My Baby is Finally Sleeping ... But I Can't

by Jen Milligan

This blog post was inspired by an incredible mum who rang The Nurtury to get help with her precious 14 week-old son. She added a simple question at the end of the call: "any advice for a mum who can’t sleep, even though my baby is sound asleep?!”
 
It is a problem that up to 20% of mums face in the postpartum period and it can be really tough. The hormones running through a woman's body after she has a baby can wreak havoc with her internal body clock and, despite her incredible fatigue,  obtaining the sleep she so desperately wants and needs can feel impossible to achieve.

Top tips for improving your sleep:

• Reduce or stop your caffeine intake after 2pm. Also, reduce your caffeine intake to 1 serve per day.
  
  
• Create a good sleep environment.
  • Keep your room free from all screens. Screens can prevent you from producing melatonin (your sleep hormone).
  • Have your room as dark as you can.
  • Keep your room at a cool temperature. You will sleep better and wake less. Sleeping in a hot bed has been linked with nightmares (keep that in mind for your kiddies too).
    
    
• Have a sleep routine. In the same way our babies respond to routine, our brains respond well to a sleep routine too. I love my lemon and ginger tea and dark chocolate each night once my kids are in bed. It’s my way of saying to myself “good job, the kids are all still alive. Win”. My brain starts to know that it’s close to sleep time. The sleep cue of teeth cleaning and a face wash is the final step for my brain to know that the day is done.
  
  
• Go to bed early. An adult’s best sleep is between 10pm and midnight. If you can get into bed by 10pm, you are giving your body the best chance of falling asleep before you get too overtired.
  
  
• Include stretching as part of your evening. Stretching is a great way to help the body wind down and prepare for sleep. It will drop your heart rate, relax your muscles, help you to focus on breathing and relieve some of the stress of the day. Below are some pictures demonstrating different stretches. I’m certainly not a yoga guru, but these basic, common positions can be really helpful.

• When you are lying in bed, lie on your back and practice belly breathing. Pop your hands by your side or rest them on your tummy and breathe in for 3 slow counts and out for 5 counts. In through your nose and out through your mouth.
  
  
• Sleep when your baby sleeps. Not only is it okay to have day sleeps, it is encouraged! You are not lazy; you are gathering energy to face the night ahead, parent small children and prevent your own overtired symptoms. No guilt!
  
  
• When you are doing night feeds, stay in a dark room. By going to the kitchen, turning all the lights on, checking your phone or watching TV during a feed, you are waking your body up and giving yourself a shot of cortisol that will prevent you from falling asleep easily after the feed.
  • If you are bottle feeding, try and prep night bottles in the evening before you go to bed. Have the sterile water in the bottle ready to go. Try and do as much as you can before you head to bed at night so that you can keep activity and stimulation of your brain to a minimum. 
  • If you are breastfeeding, have your water bottle, pillows, nappies etc. at the ready before you get into bed each night.
    
    
• Have a think about chatting to your doctor​. Sometimes insomnia can be due to anxiety or postnatal depression. We can often lie awake worrying about the day that was, or the day to come. If the tips above are not helping, seeking medical advice is definitely worth considering. It was real for me  (see our blog on 'postnatal depression' here) and I was so thankful that I took the step to chat to someone.

​Lifeline: 13 11 14
PANDA: 1300 726 306 (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia)