What you need to know about coping with sleep deprivation

from Boots Parenting Club

The sheer exhaustion that looking after a new baby brings can be quite a shock to new parents. Read on for our guide on how to get through those first few bleary-eyed weeks

Your baby's sleep patterns


If you’ve just had a baby, you’re probably reading this with the dazed expression that all new parents quickly acquire.

It’s not that new babies don’t sleep. They’ll spend anything between 10 and 20 hours a day in slumber. It’s more that newborns sleep in fits and starts, usually waking every couple of hours.

A new baby needs feeding frequently day and night because her tummy isn’t big enough to hold much milk. This means that for a while, it will be difficult to get more than mere snatches of sleep at a time. But don’t despair. Within a matter of weeks, things will begin to change.



Starting a bedtime routine


There’s unlikely to be much of a pattern to your baby’s sleeping and feeding to begin with, making it difficult to get into a routine. But by eight weeks, her stomach will be able to hold more milk and as her biological clock starts to attune to a day and night pattern, she’ll gradually begin to be more alert during the day and sleep for longer periods at night.

You can speed up this process by helping her differentiate between day and night sleep. Even at this tender age, a consistent bedtime routine, for example, bath, song, last feed in a darkened room, can go a long way towards establishing long-term healthy sleep patterns.



How to make sure you get some sleep too


Remember your baby’s frequent waking pattern doesn’t last forever. But in the meantime, the key to surviving this phase is to look after yourself so that you are fit and able to care for her. Here’s how.
• Accept all offers of help

• Try to sleep when your baby does. Even a 10-minute nap can take the sting out of your tiredness

• Ignore the housework. Don’t waste time making the bed when you could be lying in it

• Whenever possible, ask someone close to you to look after your baby to give you a chance to catch up on some sleep or just relax in a bath




Common symptoms and quick fixes for sleep-deprived parents

Symptom: Feeling tearful and irritable

Quick fix Put your baby in a sling or pushchair and go for a brisk walk. Exercise increases your energy levels, and will help release endorphins, you body’s natural feel-good hormones

Symptom: Inability to function in the morning

Quick fix Dump the tea or coffee and pour yourself a fruit juice or smoothie. Caffeine gives a momentary boost, but you’ll soon come crashing back down and feel even more exhausted. Fruit will give you energy and the nutrients will help your immune system, which is particularly vulnerable when you’re sleep- deprived

Symptom: Rowing with your partner

Quick fix Talk about your feelings. Creating a breathing space for yourselves is essential, even if it means asking a friend or relative to watch over your baby for an hour or so

Symptom: Feeling shattered during the day

Quick fix Take a power shower to invigorate your circulation and help you feel refreshed

Symptom: Feeling like you’re falling asleep during the day

Quick fix Stop what you’re doing and take stock. A caffeinated drink may help but make sure you grab a nap when your baby’s next asleep

Symptom: Feeling angry and at the end of your tether

Quick fix Put your baby down in a safe place, leave the room and take time out to calm down. Don’t suffer in silence but talk to someone close to you, or contact your GP, midwife or health visitor, who can help you get support




Did you know?


It’s not unusual for new mums to survive on as little as two hours’ consecutive sleep in 24 hours.




Frequently asked question


Should I always go to my newborn when she cries at night?
Leaving your baby to cry it out is not advisable, particularly during the early weeks of life. She needs you to respond promptly. Crying is her way of telling you that she needs something, like a change or a feed. If these needs are met quickly, you both have a better chance of getting back to sleep before long.




Over to mum


‘I’d definitely advise getting blackout blinds. They helped me nap during the day, and helped Sadie to sleep for longer in the mornings.’
Nichole, 32, mum to Sadie, nine months

‘Don’t feel guilty about resting or napping during the day. My partner says it’s my “job” to rest whenever possible, rather than run around doing housework. And he’s right.’
Pia, mum to Fern, nine weeks