Finding your feet (slowly)
Feeding is settling into something recognisable, the cord stump is on its way out, and most babies are back to their birth weight by the end of this week.
Little milestones of week two
Most babies are back at their birth weight by around 10 to 14 days — a few healthy babies take up to three weeks, which is why your midwife or health visitor keeps weighing until they're happy.
The umbilical cord stump usually dries out and drops off around one to two weeks. Keep it clean and dry and let it do its thing — a tiny smear of blood as it separates is normal.
If your baby had mild jaundice, it's typically fading now. Jaundice that's still obvious after two weeks needs a check — it's usually harmless, but there's a simple test your GP or midwife will want to do.
Feeding finds a rhythm (sort of)
Feeds are still frequent — 8 to 12 or more in 24 hours is normal — but you may start to recognise your baby's hunger cues before the crying starts.
From day 5 onwards, around six heavy wet nappies a day plus regular soft yellow poos are the most reliable sign that feeding is going well, however you're feeding.
Evening fussiness and wanting to feed almost constantly for a few hours (cluster feeding) often starts around now. It's normal baby behaviour, not a sign that your milk or your formula isn't enough.
Days and nights are still muddled
Your baby doesn't yet make the sleep hormone patterns that separate day from night, so plenty of babies do their longest sleep in the daytime. This sorts itself out over the coming weeks.
You can gently help by keeping daytime feeds light and sociable and night feeds dark, quiet and boring. Gently is the word — this is a nudge, not a training programme.
Keep every sleep on their back in a clear cot or Moses basket in your room. If you're exhausted, plan for where sleep might happen rather than risking accidentally dozing off on the sofa together.
And you
The baby blues should be lifting by the end of this week. If low mood, anxiety or tearfulness are carrying on or getting worse, that's worth a conversation with your midwife or health visitor — not because you've failed, but because help works.
Your body is still healing. Bleeding (lochia) continues for a few weeks and gradually lightens; sudden heavier bleeding or a bad smell needs a check.
Partners can get overlooked in week two, and depression and anxiety affect them too. Whoever you are, saying 'I'm finding this hard' out loud to someone is a strength.
Feeding at this stage
Pick how you're feeding — we'll remember for next time. Every one of these is a good way to feed a baby.
Breastfeeding
- Your supply is calibrating to your baby's demand this week — frequent, effective feeds are the whole mechanism, so let them feed as often as they like.
- Cluster feeding in the evening is common and normal; it isn't evidence of low supply — heavy wet nappies and steady weight are the true measures.
- Sore or cracked nipples aren't something to push through — ask your midwife, health visitor or a breastfeeding drop-in to watch a full feed.
- Keep going with daily vitamin D drops for your baby.
Breast + expressed
- If you're expressing some or all feeds, aiming for the same frequency as a baby would feed (8+ times in 24 hours) protects your supply in these calibration weeks.
- Many people find they get more milk in the morning — a good slot if you're building a small stash.
- Use paced bottle feeding for expressed milk: baby semi-upright, bottle horizontal, plenty of pauses — it keeps bottle feeds comfortable and lets baby stay in charge.
- Freshly expressed milk keeps in the fridge (at 4°C or lower) for up to a few days — label it, and store it at the back rather than in the door.
Breast + formula
- If combination feeding is your plan, keeping breastfeeds frequent while topping up with formula helps your supply settle at a level that works for you.
- Watch nappy output rather than the clock or the tin — six heavy wet nappies a day from day 5 means your combination is working.
- Paced, responsive bottle feeding for the formula feeds keeps switching between breast and bottle easier for your baby.
Formula
- Let your baby set the pace — appetite varies feed to feed and day to day, and the amounts on the tin are a starting point, not a target.
- Cluster-type behaviour happens with formula-fed babies too — wanting smaller, more frequent feeds some evenings is normal.
- Winding halfway through and after a feed helps many babies settle; there's no single right technique, just what works for yours.
- Whoever gives the bottle, holding baby close with eye contact makes feeds a bonding moment — and letting the parents do most feeds helps baby feel secure.
Totally normal (even when it doesn't feel it)
- A few extra days to regain birth weight — some healthy babies take up to three weeks, and your midwife or health visitor is tracking it.
- A slightly gunky or faintly smelly navel as the cord separates, with a tiny smear of blood, is part of normal healing.
- Cluster feeding — long stretches of almost constant feeding, often in the evening — is normal and usually passes within days.
- Grunts, squeaks and snuffly noises during sleep are standard newborn soundtrack, not a cold.
- Explosive yellow poos after nearly every feed (breastfed) or firmer, less frequent poos (formula-fed) can both be completely normal.
- Milk spots, flaky skin and mild baby rashes are still common and still clear up on their own.
- Your baby having no schedule whatsoever — day–night confusion is biology, not bad habits.
Worth checking
You know your baby best — if any of these ring true, or something just feels off, it's always OK to ask.
- A temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher always needs same-day advice at this age — call your GP or NHS 111 (UK); in the US, your pediatrician.
- Jaundice that is getting deeper rather than fading, or still obvious past two weeks — call your midwife, health visitor or GP; in the US, your pediatrician.
- Very pale, chalky poos or dark yellow urine alongside jaundice — call your GP promptly; in the US, your pediatrician.
- Redness spreading on the skin around the cord stump, swelling, or a genuinely bad smell with oozing — call your midwife or GP; in the US, your pediatrician.
- Fewer than six wet nappies in 24 hours from day 5, or a baby too sleepy to feed — call your midwife, health visitor or GP; in the US, your pediatrician.
- Green (bile-stained) vomit at any age — call your GP or 111 urgently; in the US, your pediatrician or urgent care.
- Blue or grey lips, long pauses in breathing, floppiness or unresponsiveness — call 999 (UK) or 911 (US).