{"id":78524,"date":"2023-08-23T10:07:31","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T07:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog?p=78524"},"modified":"2023-08-23T10:07:31","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T07:07:31","slug":"10-tips-to-cope-with-sleep-deprivation-as-a-new-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/10-tips-to-cope-with-sleep-deprivation-as-a-new-mom","title":{"rendered":"10 Tips to Cope With Sleep Deprivation As A New Mom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Almost all parents experience sleep deprivation in the first 3 months or so after their babies are born. For the first 6 months, babies spend about 50% of their time in active sleep (REM sleep). This means that they are much more likely to wake up easily. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Babies generally do not have regulated circadian rhythms until about 6 weeks of age. Therefore, they do not recognize day or night. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Moreover, babies wake up to eat in the middle of the night for at least the first 3 months and usually even longer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And until preschool age, they have shorter sleep cycles than adults, approximately 45-50 minutes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">All these make it hard for new parents to sleep through the night, especially new mothers, at least for the first 3 months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"tm6\"><span class=\"tm9\">But even once your baby consolidates more of their sleeping to the night, sleep deprivation might still play a part in your parenting experience. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal\"><span class=\"tm7\">A 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/sleep\/article\/42\/4\/zsz015\/5289255?login=false\">study<\/a> found that parents experienced some sort of sleep deprivation in the first 6 years of their child\u2019s life. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal\"><span class=\"tm7\">Here are some highlights from this study:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6 tm10\"><span class=\"tm7\">Mothers reported an average of 40 minutes sleep loss per night in the first year of their baby\u2019s life.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6 tm10\"><span class=\"tm7\">Mothers were the most sleep-deprived during the first 3 months of their baby\u2019s life, reporting an average sleep loss of about an hour.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6 tm10\"><span class=\"tm7\">Fathers experienced sleep loss as well, but not as intensely as mothers, averaging a sleep loss of 13 minutes per night during the first 3 months.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6 tm10\"><span class=\"tm7\">Mothers reported lingering sleep deprivation for the first four to 6 years after the birth of their first child, though similar results were not reported after the birth of subsequent children.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">In this article you will find 10 tips to cope with sleep deprivation as a new mother.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"1-maintain-good-sleep-hygiene\" class=\"tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm7\">1. Maintain good sleep hygiene<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal\"><span class=\"tm7\">Good sleep hygiene is one of the most important parts of resting, whether or not you have a newborn at home. The following strategies can help you maintain that: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6 tm10\"><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Avoid caffeine:<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"tm7\">&nbsp;This stimulant can interfere with your sleep cycle.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6 tm10\"><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Do not use electronics before bed:<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"tm7\"> You mustn&#8217;t forget that the light emitted from electronic devices can confuse your body&#8217;s clock. You have to ensure that your bedroom is meant for sleeping only. <\/span><span class=\"tm7\">There shouldn\u2019t be television sets or other electronic gadgets in the bedroom. Your body needs to know that it is time to sleep when you walk into your bedroom.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6 tm10\"><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Stick to a regular sleep schedule:<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"tm7\">&nbsp;As difficult as this sounds as a new parent, try to turn in and wake up at the same time every day. Just keep in mind that with a baby, you need to be flexible and expect nighttime awakenings.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"2-sleep-while-the-baby-sleeps\" class=\"tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm7\">2. Sleep while the baby sleeps<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal\"><span class=\"tm7\">Any experienced adult will tell you that: If your baby takes a nap, put everything aside and take a nap, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal\"><span class=\"tm7\">It can be very tempting to wash the dishes, do some laundry, clean floors, make some phone calls or catch up on episodes of your TV series. It is very understandable. But everything can wait unless it is your baby. Once your baby is up, you have to be up too. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Always remember that newborns take frequent naps from 2 to 4 hours, for a total of 16 to 18 hours of sleep each day. And new parents are often severely sleep deprived if the only sleep they\u2019re getting is overnight. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Sleeping while the baby sleeps can sometimes be challenging because of other kids in the house or our internal body clocks, but it\u2019s a good idea to try and get some rest regardless.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"3-dont-worry-that-you-wont-hear-your-baby-cry\" class=\"tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm7\">3. Don\u2019t worry that you won\u2019t hear your baby cry<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">A baby is a natural alarm clock. Nearly all mothers experience that since they tend to be attuned to their baby\u2019s crying. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">If you are concerned that you won\u2019t hear your baby or if the nursery is far away from your bedroom, <a href=\"https:\/\/get.invidyo.com\/\">buy a monitor<\/a> and keep it close. Remember that your baby is safe, and if they cry for a few minutes before you hear them, they will be ok, too. