You have a baby. Your baby does not sleep. This might be because he’s teething, or he has colic or reflux. Or perhaps he is just simply a baby, and one who does not sleep. Babies naturally wake at night because they are hungry and because it’s adaptive to connect with mama a lot during the night time hours as well as the day time.
Whatever the reason, how can you survive the days and the weeks of sleep deprivation that follow the birth of your child?
Here are some strategies to survive sleep deprivation, from someone whose child neglected to come with an “off” switch:
Research it. Know that your child wakes up for a reason. Whether he’s hungry or whether he’s looking for comfort in the middle of the night, know that you are important to your child, night or day. You do not need to make excuses for your child’s night wakings!
Accept it. This is really hard to do. It only took me a year and a half! Once I stopped being angry about being sleep deprived and just dealt with it, a whole level of stress dropped away.
Develop daily survival strategies. For me, one of the best strategies was to cook a lot in the mid-morning. I’d woken up by then, but I wasn’t yet drained from the day. I cooked a lot of our dinners around 10 am. That way when the crunch came, it wasn’t as hard.
Find time to exercise. Usually, this exercise will be with your baby. If you’re back at work, use lunch or your commute. Walk with your baby, do yoga, whatever it takes. Exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins make you a happier person. Plus, your body will feel better when it is well exercised.
Take care of your body. Yes, I know you’re not sleeping. Since you’re not sleeping, it is especially important to remember to eat well, drink lots of water, and take your vitamins.
Schedule some rest time. Even if this is an hour a week on a Saturday evening, ask your partner or someone else to hang out with the baby while you take a bath or go for a walk alone.
Connect with others. Becoming part of a community is such an important thing for new parents. There are people there to help. They can help by cooking, looking after older children, or getting you to appointments. Build your community and ask it to support you, as you will support it as well.
I wish you all the best in your goal of a good night’s sleep!