Here is a guest Blog Post from Certified Sleep Consultant, Melina Moses.
Remember the day you gave birth? Later that day, everything starts to calm. Nurses are nearby to help you. Your baby sleeps perfectly swaddled in the bassinet besides your bed. You’re thinking, we’ve got this!
Then...you head home to reality. And guess what? Turns out newborns can be a bit tricky.
Whether you’re bringing home a baby for the very first time or you’re a seasoned mama. Once your baby finds their voice and cluster feeding is in full force - that famous “second night” can make you question everything that you’re doing!
Here are my top tips for success when it comes to my tiniest of clients.
Newborns love later bedtimes!
Newborns are night owls and often refuse to begin their nighttime slumber too early in the evening. Going down for the night between 9-11 pm when you're headed to bed can help you get the most rest during their “longest” stretch overnight. That first stretch of sleep is going to eventually be the longest, so take advantage of that as much as you can!
Timing
Newborns can really only tolerate up to 30-45 minutes of awake time before they need sleep again. Try a feed (20-30 minutes), diaper change, smiles, and back to bed.
Disassociating feeding from sleep!
Over time, you will want to work on NOT feeding your baby to sleep. Of course, feeding to sleep will happen a lot of the time in the beginning, but as you’re starting to slowly work on teaching your baby independent sleep habits, feeding to sleep will be the first thing you want to work on removing!
Darkness
Keep the room dark for sleep...even during the day. It encourages good quality naps and longer stretches at night. Expose your little one to a lot of sunlight/daylight during awake times.
And don’t worry, we are not going to do sleep training with your newborn – they’re too little and need to eat frequently! What we can do together is to set your baby up for success in learning how to fall asleep and stay asleep as he grows older – that’s why you’ll be getting a Healthy Sleep Plan, not a Sleep Training Plan. By the end of our 12 weeks together your baby will be falling asleep independently and sleeping through the night!
If you’d like to learn more about the prenatal/newborn packages we offer at Sleep Wise, don’t hesitate to reach out via e-mail: mmoses@sleepwiseconsulting.com
A note from Melina. Hi, I am Melina Moses. I am a Certified Sleep Wise pediatric & adult sleep consultant, and a mama to four under six! Stephanie was a huge part in documenting my twins’ first year of life, and I am so grateful for the memories she captured! From their sitting session, to announcing their surprise sibling when they were ELEVEN months old :) Never mind the bluebonnet maternity shoot I drove to Fort Worth for from OKC, for the twins to cry and have a photobombing packet of crackers in their hands.
(Photos of the bluebonnet session with the twins included :))
A note from Stephanie. Hi, I am owner of Stephanie Renee Photography. I met Melina in our MOPs group soon after her twins were born. I just loved her right away. She is such a sweet mama with a powerful testimony. It is hard to believe that this mommy of four once had a long hard struggle with infertility! If you are looking for someone who has walked the walk to help you with your baby's sleep, Melina is the right consultant for you!
I loved getting to photograph Melina's family while they lived here in Texas. After she moved she quickly found herself some talented photographers to work with. Attached is her most recent family picture.
Thank you Melina for being a guest blog and teaching my clients about newborn sleep. Keep your eye out for more sleep advice from Melina.
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