Getting Sleep With A New Baby

Sleep?!?!!???

What the heck is that?

With a newborn, sleep is a far distant memory that will not reenter your life for several more months.

As newborns, baby sleeps, on average, for three  hour stretches.

That means between the time that baby wakes up, you feed baby, change baby's diaper, get baby back to bed, go to the restroom, and get yourself back to bed...you will be up again in 2-3 hours.    

So the term, "sleep like a baby", totally sucks, because who wants to sleep 3 hour stretches at a time?!??

Getting Sleep Tip #1:

Dear New Mommy,

Sleep when baby sleeps!!  
It is okay to take the first few weeks to sleep during the day since you will be up so much at night!  

Love, 

Ashley W.

(who did NOT follow this piece of advice)

Getting Sleep Tip #2:

...this includes daddy's help, though.  

Try to work out a plan that works for the both of you so you create a team effort.  

Here is what worked for us...My husband would get baby out out of the bassinet, change his diaper, and pass him to me.  I would nurse and then my husband would put baby back to bed. My husband was able to fall back back asleep while I nursed so he was up for a total of 5-10 minutes.  I was up for closer to 20-30 minutes; it was a team effort!    I actually (kind of) miss some of those nights....and my infomercials. 
(I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to pick of the phone and order a pair of Pajama Jeans!)


Getting Sleep Tip #3:
Sleep WHENEVER and WHERE EVER possible.

Getting Sleep Tip #4:
Take grandma's offer! 
Take a nap while she holds baby!!! 
(note to yourself:  she does not care if you don't entertain her for an hour!)


Getting Sleep Tip #5:
Relish those moments when you get to snuggle your baby and fall asleep together.  Those are my favorite memories.  

Happy Napping!!!!