1 Stress
Congratulations! You may be pregnant or maybe you just had a baby (and lucky you if actually have time to read this)! There’s no feeling more incredible than when you’ve just had a baby. So why don’t you feel wonderful all the time?
Well, even the best events in life have stress attached to them. Having a baby is exciting for everyone. You’ve been flooded with company practically from the moment of delivery. If you’re a first-time mother, hospitals don’t give you very much help or advice; they send you home with this new little creature with an array of demands that you have to try to interpret. And new babies don’t sleep much. At least not long enough to allow you to get some much needed rest.
Add to that the hormonal changes in your own body, and you have a formula that’s guaranteed to be stressful. Sometimes you think you’ll never get a full night’s sleep again. Until the baby settles into a routine, you probably won’t! To get through those first few weeks and months, here are a few tips to help you get at least a little more sleep.
First of all, don’t try to be a supermom. When the baby goes down for a nap, take a small nap yourself. The laundry can wait and so can the dishes. You don’t need to have a perfect house. There will be time for all that; give yourself a break whenever you get the opportunity.
If you have a good friend or relative to help out, by all means take advantage of that for an afternoon. Grandma would probably jump at the chance to have the baby all to herself for a few hours! When you put the baby to bed for the night, take some time to decompress and relax so you have a better chance of falling asleep. Take a bath scented with lavender; put on some soft music and baby yourself a little. Sometimes it’s hard even without a new baby to fall asleep right away. There’s a lot to get used to!
Add to that the hormonal changes in your own body, and you have a formula that’s guaranteed to be stressful. Sometimes you think you’ll never get a full night’s sleep again. Until the baby settles into a routine, you probably won’t! To get through those first few weeks and months, here are a few tips to help you get at least a little more sleep.
First of all, don’t try to be a supermom. When the baby goes down for a nap, take a small nap yourself. The laundry can wait and so can the dishes. You don’t need to have a perfect house. There will be time for all that; give yourself a break whenever you get the opportunity.
If you have a good friend or relative to help out, by all means take advantage of that for an afternoon. Grandma would probably jump at the chance to have the baby all to herself for a few hours! When you put the baby to bed for the night, take some time to decompress and relax so you have a better chance of falling asleep. Take a bath scented with lavender; put on some soft music and baby yourself a little. Sometimes it’s hard even without a new baby to fall asleep right away. There’s a lot to get used to!
Other Columns
50 – Your Personal Parenting Style and Your Child’s Sleep
49 – Moving from the Bottle to the Sippy Cup
48 – Relaxation Techniques for Toddler’s Bedtime
47 – Taming a Tough Toddler at Bedtime
46 – Sleep talking and sleepwalking in children
45 – Using a Baby Sling Can Make Life with Baby Simple
44 – Consistent Naptimes are Key to Quality Nighttime Sleep, Too
43 – How to Comfort Your Child Following a Nightmare
42 – Caring for your Baby after Vaccinations
41 – How to Treat Your Baby’s Cold
40 – Smoking Significantly Increases Baby’s SIDS Risk and Makes for a Restless Night
39 – Room Temperature Can Help Reduce the Risk of SIDS
38 – Healthy Bedtime Routines for a Happy Child
37 – Baby Massage and its Connection to Sleeping and Thinking
36 – The Benefits of Baby Massage
35 – Attachment Parenting Tools
34 – What to Expect Your First Year as a Parent
33 – The Four Ancient Principles to a Happy Baby
32 – The No Cry Sleep Solution for Babies and their Parents
31 – Several Steps to a Sweet Slumber
30 - Ferberizing your Fussy Baby to Sleep
29 – Teething Can Really Bite
28 – Swaddling your Baby is Sweet
27 – Background Noise for Bedtime
1 Stress
49 – Moving from the Bottle to the Sippy Cup
48 – Relaxation Techniques for Toddler’s Bedtime
47 – Taming a Tough Toddler at Bedtime
46 – Sleep talking and sleepwalking in children
45 – Using a Baby Sling Can Make Life with Baby Simple
44 – Consistent Naptimes are Key to Quality Nighttime Sleep, Too
43 – How to Comfort Your Child Following a Nightmare
42 – Caring for your Baby after Vaccinations
41 – How to Treat Your Baby’s Cold
40 – Smoking Significantly Increases Baby’s SIDS Risk and Makes for a Restless Night
39 – Room Temperature Can Help Reduce the Risk of SIDS
38 – Healthy Bedtime Routines for a Happy Child
37 – Baby Massage and its Connection to Sleeping and Thinking
36 – The Benefits of Baby Massage
35 – Attachment Parenting Tools
34 – What to Expect Your First Year as a Parent
33 – The Four Ancient Principles to a Happy Baby
32 – The No Cry Sleep Solution for Babies and their Parents
31 – Several Steps to a Sweet Slumber
30 - Ferberizing your Fussy Baby to Sleep
29 – Teething Can Really Bite
28 – Swaddling your Baby is Sweet
27 – Background Noise for Bedtime
1 Stress