Giving birth is tiresome enough and, just a few days later, the day and night thing doesn't seem to come into their minds.
You are not alone. Newborn babies are not born with a set sleep pattern and it is something that needs to be learned, something you'll need to teach them, and why they feed day and night.
The old saying of sleep when a baby sleeps is pretty much around thanks to newborns, not toddlers.
For some babies, this sleep pattern can take longer to learn.
In the early stages, your baby is most likely waking because they are hungry as it's generally a rule of thumb that newborns' sleep patterns are ruled by their stomachs. So if they're hungry, they'll be awake and should drift off after a feed.
For newborns, it is vital to let them sleep when they want to sleep and it's not advised to keep them awake to make them sleep that night.
As babies get older, they should start to develop a routine by the age of 3/4 months.
Then, what's called the four-month sleep regression hits. Generally, it means that a baby that once slept soundly and may have been a great sleeper is now waking several times a night.
Erica Hargaden, founder and director of Babogue.com, is an FSI certified child sleep consultant, and also a mother of three.
She said: "The four-month sleep regression is perfectly normal and is usually a good sign as it means that your baby is developing a skill or experiencing a growth spurt.”
Your four-month-old is going through so many experiences daily and trying new things and these new experiences can cause disruption for a short while to their sleep patterns.
With any luck though, Erica says "the four-month regression should only last for around two to four weeks".
She added: "However, the time that the regression lasts completely depends on your baby and how quickly they develop."
Erica suggests that you should "make sure you continue to put your baby to sleep at a similar time each evening and stay consistent with their sleep routine”, even when going through the regression and to avoid “a new schedule adapted for their regression, they may start to get used to the new bedtime and take longer to rest permanently".
Sleep regressions may also happen around the eight and ten-12 month age mark but it is worth noting that every child is different, and you as the parent will be able to decipher if it's sleep regression or something else.
What else could stop my baby from sleeping?
Sleep regression is not the only challenge that you'll be faced with during the first 12 months of your little one's life. Teething and growth spurts will also play a part in waking your child, especially as teething can be quite painful and uncomfortable.
Growth spurts generally happen a lot more in the first six weeks of a baby's life, and then they will taper off to every three months or so, so the three, six and nine-month marks.
Growth spurts for your little one will be aches and pains and may affect their sleeping and cause them to sleep more during the day.
If a baby is ill, this will also affect their sleep. Having a blocked nose isn't fun for anyone, but a little baby isn't too sure what's happening so it will obviously disturb their sleep.
As a parent, don't be afraid to ask for help – whether it be a sleep expert, GP, family, or your public health nurse.
