23

July

Sleeping after childbirth

Sleeping after childbirth

Our baby has finally been born. So many months of waiting and we have it with us. It is time to leave the hospital and start a new life at home, adapting all together to this new situation in which our schedules and routines are going to change, and mainly in relation to the hours we sleep. Now the rest of the mother and father will depend on the hours of sleep of the child of the house, and may become a great inconvenience because sometimes it is impossible to fall asleep even at times when you have the opportunity to do so. And is that although it may seem that babies sleep little, the truth is that they sleep for a while. Adapting to their schedules to feed them when necessary supposes a total break of your sleep cycle.

The postpartum is a period of readjustments in which the woman’s body will undergo physical and emotional changes in order to return to the pre-pregnancy state. All this will cause a feeling of fatigue or fatigue that will make the onset of insomnia inevitable. However, the biggest impediment to bedtime and rest will undoubtedly be the baby. Your diet will prevent parents from sleeping for the recommended seven consecutive hours in adults.

We are facing a tough period that will often test the patience of parents due precisely to the lack of sleep. Below we summarize the main causes of insomnia, and then we will provide some guidelines that you can follow to make this stage more bearable.

  • Exhaustion: Although it is true that tiredness is perceived from the last trimester of pregnancy, the moment of giving birth implies an important physical wear that will accentuate this feeling even more during the first weeks of postpartum.
  • Newborn births: If you have just had your first baby, it is normal to see a great sense of responsibility for which you fall asleep. It is something totally normal and insomnia is due to the insecurity you feel at the fact that something can happen to your baby.
  • Hormonal change: Hormones are out of control and this causes a great fatigue or lack of courage, which together with the feeling of guilt for not feeling as happy as you should, makes you unable to fall asleep. The hormonal balance will take a while to arrive while the levels of estrogen are regulated little by little.
  • Postpartum contractions: Labor is a great effort for the mother due to the annoying contractions. And these will continue to appear periodically during a time when the uterus, which previously increased its size to accommodate your baby, regains its original size preventing your rest is what you need.

As we said, this is a stage that you will overcome little by little with patience and all the love that your little one wakes up for you.

Tips

  • Use a baby monitor: These devices are highly recommended for the peace of mind they represent for parents. With them, you can stay asleep without having to pay attention to them at all times, since your monitor will reproduce any noise that the child emits so that you can attend to any need. If you wish to consult all the functions of our baby monitors, click here.
  • Breathing exercises: Sleeping is very important to rest, although you can also get some rest through certain activities that you find rewarding. For this you can try to keep a slow breath for a few minutes to replenish energy and relax.
  • Proper nutrition: Avoid heavy meals as well as drinks with caffeine that can make you nervous.
  • Sun baths: It is very recommendable to take walks in the sun with your baby, if your pediatrician allows it and the weather is favorable. Walking and exercising makes you feel more energized, and after that your breaks are deeper.

In summary, remember that this stage will end soon and you can continue enjoying the hours of sleep that we all need 🙂