Surviving Lack of Sleep as a New Mom
Being a new mom can be jarring, especially when you’re dealing with lack of sleep. We know that when you’re up in the middle of the night to feed baby and you’re not sure whether it’s you or the baby who is crying can be overwhelming and certainly be demoralizing. That’s why we wanted to share some ways of surviving sleep deprivation, because when you keep putting your keys in the fridge because you’re tired, something has got to give!
Here’s how you can survive lack of sleep when you’re a new mom:
Wear something comfy to bed
If your little one is breastfeeding and isn’t a huge fan of the bottle, be sure to wear something comfortable and breast accessible when you head to bed. A Giftgown is a great option! With snaps on the shoulders, you can fold the front down making breastfeeding easier when you’re exhausted in the middle of the night and can’t tell the difference between left and right.
Lean on your support system
If you’re able to have someone in your family, or your partner look after the baby while you get some shut eye, definitely take advantage of that. Whether grandma comes over in the morning and you can sleep in a bit, or if your partner takes care of evening feeding while you go to bed early, if you’ve got the support and can make use of it, go for it!
Nap while the baby naps
We know, this is the piece of advice that everyone gets and never follows, but seriously. Nap while the baby naps. If you feel like you’re dead on your feet, the laundry can wait. You just gave birth! Taking care of yourself is also a priority and one of the ways you can do that is by getting some shut eye. Don’t let the mom guilt win, you deserve sleep just as much as everyone else.
Turn down the monitor
When babies sleep, they can be noisy! Whether they’re grunting or moving around and you have your monitor on full volume, it can have an effect on how restful your sleep is. Your body is already finely tuned to wake-up to hearing your baby cry. If you have your baby monitor on high, and you hear every little thing that happens with baby while they’re sleeping you’re definitely not getting the deepest sleep you can. Which is super important!
Limit blue light & screen time
Scrolling through Instagram is a great way to decompress, but studies have shown that too much exposure to blue light from computer, TV and phone screens make it harder for us to fall asleep. If you’re able to not look at a screen for 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime, it’ll be easier to fall asleep, and the quality of your sleep will be better!
We hope these tips help you survive lack of sleep as a new mom those first few months baby is around. You’ve got this!