All posts filed under: Baby Sleep

Baby Sleep Preparation

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Baby sleep preparation – either in pregnancy or with your new baby – can make a huge difference so you have a solid understanding of how babies sleep, how it can vary and how normal it is for babies not to sleep through the night. Baby sleep can be a huge concern and a very common topic of conversation with new parents who are tired, in need of more sleep and, often, are wondering what they are doing wrong. While they are a few things that can encourage sleep, it is very normal and to be expected for babies to wake frequently day and night. I work with expectant and new parents to focus on the reality of life with a new baby and how they can manage with less sleep. The truth is that there are no quick fixes with babies and acceptance goes along way! When it comes to baby sleep preparation, these things can be crucial… where possible, asking for and accepting help and support so you can rest plan for night-time …

Baby Sleep

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Every parent wants more sleep and the battle to get more can be all-consuming. As a practitioner who speaks to a lot of parents with babies, I know how varied and exhausting baby sleep – and the lack of it – can be. A huge issue with baby sleep is that our expectations can be set too high. While some babies can sleep for many hours, many cannot and that is totally normal. Expecting this and planning around it could make the biggest difference to stress levels and support. Baby sleep facts Newborns may only sleep for up to 2 hours at time By 3 months, some babies will sleep for longer periods. 47% will wake 3-4 times By 5 months, 50% babies will be able to sleep for 8 hours on some nights (but not necessarily in one block of sleep) At 6 months, 84% of babies will wake atleast once By 12 months, 73% babies can sleep for 8 hours on most nights (but not necessarily in one block of sleep) and 50% …

baby massage

baby sleep and being exhausted

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Most days I see mums and babies and the range of sleep – or lack of it – varies so much. Some babies sleep most of the night, others sleep in chunks of a few hours and the rest are up every hour. No two babies are the same and this is why books can be frustrating because your baby might not match their sleep descriptions. The reasons why babies wake frequently can be down to hunger and thirst, needing reassurance, discomfort from wind, reflux or teething or just not knowing how to get themselves back to sleep when they wake up. Sleep can be affected with growth spurts and developmental leaps – which despite apps such as Wonder Weeks – can be unique to your baby. The 2 biggest developmental leaps for your baby are around 4 months and at about 8-10 months (when brain/physical development is happening) when sleep could be at its worst but I have been around enough babies to know that it does vary a great deal. Frequent night-wakings and …

Baby Sleep – and why it can be so tough

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Baby sleep is a huge topic of conversation – both antenatally and postnatally. It comes up in conversations with expectant parents, who have concerns about how they are going to cope with lack of sleep, and it is a popular postnatal topic among tired parents, whose baby sleep issues are ongoing. Lack of sleep with a baby is the toughest thing to cope with for many reasons…*you are really tired*the days are long*it can feel like it is all on you*you may be feeling like you are getting something wrong*it can all feel very overwhelming and isolating*it can affect your mental health Baby sleep is a complicated issue – some babies sleep in longer chunks, and others wake more frequently. If there was a simple solution to this, we would all be doing it and it wouldn’t be an issue but a baby’s needs vary each day and sleep can easily be affected by growth spurts, needing food/comfort/reassurance, colds, teeth, reflux, wind, being uncomfortable, wanting to be near mum and just not being able to …

newborn sleep

Newborn Sleep

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Newborn sleep is the most common conversation in my postnatal sessions. The beginning of life with your new baby can be a haze of sleeplessness, with no distinction between night and day. However chaotic this may seem, it is all totally normal. Newborns may only sleep for between 90 minutes – 2 hours at time, night and day. Some new babies may sleep for longer chunks in the day, spending the rest of their day sleeping and feeding – total sleep over 24 hours for a new baby can range between 11-19hours Newborn Sleep: why can’t babies sleep for longer? Babies have small stomachs so they need regular calories to grow and develop. Their body systems are immature so babies are meant to be close to their mothers to help regulate their temperature, breathing and heart rate, as well as regulating any stress they experience as part of their development and adapting to the world around them. Babies sleep cycles are about 45 minutes long (compared to 90 minutes for an adult) and they have …