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"tm7\">&nbsp;<a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-large fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium fasc-style-bold\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/get.invidyo.com\/?utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=Click&amp;utm_campaign=blog-post&amp;utm_content=blog-post\">Learn more about the Invidyo Baby Cam!<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"4-place-the-crib-near-your-bed\" class=\"tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm7\">4. Place the crib near your bed<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Placing the baby\u2019s crib or bassinet next to your bed makes it easier to tend to your baby and then go back to sleep, allowing for a more restful night. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">While co-sleeping in the same bed with your little one may seem tempting, the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn\u2019t suggest it because of the risk of suffocating the baby.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"5-skip-household-chores\" class=\"tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm7\">5. Skip household chores<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Instead of doing the laundry or any other housework, opt for sleep. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Household chores can wait and you can ask your family members, friends, or relatives for help.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"6-share-nighttime-duties\" class=\"Normal tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm8\">6. Share nighttime duties<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">You and your partner can share feedings, diaper changes and other nighttime baby duties. Fathers are generally unsure about where to begin. As a mother you can ease the process for your partner about where and how to begin engaging in baby nurturing. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Moms who breastfeed can pump breast milk so the father can give a nighttime bottle to the baby, allowing the mom to get some extra shuteye.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"7-ask-friends-family-members-and-relatives-for-help\" class=\"tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm7\">7. Ask friends, family members and relatives for help<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Don\u2019t hesitate to ask for help from friends or relatives, whether it\u2019s shopping, cleaning, cooking or holding the baby while you nap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Some people might be hesitant to accept the help. But, whether it is a family member, friend, or babysitter, accept all the help you can get, so you can get a few hours of sleep.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">If possible, friends and family members might also be willing to help at night with diaper changes and feedings. Sleep is not a luxury, it is a medical requirement.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"8-help-the-baby-sleep\" class=\"tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm7\">8. Help the baby sleep<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Although it varies from infant to infant, starting at 3 months of age, many babies start sleeping for longer stretches at night. <\/span><span class=\"tm7\">By 6 months, two-thirds of babies sleep through much of the night.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Babies that are smaller at birth start to sleep for longer stretches when they are closer to 12 to 13 pounds.<\/p>\n<p>In order to help your baby develop healthy sleep habits, you can try several things, 3 months after the birth:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">You can set a constant sleep routine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">You can put your baby down when they are drowsy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">You can teach your baby to self-soothe. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Teaching your baby self soothe means not picking up your baby every time they fuss. Giving babies some time to comfort themselves so they can fall back asleep on their own can establish good sleeping habits, which in turn, help parents get a good night\u2019s rest.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"9-dont-ignore-the-baby-blues\" class=\"tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm7\">9. Don\u2019t ignore the baby blues<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">This is really important. Sleep loss can lead to mood changes, and new moms are at risk of&nbsp; baby blues or, even more seriously, postpartum depression. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">If you experience some of the symptoms of baby blues or postpartum, you should take it seriously and talk to your doctor. Mood changes might get worse by sleep deprivation. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"10-say-no-to-added-responsibility\" class=\"tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm7\">10. Say no to added responsibility<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Normal\"><span class=\"tm7\">Being a mother to a newborn means a lot of responsibility for a long while and taking any added responsibility may lead to exhaustion. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal\"><span class=\"tm7\">For a while do not feel guilty for spending less time with your older child, your partner or doing less housework. All the experts tell that you should be careful about not taking any added responsibility for a while. <\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><strong><span class=\"tm13\">References:<\/span><\/strong> healthline.com, clevelandclinic.org, whattoexpect.com, babycenter.com, mayoclinic.org, raisingchildren.net.au, kidshealth.org<\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Almost all parents experience sleep deprivation in the first 3 months or so after their babies are born.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":78526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[164],"tags":[243,1384,1396,225,1387,1391,1386,1389,1395,1383,1237,242,1388,193,1385,1392,1393,1394,1390],"table_tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78524"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78524"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78533,"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78524\/revisions\/78533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78524"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=78524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}