![7_quick_takes_sm](http://www.conversiondiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/7_quick_takes_sm1.jpg)
I know everyone says “sleep when
the baby sleeps” but if you have other kids or you are a neat freak or you simply
aren’t a great napper that is not always possible. Now I’m not a sleep expert and I haven’t gone
through the teething phase, but this is what helped us when Rosie decided that
3 AM was playtime/morning.
-1-
Co-sleeping
![]() |
Co-sleeping with teeny tiny newborn Rosie |
We’ve co-slept since day one. The
expert say it’s not safe, I say it’s the only way I get to sleep at all
especially since Rosie is still waking 4 times a night to feed. In order to ease my mind, I did a bunch of
research about safe co- sleeping and this is what I found. First, you get one
pillow which is tucked in under your arm and as for blankets never have them
higher than the baby’s belly button. Second, tie up your hair, wear long
sleeves if it’s cold and make sure there are no strings or loose fabrics on
your sleepwear. Third, sleep on your side with one arm tucked under the pillow
and the other loose over the blanket (to keep it from moving). Tuck in your
knees and your baby should sleep on his/her back in the space between your
lower arm and knees (like a baby nest). Fourth, the baby should always sleep
with the mother and never between the parents.
Fifth, sleep with the baby as far from possible from the side of the
bed, and once they get squirmy get a bed rail (cost about $40.00). Fifth, dress the baby according to the weather
and account for the extra heat coming from your own body. Sixth, never co-sleep
if you smoke, are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, are obese, are
extremely tired or if you bottle feed your baby. Finally, when the baby wakes
to nurse, don’t get out of bed (I was an idiot and doing this for the two first
weeks), and instead nurse lying down by pulling down or opening your top (made
easier by wearing a sports bra). That way you get to go back to sleep and the
baby will eventually fall asleep while nursing (usually).
-2-
Get into a routine
Most people need a bedtime
routine to signal that it’s time to sleep and babies are no different. When
Rosie was first born, there was no routine and we had a very difficult time
getting her to sleep. Now, we start around 8:30 – 9 PM getting her ready for
bed. If people are over past that time
or if we are still out, it seems to mess her up and we spend the night trying
to calm her down because she is over tired. We begin by darkening the room and
Daddy changes her diaper and puts her in a sleeper. Then I nurse her a bit and
once she’s full Daddy takes her and they both fall asleep. I get ready for bed
and once I’m ready we bring her to bed, nurse her while she’s still drowsy and
usually she will fall asleep shortly after her feed. Develop a routine that works for you and
stick to it.
-3-
If you don’t need to get up …
don’t
For a little while I was still
trying to get up early even if Rosie was still sleeping. Then one day I
realized that if I didn’t need to get up what was the point of waking up at a
specific time? Clearly we both need the extra sleep and so now I sleep until
she wakes up in the morning. If you have other kids, maybe Daddy can handle the
morning routine or you can slip back into bed as soon as the other kiddos have
been dealt with (television anyone?).
Most importantly, don’t feel guilty about staying in bed. After all, you are up multiple times a night.
-4-
Be boring
Rosie spent a week deciding that
3 AM was morning. She would want to play between 3 and 4 AM and then cry from 4
to 6 AM. It was awful. At first I used to get up and play with her, then rock
and bounce her while she cried. That got old very fast and so I decided to try
and stay in bed the next night. Like
clockwork she woke up at 3 AM but since I refused to play with her, get up and
turn on lights, she only stayed up for 2 hours. Then the next night I stayed in
bed again and was very brief and boring when talking to her. That night she
only stayed up an hour and a half. Soon
enough she understood that night was for sleeping and now she usually sleeps through
the night with about 4 brief wakes up to feed.
-5-
Go to bed later
![]() |
I look serene but really I'm thinking "Sleep! Dear God, please sleep!" |
If you know that your baby only
sleeps for 6 hours at night, don’t go to bed at 10 PM because you will wake up
at 4 AM. I find it much easier to stay up later than to get up at a crazy hour.
Decide what time you will want to wake up and then got to bed at the
appropriate time. For example Rosie usually sleeps 8 hours so I go to bed at
midnight and we will wake up around 8 AM. Honestly, I must say that I’m
actually enjoying my late nights Netflix watching.
-6-
Things will change
Realize that eventually your baby
will sleep. This is just a phase and it will not last forever. How many people
do you know that don’t sleep at night? Very few and even if your child is a
night owl, they will get more manageable and distractible. This thought helped me get through many
sleepless nights.
-7-
Pray
Some nights (or strings of
nights) are just so awful that all you can do is pray. Even if it’s just “Lord
give me strength”, prayer has gotten me through the worst sleep-deprived
moments. As soon as I pray, I instantly feel able to get through the rest of the
night (even when Rosie is screaming her head off). So arm yourself with a
rosary and hang in there Mama.
Get more 7 Quick Takes at Conversion Diary by clicking HERE
A GREAT SPELL CASTER (DR. EMU) THAT HELP ME BRING BACK MY EX GIRLFRIEND.
ReplyDeleteAm so happy to testify about a great spell caster that helped me when all hope was lost for me to unite with my ex-girlfriend that I love so much. I had a girlfriend that love me so much but something terrible happen to our relationship one afternoon when her friend that was always trying to get to me was trying to force me to make love to her just because she was been jealous of her friend that i was dating and on the scene my girlfriend just walk in and she thought we had something special doing together, i tried to explain things to her that her friend always do this whenever she is not with me and i always refuse her but i never told her because i did not want the both of them to be enemies to each other but she never believed me. She broke up with me and I tried times without numbers to make her believe me but she never believed me until one day i heard about the DR. EMU and I emailed him and he replied to me so kindly and helped me get back my lovely relationship that was already gone for two months.
Email him at: Emutemple@gmail.com
Call or Whats-app him: +2347012841542