Let’s talk - Newborn Sleep!!
Newborns have irregular/unpredictable sleep because of their neurological immature sleep patterns which is why contact naps, motion sleeps and lots of hands on help for sleep will be your best friend in those early days.
There are lots of other things to consider when it comes to sleep and your newborn, such as their temperament (yes temperament is showing even this early), your commitments to sleep and possibly older siblings and often the need to be on-the-go or unable to spend the time settling for sleep etc. And then of course other factors such as reflux and body function can impact sleep too.
Here are my top tips for creating feel-good healthy sleep foundations with your newborn:
⌚ Start finding somewhat of a rhythm to your day. It’s typical for the first half of the day to fall into somewhat of a pattern with it all unravelling as the day goes on – This is still great and sometimes nice to have something to base your day off. All while still understanding that cat-naps and irregular patterns are still considered very normal in these days.
🛑 Stop and pause for a moment when your newborn starts to stir. Newborns are noisy little wiggle worms even when they are asleep so don’t feel as though you have to jump in and assist those little squirming grunts. Pausing for a moment is also ample time for you to do a quick calculation… Are they due a feed? How long have they been asleep? Do they need a bum change? Etc.
🍼 Learning to recognise their hunger cues. Whilst ‘demand’ feeding is necessary for our newborns, we need to be conscious that not every single cry is a demand for a feed. And sometimes their cries communicate uncomfortable (wind/bum change), tiredness, overstimulated etc.
💤 Layer those positive sleep associations in and switch off some of those senses with things such as swaddling (to turn off the startle/moro reflex and help your Babe drift into deeper sleep), dummies, side position for settling and then slowly moving them back to their back once asleep, rhythmic patting etc.
🛁 Start creating some predictable pre-nap and pre-bedtime rituals. Having a dark sleep space. Using white noise etc.
⚖️ Balancing the night feeds and the day feeds. Once feeding does settle in, you’ll really start to notice that your Babe has a certain need for the full 24 hour period, and they’ll tend to regulate to what they need. Missed daytime feeds will often mean they’ll fit it in somewhere else in their 24 hour period. So often on busy days when you’re out and about, or when they’ve slept extra and those feeds have stretched during the day – They’ll make up for it with more frequent feeds overnight.
🌊 Remember that it’s normal for your Bub to feed frequently overnight. It’s normal for them to wake and need comfort. And it’s developmentally NORMAL for cat-naps during the day. Your newborns sleep will evolve over time as they grow and develop. And that sometimes it literally is about riding that newborn wave.
