Yes, New Moms NEED Sleep
Many new parents resign themselves to pulling constant all nighters. A new baby hazing ritual, one that everyone tells you is coming.
“Get all that sleep now!” every adult practically bellows as you round the third trimester with a burgeoning bump.
What if you didn’t have to sacrifice all that sleep?
The dangers of sleep deprivation on healing from labor and delivery - or major abdominal surgery - have been well documented. As sleep care specialists and postpartum specialists, we see the struggle to live well that new mothers and partners experience with rapidly depleted resources.
Lack of sleep contributes to serious depression, malnutrition and, sadly, impaired driving functions and ability to carry out daily activities.
In short, it can be crippling.
It’s important to consider what your normal sleep pattern looks like when thinking about how to assist each other in making sure you’re clocking close to those hours - interrupted - in the weeks following baby’s arrival.
For instance, I need a solid 7 hours of sleep per night to be able to make it through the day. That means, without struggling to get up, take care of myself, feed myself, and feel like I am enjoying my daily routine and day to day activities.
My baby obviously would not be giving me a solid, straight 7 hours of sleep. I anticipate at least two to three feeds and wakings that last a total of 30-45 minutes in the middle of the night.
This means that my sleep cycle will be greatly disrupted; most adults cycle through deep and REM sleep several times throughout the night. It’s harder to get back into the deep sleep cycle if right when you’re approaching it you are reawakened by your infant.
Nursing and feeding also requires us to hit at least one of those deep sleep cycles a night to be able to help the body produce milk and reset.
To clock those missed minutes, I would readjust my ‘get up’ time - the time I officially got out of bed and went through my ‘morning routines’ - to whenever I finally accomplished 7 hours of sleep.
Some days with a newborn, that meant I was getting up around 10 a.m., some days it was a bit earlier, some later.
It may not be feasible with multiple children or other tasks or a daytime wakeful baby to sacrifice the later morning sleep if you need it. Luckily, help is here and should be shame free. Sleep is an investment in your parenting and in your self care. Your postpartum doula and infant care specialist will sit down with you and help you figure out how much sleep you need, and readjust as needed throughout their time with you to help you feel like you can take on the world when you awaken!
댓글