This might include swapping nights, sleeping in shifts, and sharing feedings. If you have a partner, come up with a schedule that includes both partners getting sleep.
When you’re making your pre-baby to-do list, add “sleep plan” to the list, right at the top would be great. Have a Plan: Parents spend a lot of time preparing for a new baby with lovely nurseries and a myriad of equipment (most of which we never use). Sounds cruel, right? Many of the changes that new moms experience contribute to this sleeplessness like hormonal changes, changes in lifestyle, frequent feedings, and anxiety. Sleeping can become problematic during pregnancy with symptoms like restless legs, frequent bathroom trips, and general physical discomfort, but sleep difficulties can spill over into the postpartum period, even after your baby is sleeping soundly through the night. Something to consider: sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture. As much as it might be considered a rite of passage to be an exhausted new mom, living on caffeine and “sleeping while the baby sleeps”, the bottom line is that humans need sleep to survive. No one can prepare a first-time parent for parenting and the lack of sleep that often comes along with having a baby. Family and friends encourage you to prepare for lack of sleep, “sleep now – you won’t sleep once the baby comes”, suggesting that you can store it away for when you need it most.
One of the most identifiable aspects of the early days of parenting is exhaustion. And this was the real gift, because when you cannot sleep, you cannot get yourself out of the ditch-there’s not a chance.” - Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
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