Having a baby gives a woman a sense of fulfillment and enormous joy. At the same time, it has been seen that first-time mothers get overwhelmed by the changes that take place in their lives as well as their body, after the baby is born. More importantly sleep deprivation. Your baby will require many feedings a day which means less sleep for you, new-mom!
BE CAREFUL! You should recognize the importance of sleep.
While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did, this belief is false . Sleep is needed, for every supermom, to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep, which all first-time mothers may endure for so long, neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behavior.
According to a study conducted by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, people who sleep less than five hours per day are four to five times more likely to be involved in a sleep-related crash. Oups, watch out super mom! You don't want to be involved in a vehicle manslaughter or serious body injury just because you were blessed with a new baby!
How to be Super Mom will give you few tips on how to relax during those few first months:
"Sleep when the baby sleeps" sounds blissful in theory. In reality, not everyone could do that. For some people, sleeping requires some sort of relaxations, low light, quiet environment,...etc.
Tips for new-moms to learn how to sleep better:
1- Lie down super mom, even if you can't sleep. It does help a lot, believe me! I have been there and I know for sure that relaxing your body a little is way better than staying on your guards all day long.
2-Have your husband or a relative do the night shift for you ( mother or mother- in-law)
3-Take turns: One option is to put the baby to bed at night after the 8 o'clock feeding and go to bed yourself. Your partner can use a bottle of expressed milk to feed the baby around 10. Afterward your partner can go to bed and you can get up for the 2 to 4 feeding. That way, each of you will have the opportunity to have an uninterrupted six-plus hours of sleep
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4-Don't rely on coffee: Although gulping down a cup of coffee, first thing in the morning, can give you the jolt you need to be alert, overdoing it can mask your need for sleep, and may actually prevent you from falling asleep when you finally lie down.
5-Get help around the house: Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. Try getting a housekeeper few times a week to help you around the house or at least few hours a week.
6-Organize visiting hours: Everybody wants to see the new baby, of course. And you, you conscientious super mom, will feel the need to make sure the house is clean and there's something to offer them when they come. Unless your family has moved in to take over such chores, ask visitors to hold off for a week or so, then have them come one or two at a time for a couple of days a week. Anyone who had kids will understand, and those who haven't will learn soon enough.
7-Keep the baby near by: Moms actually sleep better when the baby sleeps in a bassinet next to the parents' bed rather than in his or her own room down the hall. The idea is that the baby's within easy reach, the mother doesn't have to be aroused by the baby's screaming, and she doesn't have to get up, turn on the lights, and go down a hallway. That makes it easier to slide back into sleep after the feeding. Starting his 2nd month he will start sleeping better during the night then you could move him to his own room.
If you want to learn how to be a super mom, learn how to get a goodnight sleep first before you completely lose it. No one said that it's going to be easy, but beautiful things don't come without a struggle, and for something that precious and fragile you might want to get ready for a long stressful journey. Good luck and tell us how it goes!