Sleeping Like A Baby – a contribution from Simone, childbirth educator and our guest author from Maternal Journey
The term ‘sleeping like a baby’ has always struck me as being an interesting way to describe really great adult sleep, “I slept like a baby last night.’ So really, it’s no wonder that we often have such an unrealistic view of what baby’s sleep is really like!
There is so much information out there regarding baby’s sleep, so much of a focus on how much and when a baby should be sleeping, as parents it’s no wonder we become obsessed by the ‘shoulds’ and ‘shouldn’ts.
We all understand that baby’s need sleep, just like adults, and on paper, theoretically, it makes complete sense. However managing your baby’s sleep at your place on a day to day basis is often something quite different. Baby’s will have times, days, even weeks (should I dare say months!) of difficulty going to and staying asleep, that is just the nature of baby’s.
Sometimes there is something you can do to encourage more sleep, sometimes there isn’t.
What is good to always remember is that baby’s can’t tell the time (that concept takes years to grasp!), and often just need us to let go a little, relax and understand that tomorrow is another day.
For those days or times when you feel as though you have tried all day to get your baby to sleep, give them what they know and love, put them in the sling or frontpack, go for a walk or a drive, lots of sound, use those things that baby’s are familiar with since conception.
There is a lot to be said for ‘simulating the uterus’.
Take some big deep breathes and remember, that like anything ‘that this too will pass’
