New Parent Sleep

https://youtu.be/cfv1Xt_Dbb8 New parent sleep – doesn’t that sound like a dream? This week I’m going to help you as a new parent with the coping strategies that you can use to help you with your sleep when you are dealing with the disturbed nights that you get with a new baby. I have some great tips for you to help you through this phase. Now, the first thing that I want you to take on board is that rest is better than nothing. I know people say, “I’ll sleep when the baby sleeps.” And they do sleep a lot. You know they’re going to sleep quite regularly. They’re awake for 45 minutes. They’re off to sleep again. You would think that means you can get 14 to 17 hours a day like them, right? No, of course not. Because first of all, we can’t just switch off and fall asleep instantly the second they do. And second of all, we do have other things to do. We have bottles to clean. We have nappies to organize. We have grocery shopping, probably online, to do. There are so many things that we still need to do. It’s just not as simple as going to sleep when the baby sleeps. Now, if you can, great. If you can take a nap, do it, but don’t put that pressure on yourself if you’re feeling like, “Oh, I just can’t.” Take a rest. And if the baby’s asleep and you can just sit back and put your feet up, literally put your feet up and relax. Close your eyes, if you can. Listen to a podcast. Just relax. If you can relax, you are going to be doing yourself a lot more good than you realize. But if you’re running around putting laundry on and cleaning the house and doing things that probably could wait, then you’re not getting that rest. So rest is better than nothing if you can’t get those naps and sleep, when the baby sleeps. My second tip for you for coping, if you can, obviously, this is very difficult if you are a single parent, but if you have a partner, a spouse, or even a good friend that can come and help you out for a few days, or a family member, see if there is a way of taking turns in the night. I really like the idea of the two nights on two nights off night shift, which is great if there are two parents in the family, because you basically have two full nights to rest and know that I’m not getting up to baby tonight or the next night. You’ve got two full nights and it’s so powerful in how it helps your body to replenish, gives you the rest you need, and then gives you the energy to do your two nights on. You could do one night on one night off, but it’s not quite the same effect. It’s easier to keep going for two nights and then have two full nights off. So two nights on two nights off, if you can. Breastfeeding mums might be saying, “But I have to do all the night wakings, because I’m breastfeeding.” Not necessarily. If you express and get your baby used to having breast milk from a bottle some of the time, it will open up huge amounts of flexibility for your family. Now I know there can be challenges with that and it’s not for everyone, but if it’s an option, why not take it? Especially if you are two working parents or you can share the load in that way. Another challenge people come up with is, “Well, yes, but I’m breastfeeding and I’m on maternity leave and my husband has to work. So I have to do all the nights because he’s working.” Well, is that entirely true? And is that really fair? Because I understand if your partner’s working, and there are certain jobs where perhaps that is the case and that’s essential and they absolutely have got to get all that sleep. But you are working too during the day. Looking after a newborn baby is as demanding as a desk job, easily, if not more. Come on, let’s see if we can weigh this up here. You’re both working. You’re just doing different things. Some might say that going to work is a rest from the busy-ness of looking after a new baby. So I still think that there’s room for sharing the load. It’s unique to every family dynamic. Have that conversation and see what you can work out. Th