You don't. I know that's heartbreaking, I do. I know you want to wake her up and play with her, but remember, (s)he's sleeping because (s)he needs to. Newborns need a lot of sleep. I don't know about other people, but I personally class Newborn as from birth to 1 month. After about a month they will slowly start to be more alert, and sleep a little less. Parenthood is all about patience. You need to be patient for them to start to be more alert. You need to be patient for them to reach all their milestones - every baby is different, milestones are guides, not targets. You need to be patient for them to tie their shoelaces, if you jump in and do it for them, they won't learn how to get good at it. Their whole lives you've got to be patient, and it starts now.
What you can do when your newborn is awake, is bond. The more the both of you bond with your baby now, the better your relationship with your child will be.
You can cuddle her. This might make her go to sleep, but this is because (s)he feels safe with you. Lie her on your chest, let her listen to your heartbeat. It is still the most comforting thing for her.
You can look at her. (s)he will never be this little again and you should treasure it. Look at her, study every crease and frown and chubby belly. The better you know your baby and what is normal, the quicker you will know when (s)he is ill, and the quicker you will get to know her cues.
~* Cues: Baby's have many cues to let you know things like hunger, and tiredness, before the cry even starts. They might start mouthing for food, or scratching at their face, or whimpering. There are many cues and your baby might have the same cues as other babies, or a completely unique one. Every baby seems to have several cues for each affliction, and some cues that are the same for hunger and tiredness, or hunger and pooping, etc. You should get to know your baby as much as possible so you can learn her cues. It's better to give her food as she is starting to get hungry rather than when (s)he's screaming for it; especially when weaning, it's much slower than breast or bottle feeding. *~
You can take photos of her. It is something that is very easy to forget, and when you look back and realize you don't have any/many photos, it can be quite upsetting. I think you could aim to take a photo every day, because you will miss some, and forget, and even if it's only every other day that you manage it, you'll still have plenty of photos of your little baby. Take photos of lots of different relatives holding her, (s)he might want to look at them when (s)he's older, and it will be a nice keepsake for your relatives too. Try and get a few family photos of Mummy, Daddy and Baby, especially when he's on paternity leave and readily available. You can take your camera into most Boots stores and get them developed for 20 odd pence each, there are also other, more specific places that do so. You can also go to www.photobox.co.uk/yourbaby, simply register, and you can send them your files and get 60 FREE prints sent to you. You have to pay them postage, which isn't much, £3 I think, and you can get 50 more free prints for everyone that you successfully invite to join. Even after they are no longer free, I think it is only a few pence per photo. I am not sure about photo developing websites/stores for America.
You can talk to her. (s)he got to know your voice pretty well in the womb, and it is still comforting for her. you can talk to her when (s)he's awake or asleep, soother her and let her get to know you. (s)he doesn't understand what you're saying right now, so you can repeat yourself as often as you want, or even swear (by accident of course), be sure to use calming, gentle tones, almost lyrical. You can be more upbeat and happy, sing-songy when (s)he's awake, and you should be gentler and more soothing when (s)he's asleep.
You can read to her. This is mainly an extension of talking to her. (s)he won't understand anything yet, you can simply read her whatever book you're reading if you like. This can be easier for anyone who is self conscious about chattering to their baby without any real point to the one-sided conversation, or people who don't really know what to say. They won't engage with the book, or understand what it is, so it's not something you have to do, but you could get used to it now, and doing the silly voices, so you're not thrown in at the deep end when (s)he's two or three and wants a bedtime story every night.
You can sing to her. You will need to sing when she's a bit older, babies love song. You can sing her whatever you're listening to right now, even if it swears, although you might want to start hunting around for radio edits of your favourite songs. You need to get over any embarrassment of talking, or singing to her in public, it will be best for the both of you if you don't care what other people think if you just burst into song in the middle of the supermarket.
Toys: - are not necessary for newborns. They don't really understand them. It can give you something to talk to them about and it's not like it would do them any harm, but you don't have to play with toys with them and if you do and they aren't interested, that's normal.
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