SLEEP!

What is 'Normal Baby Sleep Behaviour'? One thing to realise is that babies are unpredictable. Falling to sleep for your baby is a LEARNT behaviour.

Generally babies fall into a pattern during the day of: feed> play> tired signs> sleep.

WHAT CAN EFFECT HOW WELL YOUR BABY SLEEPS?

Temperament

A baby's temperament plays a big part in how well or quickly a baby settles. Every baby is a unique individual who has a particular genetic make up. Gene's do affect how your baby grows and develops. The thing to remember is that you know your baby better than anyone else and over time you will see his/her little personality develop. It is important to understand that as your baby’s personality and temperament develops you will also get a better idea of what works best for your baby. In a family of more than one child, you are likely to find each individual has unique characteristics and their own temperament. Allow time to get to know your baby. For parents with a newborn it may take at least 4 months before you feel you know what to start expecting or what to do. This is very normal. Allow at least 4 months to begin to feel more confident with your baby.

Feeding

How well a baby is feeding will affect how they sleep. If babies are not getting enough sleep and then fall asleep on either the breast or bottle and don't feed well, then it becomes a catch 22. Babies do need regular breaks from either the breast or bottle so they then develop an appetite to feed well. They also need to sleep well to have the energy to feed well. For a newborn it is normal for them to want to feed 2-3 hourly until they are about 6-8 weeks or so, then they tend to feed better after 3 hours. As babies grow and so do their stomachs they can then feed 3-4 hourly during the day. Nights then stretch to about 5-6 hours without having a feed!

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT?

Parents HIGH expectations for their babies to sleep, is often in direct conflict with what is actually the case. DO EXPECT to be woken overnight to attend to your baby, DO EXPECT broken nights sleep for at least the first 12 months. This is NORMAL. Statistically 90% of babies sleep through the night (ie 7pm to 5-6am) at 9 months. Sitting and chatting with your partner to discuss expectations is a very good start to avoid conflict and enable you both to plan how to best manage broken nights sleep. The reality is that when we are not getting enough sleep we can/do become very irritable, cranky, fatigued etc adults and babies also become cranky, clingy, don't feed that well and are not so enjoyable to be around. Look at what your resources are and try and develop a support network to help your family.

SLEEPING PATTERNS – ADULT VS BABY

Sleep patterns are different between an adult and a baby. Babies sleep cycles are much shorter, (between 20-45-60 minutes, depending on their age), than an adults, whose sleep cycle is approximately 90 minutes. One can see how this could cause conflict. However, it does highlight how spectacular nature actually is. For newborns short cycles are about survival, they have small stomachs and learn to become very good communicators early on. Amazingly, Newborns generally breast feed frequently overnight as 'they know' it will help mothers to increase their breast milk supply!

Other things that may affect a baby’s sleep pattern are, things like; what sort of pregnancy mum had, how the delivery went, whether there were any complications or whether expectations were higher than how actual events went etc. If there was concern or disappointment, these issues may need to be reflected on, talked about or journaled, so they can be dealt with and acknowledged appropriately and sensitively.

WHERE TO GO FOR SUPPORT

Parents need support. Lack of family and friend support can make it very tiring, challenging and isolating. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Join a mothers group or a playgroup as soon as possible. www.playgroupaustralia.com.au will let you know what is close to you.

Visit your local Maternal & Child Health Nurse Clinic, they often run groups and information sessions for parents as well as offering 1:1 consultations.

Post Natal Depression (PND) can affect how a baby sleeps. PND is real and can leave mothers, parents, families feeling isolated, vulnerable, scared and unsure. Please, if you think you either have PND or you know someone who has, please seek some professional advice today. Visiting your GP/Doctor is usually a good place to start. There are Support Groups, Specialised Hospitals and facilities to help you get through this period. Remember women do recover form PND and getting some help will ensure the whole mothering experience feels somewhat better and more enjoyable. www.beyondblue.org.au is a great site for further information.

IN BRIEF, HOW TO GET STARTED WITH HELPING YOUR BABY TO SLEEP:-

Start with a good feed.

After a good feed, young babies can often have a dozy sleep (parents are often caught out by this because as soon as they put the baby down he/ she wakes up).

So it's a good idea to change the nappy at this stage, to wake baby up a little.

Your baby will be ready for some awake time or play time.

Watch for tired signs, your baby might show them quickly when young, after about 10-20 minutes. Older babies might take longer. As soon as you see these tired signs:

jerky movements;

yawning;

grizzly or grimacing face;

rubbing eyes; and

starting to cry..... it is time for your baby to go to bed.

Young babies generally like their arms being wrapped because they can wake themselves up with a startle reflex. In the summer months please use a very light wrap. Do not over heat your bub. www.sidsandkids.org is a good site to get further safety information.

Often with very young babies they like to be cuddled and rocked off to sleep. This is great in the early days but may be more difficult later. So when rocking, slow it down to a stop before your baby falls to sleep. When quiet and calm, then you can put into the cot/ bassinet. It is important that you stay with your young baby as they need you to reassure them early on.

If you have any further specific questions then please don't hesitate to contact me online, Catriona.