Adjusting to Your Newborn Baby: Support is Essential!

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Are you at your wits end trying to figure out why your newborn seems to wake up so often during the night?  Have you tried rocking, and singing and talking to your baby but each time you put him/her down it you barely get a short nap before you have to be up again?  Had you may been told to expect this, but the reality has hit you harder than you expected?  Don’t worry; feelings of frustration are normal within the first few weeks, so don’t despair.

The first few days may be especially hard since you are tired and need some attention yourself, but having your partner and a family member with you for a while can give you some time to get into your routine and help you with your daily chores.  Once you have recovered from your ‘labour pains’ and have been given that period to adjust to your new family member, it is important to still have support from others.  Speaking to mothers in your area or with professionals in the childcare field can help to allay any fears you might have as to your mothering skills; skills will certainly improve as time passes.

Some points to remember when dealing with your newborn’s changeable sleep patterns:

  • It’s normal for newborns sleep in short spurts around the clock – they also need to feed around the clock, at least every four hours, but sometimes as often as every two hours, especially during their frequent growth spurts
  • Try waking your baby if she sleeps for more than about four hours in a row during the day – making sure she feeds regularly during the day can be key to gradually moving her towards longer sleeps during the night.
  • “Sleeping through the night” means sleeping for five hours in a row between midnight and six am – and very few young babies do it. Some start sleeping for this period by around three months, but it’s quite normal for your baby to need a 2am feed right into the second half of their first year.
  • Even once a baby does begin to sleep through the night, don’t expect this to happen every night. He might sleep through for several nights and then wake for several nights. Or, he might sleep through the night every night for weeks, and then start waking again when he has a growth spurt or starts teething.

When parenting your newborn, remember to listen to your own body, if you are tired, rest, when you are hungry, eat. If you can sleep whenever your baby does, you will be in a much better place to get up each time he wakes in the night.

As you spend more time with your baby you will begin to recognize little movements and sounds that will help you to determine exactly what he wants.  Each child is different, and therefore only you can be the judge as to your baby’s needs since you know your baby best.  Doing further research and purchasing baby books can also be invalubale however, as these can guide you in areas where you may feel uncertainty.  The No Cry Sleep Solution Books by Elizabeth Pantley and The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears two of the best parenting books for new parents.