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to you and baby, then go back to it once your baby is changed. He/ she should be more awake and ready for round two!

Once a feeding routine is achieved, you will be able to sleep in between feeds, as baby will be content, full, and will sleep for longer periods.

Time to Sleep

Once baby is asleep, many parents do other things, like watch T.V, catch up with friends and family, and tend to the home-making chores. Although all of these activities are extremely important in their own right, during the first few weeks, try sleeping when baby sleeps. The fact that baby is still adjusting to his/ her surroundings, and that you cannot guarantee you'll get extra sleep, both support the need to sleep when he/ she does. This doesn't have to be forever, as sooner or later baby will establish a routine, and discover that night is for sleep, and daytime is to be enjoyed.

Household Chores

New parents find it extremely difficult to consider baby as anything but a fragile little person. Although babies do need lots of love and care, they are a lot stronger than most people think. There is no reason why you can't carry on with household chores, or anything else that you need to do. Instead of sitting close to baby constantly fretting as they sleep, why not carry on with your daily household activities? This will also assist you with getting extra sleep, as by establishing daytime sounds (e.g. vacuum cleaning, using the washing machine etc), this will assist your baby with getting into a routine, and establishing the difference between night and day, allowing you and baby to sleep for longer periods during the night.

A Final Thought

The key to gaining extra sleep is routine'. By establishing a routine both you and baby will know where each other stands. The fact that baby will adjust to his/ her new environment is inevitable, however you can assist with the process, and even speed it up. As a result, not only will you get more rest, there will also be less strain on current or potential relationships. Furthermore, not only will you be less tired, but this will equate to you being more alert, resulting in you being able to provide a higher standard of love and care.

Learn more about this author, Stephen Mark Richardson.
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