Newborn Week 5: What to Expect
Your baby's development, feeding, sleep, your postpartum body, mental health, and what to watch for this week.
What your baby looks like at week 5
Roundedness continues. Some babies are out of newborn-size clothes by now. Skin tone is fully settled. Eyes may begin to settle on a color but won't be final until 6–12 months.
Baby's development this week
Social smiles in full force — eye-contact, responsive smile, possibly belly laughs by end of week. Tracks objects 180° across midline. Brief head lift during tummy time (10–20 sec). May begin "talking" with coos. Reaches toward objects with hands (no grasp yet). Starting to swat at dangling toys.
Feeding at week 5
7–9 feeds per 24. Cluster feeding peaks for breastfed babies during a growth spurt around weeks 4–6 — multiple back-to-back feeds in the evening. This is normal, supply-protective, and temporary. Formula babies take 3–5 oz per feed. Spitting up is common as the lower esophageal sphincter is still maturing — laundry is part of the deal.
Sleep this week
14–16 hours, longest stretch may be 5–6 hours overnight. Wake windows 75–105 min. Some babies are starting to show clearer drowsy cues. Don't bedtrain yet — biological readiness for "sleep training" isn't until 4 months at the earliest. Continue safe sleep, swaddle if still using.
How your body is doing
Lochia tapering off. Energy is slowly returning (some days). Postpartum hair loss continues. The "mom-fog" may still be very real. If you delivered vaginally, you may feel ready for light movement (walking, gentle yoga) but not core/HIIT yet — pelvic floor isn't ready.
Your mental health this week
This is when most experienced moms say they "got their footing." If you don't feel that, it's a clue worth taking seriously — call your OB or use a screening tool. Postpartum OCD (intrusive thoughts you can't dismiss) is real and treatable.
When to call the pediatrician
Same as week 4. Add: jaundice should be completely resolved by now; if eyes/skin still yellow, call.
Survival tips for week 5
Witching hour may peak this week — it's part of the developmental "purple crying" period that lasts until about 3–4 months. White noise + motion + skin-to-skin are your tools. Get outside daily. If you can leave the house alone for 30 min once a week, that's restorative therapy.
For your partner
Take a solo overnight shift if possible (or 2-hour pump-and-handoff if mom is breastfeeding). Validate the hard parts — don't fix, just acknowledge.
Pediatric visits this week
No standard visit this week.
Gear focus
Bottle setup for pump-and-handoff. Activity gym. Consider a larger swaddle size or transition to sleep sack if baby is breaking out.
Is this normal?
If you don't feel "in love" with your baby yet, that's still normal. The cocktail of sleep deprivation + hormones + the relentless physicality of newborn care makes it hard. Many parents describe a slow build that "snaps into place" around weeks 6–10. Keep showing up.
Track your baby's wake windows
Newborn wake windows are short and shift weekly. The free Wake Windows Calculator gives you the right window for any age and helps prevent overtired meltdowns.
Open the calculator →