How to Get Through A Sleepless Life with A Baby

I don’t know about you, but everyone told me to sleep as much as I could before the baby came. Believe me I tried, but for all you mama’s out there, you know how hard it is to sleep in your last trimester. You have back pains, your pregnancy pillow is no longer supporting your belly, you have to pee every hour and your nausea is coming back. Sleeping really isn’t an option! By this time you’re just ready for the baby to come! You’re exhausted, impatient and excited all at once! When your little one finally arrives you hear the same thing again, “get your sleep!” Newborns spend most of their first couple of weeks sleeping. If your babe is anything like mine, then they would sleep all day when you wanted to play and would wake up every two hours at night. I like to think of it as pay back for when we were babies and gave our parents a hard time! Your sleep schedule becomes way off because now you’re sleeping during the day and staying up most of the night. You start to become oblivious to what’s going on around you and things start to become a blur. This is a sign! Get some help! I had my mom come and help me for the first month after Mila was born. That was the best help I could’ve ever had! She was the help that kept me sane when I was starting to lose it. Having a baby completely changes your life and your routine. Taking a shower, going to the bathroom, or even just getting something to eat is a lot harder to do when your baby needs you. My mom knew the exact moment to step in and take care of Mila so I could take a nap. So if someone offers help, take it! Don’t be shy or feel like you are being a burden. That was hard for me because I don’t like to ask for help, but trust me you need it!  

The hardest thing to remember when you are sleep deprived is to think positive. When you are pacing the room, practically sleep walking, trying to get your baby to fall back asleep at 3am and just wishing you could be in bed, remember it is not your little one’s fault! Don’t get frustrated and don’t yell at your husband (that tip is mostly for me because I’m guilty of that)! It’s no one’s fault and its all apart of having a baby. My daughter is a baby who just senses when I try to put her in her bed. I will hold her till she falls asleep (please no judgement, that is the way I like to put her to bed) and then put her down and she will just scream because she just likes to be held by me and only me! What helps me from getting frustrated is looking at cute photos and videos of her smiling to get me through it. We all have something that will remind us of why we became parents in the first place. Use that to get you through the hard times, and you will make it! Remember, it’s all worth it! 

5 Tips to Remember 

1. Nap while your baby naps
2. Take turns with your hubby who gets up at night
3. Have someone help you the first month (friend, mom, grandma, etc)
4. Always remember to eat! (Being cranky and hungry is not a good mix!)
5. Have a picture or something to remind you of why you became a parent