Getting Sleep With A Newborn

Having a baby brings with it a host of new things to learn. New parents have to adjust to eating and sleeping schedules, and not just for baby but for themselves. Having a newborn is stressful but millions of people throughout the ages have survived those first few tenuous months by employing a little know-how and endurance. Here are a few tips on getting through the first months of having a new baby without walking off a cliff.

Sleep is essential, not just for the baby but for the parents. It might seem futile at first to think about getting a full night's sleep, but there are things you can do to make night time more restful for all involved. Babies are accustomed to hearing the sounds of their mother's breathing and heartbeats in the womb. Some new parents use active noise cancellation machines to replicate the sound of the mother's womb for the baby. This type of white noise transmitter can sooth a baby and make him or her sleep more soundly through the night.

There are other ways to replicate the atmosphere of the womb. Some people find that swaddling their baby at night helps the little one feel more comforted and more like he or she is in the womb. Swaddling just means wrapping the baby snugly in a blanket so that the arms are constrained inside the blanket. This also helps to keep the baby from hitting himself in the face or scratching his face with little finger nails.
Another way to sooth a sleepless baby is to sing to her. It may sound simple, but babies like to hear repetitive noise.

They are calmed by hearing a soft, recognizable voice singing a particular song or rhythm. There are actually some beats that have been proven to smooth a baby more than others, like the rhythm of most reggae songs. Experiment and see what your baby likes the most. And remember-your baby doesn't know what singing off key is yet. Don't worry about not having the perfect voice. Baby doesn't have discriminating taste and loves to hear your voice.

Rocking a baby to sleep, again, sounds too simple to actually work. But a baby is used to being rocked to sleep, even in the womb. When a mother walks around and moves during the day while pregnant, the baby is rocked to sleep. Most women actually say they feel their baby move more when they're laying bed at night at not moving that when they're on the go during the day. This rocking pattern translates into life once the baby comes out. He or she will love to be rocked to sleep, and will probably fall right asleep after a few minutes of rocking. If not, try walking the floor a bit to replicate the sensation of being moved around inside the womb.

If your newborn simply won't go to sleep, trade off with your partner on taking shifts during the night. The responsibility to take care of a sleepless infant shouldn't fall on one person or the other. Both partners should bear the task of late night baby duty together. There are many systems I've heard of for coordinating parental baby shifts. Some couples divide up each night-time awakening and trade off each one. Others have the woman get up first, feed the baby, and then pass him off the father for changing the diaper and burping the baby. Some trade off nights and have one partner sleep all night while the other gets up with the baby and then they rotate the next night. This only works if there's another source of feeding other than having the mother nurse the baby. Some couples purchase a breast pump so both partners can participate in the feedings. Others switch between breast milk and formula at feeding time.

Also, make sure to take help when it is offered. Many people find it very helpful to have family members come and stay when they have a new baby. Others prefer to have the house to themselves and not have anyone around trying to help out. If you do get an offer to help out in the first few days, I'd say take it. Don't feel obligated to have someone stay at your house for a month, but do take friends up on offers to take the baby for just a minute while you take a nap or to come over and help you clean the house.

Even if it's your first baby and you don't have any other kids at home, you'll definitely want to have someone around just for a little bit. And on that note, don't worry about having the cleanest house in the world for the first few months after baby comes. People expect things to be a little disheveled when they come to visit after you've had a baby. Just relax and have fun with your little one.

Whatever your methods are for getting your little one to sleep, stay consistent. Most babies will get on a schedule if you maintain consistency and help him or her got on a regular feeding and sleeping schedule. Some babies are just impossible to get on a schedule no matter what the parents do. If this is your case, remember that they will get older and there will come a time when you can sleep through the night again. Babies eventually grow out of their new born neediness for 3 am feedings and constant attention in the middle of the night. Life will return to some semblance of normalcy, usually right when the parents are thinking of having another baby!

So whatever your situation is with your new little addition, remember that nothing last forever and you will someday miss having a little newborn in the house. It may seem impossible now but some people say they even miss getting up in the night with their babies after the little ones have all grown up. So hold and knuckle through. Someday you will look back on this time with fondness, really you will.