How Much Sleep Does a New Mother Lose?
During your pregnancy, you likely heard "Sleep while you can" -- with a wink -- time and again from experienced mothers. While you do your best to prepare for that sleep-deprived newborn stage, you cannot truly understand the demands of this period until you're holding your screaming bundle of joy in your arms at 3 a.m. Although every baby is different, you can count on middle-of-the-night feedings -- and the subsequent loss of sleep -- with your precious newborn.
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Sleep Patterns
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New mothers can expect to lose their uninterrupted stretch of nighttime sleep when their baby arrives. The sleep patterns of a newborn are far different than his mother, and these patterns impact the mother's sleep schedule as well. Surprisingly, a newborn sleeps a great deal -- up to 16 hours a day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. (see Reference 2) However, newborns break up this sleep into about three or four four-hour naps in between feedings. (see Reference 2) Thus, a new mother can expect to wake up at least every three to four hours at night to respond to her newborn's needs.
Feeding Patterns
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The feeding patterns of newborns contribute to a new mother's loss of sleep. Newton-Wellesley Hospital reports that most breastfed newborns will eat 10 to 12 times in a 24-hour period, meaning that mothers can expect to wake up at least twice a night to feed their newborns. (see Reference 4) The Children's Physician Network confirms that newborns might nurse every 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. (see Reference 3) For example, your baby might nurse around 12 a.m., 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. every night, and each feeding may include burping and a diaper change. With multiple feedings and changes a night, new mothers can expect to lose at least a couple of hours of sleep a night, if not more.
Minimizing Sleep Loss
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Sleep loss as a new mother is inevitable, but you can piece together sleep throughout the day. The University of Rochester Medical Center recommends that new mothers sleep when their babies sleep, even if that means taking a late-morning or early-afternoon nap. (see Reference 3) Breastfed mothers can enjoy a reprieve from middle-of-the-night feedings by introducing a bottle of breast milk after six weeks old, which allows the father to help out during nighttime feedings. (see Reference 4) Formula-feeding mothers can enjoy this perk right away.
Factors That Affect Sleep
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Every mother's experience with the sleep deprivation of the newborn phase varies. If you are a stay-at-home mother or on maternity leave, you might enjoy more freedom to sleep during the day than working mothers. When you're caring for older children, you might have less time to rest when your baby rests. Thus, the amount of sleep new mothers lose varies, although most can expect to enjoy stretches of 2 to 3 hours of sleep at night in between feedings. (see References 3, 4)
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