Sleepy Time
Sleep routine
Starting the journey
In the first two weeks all you need to concentrate on is getting to know your baby. She needs to be loved, fed, changed, and to sleep. Newborns need plenty of sleep (16-18 hours a day). The brain consolidates knowledge during sleep and for your newborn everything is new. Imagine never having seen a dog or a teddy bear before. She needs to sleep to process all this new information. A newborn baby will wake 2-3 hourly for feeds (including nights) but is only awake for about 45-60 minutes at a time and then needs to sleep again. She will often fall asleep in your arms or at the breast. Enjoy this time.
A consistent routine
From about 6 weeks you should notice that your baby’s days and nights follow a pattern. Consistency will help cue your baby’s brain as to when it is time to sleep. Interact with her when she is alert during the day and limit interaction at night to help her recognize that nighttime is for sleeping. No fuss or conversation at night. Aim to soothe as many of the senses as possible during the bedtime routine. A warm bath helps to relax your baby and make her feel sleepy. A calm, loving touch; a lavender candle in the bathroom; soft music; dim lighting. Start having a consistently early bedtime sleep begets sleep. Using white noise, rocking, patting, sssshhhssshhhh sounds, non-nutritive sucking on hands or dummy and swaddling may help to calm her down and assist her in falling asleep.
Melatonin
Breastmilk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that is used by the body to manufacture melatonin (the sleep hormone).The tryptophan levels in the breastmilk are determined by the mother’s circadian rhythm. Babies who breastfeed at night fall asleep faster at bedtime and get more overall night time sleep (subsequently so do their parents).
Melatonin is released naturally as the light fades so in the morning, open the curtains to let in light and expose your child to natural light during the day. Keep the room as dark as possible for nighttime feeds as well as for daytime naps. This will help establish your child’s natural circadian rhythm.
Sleep cues
By 3 months she can be awake for between 60-90 minutes during the day and may drop the 10pm feed and stretch to 1 or 2am before waking. Thereafter she will wake 34 hourly to feed again. Try to recognize her sleep cues and to have her in her cot by the time these cues start. She may be more fussy than usual, have red eyes, yawn or loose eye contact. At this age, put her in her cot awake but drowsy at sleep times and allow her to self soothe.
Self-soothing
From about 4 months, you can start to loosen the swaddle and when your baby wakes at night, don’t rush to her immediately. Give her a chance to self soothe. If she does need a feed go to her but don’t feed her immediately. Delaying gratification slightly may help children become independent but trust your maternal instinct on whether your child is ready for this.
Hopefully your baby’s journey to healthy sleep habits will be a short one without pot holes or speed bumps.