Better sleep for the entire family would undoubtedly be at the top of our list if we had a genie’s lamp.
Do having a kid and getting enough sleep go hand in hand? We believe you would only be able to fall asleep if one in a million babies were born. Additionally, the clichéd advice about napping when your baby naps is just something that should be said. What’s this? As a new parent, you need better sleep hygiene techniques. Here are a few simple tasks you could complete. After battling your lack of sleep, you will undoubtedly exclaim, “Hey, I never thought of this one! ” Really, did it function for me?
- Alternate Night Or Shifts
That was about taking turns in hours. But you could have alternating nights caring for your baby. One night you sleep when he becomes the duty nurse.
The other night, it would be your turn to stay awake. For those with flexible working hours, it might be great to schedule the first half of the day to the mother while daddy takes over from the second half of the day.
- Take Turns With Your Partner
Divide the time between the two of you. Perhaps one sleeps earlier than the other and hits the sack when the other is up to feed the child. Common sense does suggest this one, but it works the best if you have firmly timed yourselves to your naps.
So while one sleeps in the first half of the night, the other takes over in the second half. Else you end up snoozing or staying up together all fatigued.
- Power-Snacking In The Middle Of The Night
A breastfeeding mom needs more energy, so she could best use the mid-night wake-up times for her energizing with healthy snacks. Thinking about the daytime hours when eating well or digging into power-snacks seems close to impossible – at least not in a way that you can gnaw quietly. It takes quite a lot of gobbling up in one go which is not a healthy option at all. It is not a bad idea at all.
- Make Use Of Breast Pumps
This one makes sense because the times when you are asleep, your husband doesn’t have to turn to formula feeds for your child. He could still feed your baby with mother’s milk that has been pumped out and stored. Moreover, unlike formula milk, mother’s milk has a longer shelf life and doesn’t need to be discarded within 30 minutes.
Expressed breastmilk can be stored for six hours at room temperature. But if the weather is hot, it is recommended that your baby is fed with the expressed milk within four hours. So, mothers could go to sleep straight for at least four hours while your husband takes on from there.
- Consider Separate Rooms
Some couples like to have separate rooms for some time, especially if they also have an older child.
So while your husband and the older child can share the other room/s, it can give you all the scope to nurse your baby as you share the bed.
- Having The Bassinet Placed Close To You
If co-sleeping your baby is a concern (as it is to quite a few parents and in many cultures), you could consider placing your baby’s cot next to the mother’s side of the bed so she could rock it any time the baby is up.
- Co-Sleeping With The Baby
Co-sleeping with your baby is the best thing to do because it also helps the mother to nurse while still laying in bed. Not to forget the emotional bonding, sense of security and nurturing that the baby derives in the process.
Follow these and see how you couldn’t get a whiff of fresh air amidst the sleepless nights with a newborn baby.
