How to Get Enough Sleep When You Have a Newborn

Getting enough sleep when while raising a newborn doesn't seem like a challenge. Newborns sleep for 15 or more hours a day, which should leave parents with plenty of time to sleep. Unfortunately, newborns have a very different sleep cycle than adults. They sleep in brief, three- to four-hour chunks, day and night. By the time your baby is 3 months old, he may be sleeping for five hours or more at a time, but during the first few months, getting enough quality sleep is a challenge.

Instructions

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      Sleep when your baby sleeps. This is the most common advice given to new parents, but it is also the most valuable. In the days and weeks after your baby is born, you will probably find many people want to visit. You will also find yourself overwhelmed with keeping your laundry and dirty dishes under control. To sleep when your baby sleeps, you need to keep visits short -- unless the person is coming to help you out -- and let housekeeping matters slide.

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      Plan an active evening. Encourage your baby to stay up for an extended period in the evening and he is more likely to sleep for a longer period at night. Give him some supervised "tummy time," where he lays on his stomach, which strengthens and exercises his neck muscles; talk; interact; and play with him; then give him a warm bath. Feed him right before you are ready to go to bed, and you both should have a decent period of sleep before he wakes up.

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      Get some physical activity every day. Even a brief walk can help relieve tension and make it easier for you to fall asleep.

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      Let your baby sleep as long as she wants. Unless your pediatrician tells you otherwise, don't wake your baby up to eat during the night. In some cases, the combination of a sleepy baby and slow weight gain make it necessary to wake your baby up, but generally your baby will make up for missed feedings by eating more frequently during the day.

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      Work in shifts. Unless you are a single parent, you probably have a helper close at hand. Let your partner take over a night feeding so you get a long block of uninterrupted sleep. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, wait until nursing is well established before offering breast milk in a bottle.

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