It’s true, most parents look forward to is the day (or night) their newborn starts sleeping through the night.
You do not have to go through endless night after night without sleep however, even with a newborn.
Baby’s follow a certain sleep pattern, so if you get to know these patterns you will start sleeping more soundly and will have a chance to get some sleep!
Baby’s don’t sleep at the same time as adults do. They actually sleep very unsoundly. Their sleep is full of interruptions because their sleep cycles are not yet fully developed, so they wake more often during the night.
Generally grown adults spend about five hours in a deep sleep every night. This is the restful phase of sleep you need to feel fresh and new in the morning. Usually another 2 hours are spent in light sleep.
Baby’s generally have twice as many light sleep cycles as adults do, and their deep sleep cycles are much more shorter than adults.
Your baby will also have to learn how to fall asleep, it is not something that comes as naturally as you think it would. Whereas adults may pass out the moment their head hits the pillow, a baby will actually lie there looking for something to soothe them to sleep.
Newborn’s actually sleep a lot, approximately sixteen to eighteen hours every day, but they don’t enjoy this sleep the same.
Most baby’s will sleep in increments of only two to three hours. Sometimes their internal sleep clocks are confused from being in the womb, and they mistakenly believe that night is day and day is night. This means that they’ll spend more of their time sleeping during the day than sleeping at night!
Here’s the good news, your baby’s sleep pattern will eventually change, usually by about the time they are twelve weeks old. They will start sleeping about fourteen to sixteen hours a day, and many of those hours will be spent sleeping at night.
What can a parent do in the meantime to feel more refreshed?
-When your baby is sleeping, get some sleep yourself. No matter what time of the day, take a nap whenever your baby does.
– Keep things bright during the day and open the blinds. This will help change your baby’s internal clock around so they spend more of their time sleeping at night and not during the day.
– Sleep close to your baby at night. This will help comfort them and allow them to sleep better. There are many co-sleeper products available that allows you to sleep with your baby safely at night. Consider trying one until your baby is about twelve weeks old when they are old enough to start sleeping on their own.
– You can teach your baby to be a good sleeper with a little time and patience, armed with a little bit of knowledge about their sleep patterns!