Finding solutions to those sleepless nights
It's two a.m. and you are feeding your newborn. 4 a.m. and you are still
trying to get her back to sleep. You are counting the minutes of sleep you
could still acquire if she went to sleep this very instance. On your mind
is that big presentation you must deliver in only four short hours. We've
all been there -- walking through a day at the office with little more than a
few hours of sleep.
Reliving this stage in motherhood could be a determining
factor in whether you grow your family with another newborn. But good news
is here. Recent results of a sleep study by Kathryn A. Lee, RN, PhD at the
University of California, San Francisco sites that a second child is less
exhausting than the first. The study found that experienced mothers got more
sleep than first time mothers. It appears that experienced mothers follow
the advice to "sleep when baby is sleeping."
Because that's not always possible after you have returned to work, here are some ideas to catch a
little more shuteye and be fresh for work the next day.
1) Alternate "complete sleep" nights with your partner. Allow someone else
to get up with the baby every two or three days so that you can have a full
night sleep knowing you aren't on call.
2) Get up 30 minutes earlier to exercise. You will gain energy by
expending it. An added benefit is that exercise can help relieve your stress.
3) Go to sleep as soon as you put the baby down every few days even if it
means someone else must put the other children to bed later.