S L E E P

I think we all have a vague, and I mean VAGUE, idea of what sleep will look like when we have a newborn/baby. There’s the knowing that it’ll change, but the reality doesn’t set in until you’re actually doing it. And it can really suck to face that reality.

Generally, it’ll look nothing like what it did before. You’re entering your era of No-More-Eight-Hour-Stretches, and instead your A-Couple-Hours-Here-And-There era. And this can be pretty challenging, and hard to accept.

Sleep is SO IMPORTANT. And yet, it's elusive and can be tricky to establish a routine (and routines are not routines at all, unless following your babies lead is a routine…).

Now, I’m no expert. I don’t study sleep, I haven't read all the literature, and I haven’t had a baby of my own with colic or medical issues that make sleep an extra challenge.

However, I have had four of my own babies, and have supported families through their sleeping journeys. I’ve seen where myself and others struggle, and what has and hasn’t worked. It's different for everyone, and everyone should find what makes sleeping sustainable for them. And thats the take away here.

YOU, the birthing person, needs to get sleep. What are you reading about sleep during your pregnancy? Do you have friends and family who talk about what their sleep situation looks like? When you read about sleep with a baby in the house, do you feel like it seems overwhelming and impossible, doable and restful, or a mixture?

Just like during birth, you need to incorporate flexibility into your postpartum around sleep. Maybe you figure a bassinet/snoo/pac n’ play will be where baby sleeps, and thats all you plan for. Maybe you figure you’ll bed share and thats its. EVERY baby is different, and every parent is different. So look into  MULTIPLE ways that people sleep.

Research how people in other countries sleep. Research more than one safe way to sleep. Talk to different providers about sleep. Because if sleep was impossible, or only done in ONE way, then…where would we be as a species? Probably nowhere. Because we gotta sleep!

How are you planning for this life shift? What helped you sleep in your postpartum? Comment below. [:

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