The bed of the baby should be clean, dust-free, and the mattress should be firm, not fluffy. Place your baby on her back to avoid SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Cover the mattress with the snuggly fitting clean sheet.
If mother is comfortable, there is no need to use a separate cot/crib/bassinet for the baby. Its better that the mother-baby duo shares the same bed. It helps in keeping the baby warm and breastfeeding becomes easier for the mother with better emotional bonding.
Generally, newborns sleep for a total of about 8-9 hours in the daytime and about 8 hours at night. The sleep cycles are shorter than adults and they tend to wake every 40 minutes in both day and night. Recognizing signs of sleep readiness like yawning, fussing, crying or becoming quiet and providing the right environment for safe and comfortable sleep is of utmost importance in helping your baby sleep.