heart

Your baby is learning the month's biggest lesson: when I call, someone comes. You cannot spoil a newborn, and babies whose calls for help are answered cry less overall (AAP).

If the feeds run together, that has a name: cluster feeding, several short feeds closer together than usual, and a normal pattern (Cleveland Clinic).

Head

Before you go home, your baby gets a set of checks: an exam, the newborn blood screen, a jaundice check, a pulse-oximetry heart screen, and a hearing screen, which every baby should have by 1 month (AAP, 2025; CDC). Ask for the hearing result and write it down. Not passing doesn't mean hearing loss; it means a full test with an audiologist before 3 months of age (CDC).

A yellow tint after day 1 is common; the nurses watch for it, and so does the 3-to-5-day checkup (AAP).

Body

Breastfed newborns usually feed 8 to 12 times in 24 hours, going no more than about 2 to 3 hours by day or 4 at night (AAP). Early hunger is lip smacking, sucking motions, rooting, and squirming; crying is a late sign (AAP). Formula-fed babies take about 1 to 2 ounces per feed this week (AAP).

Your baby will lose a little weight in the first few days; the AAP says it should be no more than 8 to 10% of birth weight (AAP).

Try today

  1. A Black mother propped up in a dim hospital bed at night under one warm lamp, wide awake, her two-day-old diaper-only on her bare chest, head turned to the side, blanket below the ears.

    Skin-to-skin between feeds

    Time: As long as you're both comfortable and you're wide awake · Skin-to-skin snuggles in the guide

    1. After a feed, undress your baby to the diaper and lay them tummy-down on your bare chest, head turned to one side.

    2. Cover their back with a blanket kept below their ears, face visible, nose and mouth uncovered (Feldman-Winter & Goldsmith, 2016).

    3. Watch for the early hunger cues above. When you see them, feed. You don't have to wait for crying.

    4. The moment you feel drowsy, hand the baby to someone awake or lay them on their back in the bassinet.

    Make it work:

    Early skin-to-skin probably increases exclusive breastfeeding, with moderate-certainty evidence (Moore et al., Cochrane, 2025).

Watch for

  • Normal

    feeding often and dozing between feeds.

    Call the nurse or your pediatrician right away

    if your baby is feeding poorly or has a weak suck (Nationwide Children's).

  • Normal

    needing help to stay warm, on your chest or in one more layer than you're wearing (AAP).

    Call right away

    if a rectal temperature is below 96.8°F (36.0°C) and doesn't come up with warming (Seattle Children's).

  • Normal

    a hearing screen done before you leave.

    Book a full hearing test before 3 months

    if your baby doesn't pass; if hearing loss is found, starting support before 6 months helps babies communicate better (CDC).

For you

The Black mother asleep in the dim hospital bed while her partner, awake in the recliner under the lamp, burps the newborn upright on his shoulder with a cloth, a water bottle on the tray.

Bleeding is heaviest this first week, then goes from red to pink to yellow-white; small clots when you stand up are normal (MedlinePlus). Call for bleeding heavier than 1 pad an hour or clots bigger than a golf ball (MedlinePlus).

Take the pain relief you're offered; ask what's safe while breastfeeding (MedlinePlus). Then sleep in shifts. The AAP wants partners involved from the start (Yogman & Garfield, 2016): split the night so each adult gets one longer stretch, and the non-feeding partner owns diapers, burping, and settling.

If you're the partner: tonight is yours to run. Burp, change, bring the water, and tell visitors tomorrow is better. Your line: "I've got everything until 2 a.m. You sleep. Then we switch."

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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