MOTHERHOOD:
Desperately seeking a break, but not wanting to miss a single moment.
Disclaimer: I am not a sleep expert, and I am not claiming to be one. This is not a sleep program. Please use information at your discretion. (Or not at all lol)
I have been a mom for 9 weeks now, and these past 9 weeks have been some of the most amazing, and rewarding weeks of my life, but they have also been the most exhausting. I knew that I needed sleep, and I started to do a ton of research on babies and sleep (the teacher in me) when he was 4 weeks old. Here are a few tips and tricks that helped me get my nugget sleeping 6-7 hour stretches at night with only one wake up time, by 8 weeks.
1. Set the scene/mood
Before having the baby, my older sister (a mother of two) highly recommended that I purchase black out curtains. They are amazing for blocking out and completely darkening the room (for those long/ sunny summer days) and they are great for blocking out sound (thunderstorms) also.
I also made sure that I had the Hatch sound machine on my registry. If you’ve already had your baby shower, I recommend buying this on your own. I love that you can connect it to your phone using an app, and turn it on and off from anywhere in the house. There are other more fancy Hatch sound machines, but I have the basic version that works great for me. I use the color red, which may seem spooky to some, but it mimics the womb for the baby, making them feel safe and comforted when falling asleep.
A humidifier (I love this one, recommended to me by a friend. There are no wet spots on the floor during/ after use) is so important for a baby’s room. I didn’t realize how important, until I realized the room felt dry and he was always waking up because of it. In order to know the temp and the humidity of the room, I really love this humidity gauge. When the mood is right, your baby will sleep peacefully I found, and you can leave the guessing game out of it when it comes to trying to figure out if the humidity level is too high or too low.
THIS IS NOT MY IMAGE.
2. Be consistent
I think as an educator, I know that my classroom runs smoothly when I keep my students to a routine. This way they are excited to be in my class, knowing what to expect, and what is going to come next. Now I know that babies have a mind of their own, but I found that babies, just like us, have good days, bad days, and they love a routine (some days they are doing their own thing, especially when they are going through a growth spurt lol).
I started to loosely follow a schedule with Baby Mascaro at around 4-6 weeks, to help him build his bedtime routine. That meant that wake up time, and bedtime, were pretty consistent (or as consistent as they could be) on a daily bases. He is a baby after all.
Disclaimer:
These are loose schedules. They are there to be helpful. however, if your baby is showing signs of hunger, or sleep, Please pay attention to those cues, and Follow your babies needs, and toss the schedule. A hungry and tired baby, is an unhappy baby, leaving mommy tired, and also unhappy.
3. Find the right swaddle
This took some time, and research (shocking, I know lol). I used these swaddles in the begging, and they were and are fantastic, however, when Baby Mascaro started to show signs of flipping, it became very necessary to find a swaddle that works, and one he can use safely if he flipped, that would also consider his startle reflex. This is the swaddle (Love To Dream Swaddle) I ended up buying, and loving (be sure to check the sizing that is right for your baby). I really like that the arms mimic the womb, and they have zippers to transition the baby out of the swaddle. At about week eight, I started to take off the arm pieces, and letting Baby Mascaro nap freely without them. I still use the full swaddle as is, at nighttime. There are a lot of other amazing swaddles out there, if the Love To Dream Swaddle doesn’t work for you. Please do your research, and check out the many options that are out there, I know what works for you and your family, is out there.
Baby Mascaro Nighttime Routine
One thing I knew I wanted to stick to, if Baby Mascaro went off schedule, was his wake up time, and bedtime routine. We start his bedtime/bath-time routine at 7/7:15 at the latest. I like to warm up the bathroom before I bring him in, so I purchased a small space heater, and I start running it around 6:55/ 7pm. I do a full on bath 2-3 times a week, and I do a wash down the rest of the days. I didn’t want to dry out his skin by doing a full on bath, daily (that is up to you as a parent to decide what is best for your child), but I wanted to keep the consistency, so I kept the routine the same, day to day. During his bath-time routine, we listen to calm worship music, or country, depending on the night, and after the bath, I massage his legs, and feet, all in the same space. I like to size up on the diaper for bedtime routine, that way he is comfortable at night (allowing him to sleep for longer stretched of time), and we change into his jammies.
I like to wrap Baby Mascaro into a blanket, and get him all snuggly before I bring him out into a cooler space. Before I bring him into his room, I “Set the Scene”. I turn on the Hatch sound machine to the same white noise (different than the one I use at nap time), and I change the light to red (to help mimic the womb). The humidifier is on, if the humidity isn’t in the right place, and the tank full (the hubby checks that for us each night), and once I am out of the bathroom, I try to sneak a bedtime story. If Baby Mascaro is ready for his bottle, however, we go right to it (around 7:20-7:30). Once Baby Mascaro has his bottle, he lets me know he’s done eating, we snuggle (I put on his swaddle. You can do that before you start feeding the baby, or after. It is up to you. I like to do it after, so that he can practice holding the bottle, etc.) and I set him into his crib sleepy but not asleep (8-8:30 pm).
Disclaimer: Sometimes things don’t go according to plan, and he decides that he needs to make a poop lol and then he is extra hungry, have that extra milk ready, just in case, so that you can continue to “Set the scene”. Or use the pacifier to check if the baby is really hungry still.
It took time to build a routine, and with each day, he is asking for his bath-time, and he tells me when he is ready for his bottle, and when he is ready for sleep. It becomes second nature, and the baby starts to take the lead, and gives you cues to follow.
I hope this helps you on your journey to discovering sleep as a new mama. Please share, and comment below for any additional tips and suggestions.
And remember, you are doing an amazing job mom/dad!
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