Surviving Sleepless Nights In The First Trimester

Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

Meta – Get that beauty sleep, before your delivery. All new-mommies or mommies-to-be, please take note of this.

So, are you a new pregnant woman? If yes, you are on the right page. After the journey of 9 months is over, brace for another roller-coaster ride with your new bundle of joy. Do you remember how you deep sleep for 8-9 hours per night straight in your bed? If you are thinking of a birth plan, there are high chances that you will miss those days for around 6 months to a year. If you already have a kid, this is nothing new. Many adults sleep for 6 hours and wake up, all energized in the morning. While others seem to need about 8-9 hours of soundless sleep. 

Know About Infant Sleep Patterns

You should find out more about an infant's sleep habits, as they are nothing like yours. An infant may sleep for less than 3 hours during the first few days. Most new-born babies need at least 16-18 hours duration of sleep. For the first six months, babies spend about 50% of their time in active sleep (REM sleep). You will be amazed to know, that the infant is not yet aware of the surroundings. The baby thinks he or she is still in the seclusion and protection of the womb. You need to make a cozy atmosphere, that emulates the womb. Now, there is still a lot of go! Hold on.

The baby will not sleep for a stretch and will wake up in between to feed. You might end up feeding the baby 10-12 times a day. Moreover, your baby is not yet accustomed to the day-night cycle. So, expect the baby to be awake in the night when it's time for you to sleep. You may feel frustrated in the first few weeks or so. The first 2-3 months are going to be like this. Slowly, your baby may sleep more, or at least sleep through the night. Get help. Ask your partner, or spouse, or any other relative to help. That should ease your woes.

Helpful Tips To Get Through The First Six Months Now, you can skillfully make up for your poor sleep. Just keep these tips in mind.

• Try to sleep when the baby sleeps. You may have heard this umpteen number of times. However, most people cannot do this. It is simply not possible. You cannot fall asleep and will have sleep troubles, the moment you hit the bed, believe me. However, you must try. Try to relax a bit. Take short one or one and half hours of sleep along with the baby.
• Ask your partner, spouse or in-laws to assist in night-time feeding. Take turns to do it. That way, everybody in the house can take some rest.
• Try to inculcate self-sleep in the baby. Babies are active sleepers. However, you need to train them a bit. Teach them to sleep without external help, especially at night. To facilitate this process, you must put them into bed, when they are awake and make them sleep in a comfortable position.
• Play light music or white noise on your phone during sleep time. The monotony lulls babies to sleep.
• You can also get some beauty sleep. Try some free-hand exercise, or yoga before nighttime sleep. You could also add a few drops of lavender oil to your bathwater. Better still, add a few drops to your pillow.
• A lack of sleep can also lower your immune system, making you less able to fight off infections and affect physical and mental health.

Myself, being a new mom, I have had my share of sleep deprivation. So, I have written what all is actually possible for you to practice. HAPPY SLEEPING!

Abhrajita Mondal, is a new mommy to a little princess. She is a Holistic Wellness & Lifestyle Entrepreneur, with a salon in Kolkata and is into retailing online. She is a voracious reader and loves to write. She practices spiritual modalities, like Reiki, and loves to travel, and is a foodie.

You can connect with her on Facebook & Instagram.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mom Store.