by Eliza Sininen

Created on: April 12, 2010

Everybody has heard the jokes that new mothers won't get any sleep at all. In reality, it's not at all funny, and a lot depends on luck. Some people adapt easily, while most of us muddle drowsily through the first few weeks. But there are a few tips that can help you to find a good rhythm.

Firstly - Baby's snoring does not signal the perfect time to run around cleaning. Grandma was right - sleep when baby sleeps! Most adults find it quite difficult to split their 8 hours' sleep into four small blocks, but when that is the ONLY way to get enough sleep, then we need to take it! Don't feel any guilt for lying down as soon as baby is asleep. You're entitled to rest, and if you don't, baby will soon pick up your mood and become as grizzly as you are.

Second - You're only new at this, so be kind to yourself. Baby is only new at being a baby, too. Before baby arrived, you had certain things you did at certain times of the day, but somehow this small creature threw it all up into the air. And every day, whether you like it or not, baby is learning from what happens around them. They don't know what day and night are, until they learn the hints. Thankfully, it is easy to establish a routine and it really does help baby settle in, so that you get more rest for yourself.

In the morning, make sure baby hears, sees and smells "morning" things. Cook yourself some toast, listen to the news on the radio, or let baby hear you in the shower, or maybe sing a special morning song - anything that belongs in the morning. Open the blinds and let the sunlight in, turn on the lights. During the day, run the noisy washing machine or go for walks outside, use bright voices, sing lively songs and make happy sounds.

In the evening, close the curtains, keep the lights and voices low. Use the same bath time each day, the same baby wash scent. Read a story before bed (even a small baby can be on your lap, see a book, and hear your voice). Or sing a quiet lullaby which is always the same. These are all signals to teach baby that night is quiet, dark, and peaceful.

When baby wakes to feed during the night, keep the lights and voices low again. Use the same lullaby and quiet voices to go back to sleep after the feed. It will take patience, but it will all show rewards much faster than you expect.

Third - If you don't feel like sleeping, do the bare minimum of cleaning. You've just finished carrying around an enormous overgrown watermelon, you've gone through a birth and possibly surgery, your hormones

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>