So, How is the Baby Sleeping?

This is one of my favorite questions. It smacks of the sense that there is a right answer. Not only will the door allowing advice swing wide if you answer incorrectly, but the question clearly falls into the veiled competition category. No one really cares how your baby is sleeping except you, your husband and your mother.

As a breastfeeding mother, you may find yourself suffering from sleep deprivation long after the rest of your friends have started getting out of their pajamas before noon. Since breastmilk protein is smaller than cow’s milk protein, from which most formula is based, it is more easily digested and therefore, does not hold baby’s appetite for as long. Frequent nursing is also designed to help build a sufficient supply and in the early days, ensures that baby will nurse often to flush out bilirubin and “practice” before mother’s milk comes in.

Generally, baby’s sleep cycles become more adult at around four months. This does not mean they will go to bed at 8 pm and sweetly call your name at 8 am the following day. A newborn likely has one lengthy stretch of sleep lasting about five hours. Ideally, this lovely nap is saved for nighttime and sometimes you can encourage this with swaddling or someone other than mom doing the soothing. Even at this age, breastfed babies will likely still nurse at least twice during the night.

Another important part of nighttime sleep is sleep during the day. Sleep begets sleep and while it will seem like an easy bedtime if you skip the daytime nap, it does not bode well for the remainder of the night or perhaps the next day. Fatigue actually sets up a caveman-like reaction of revving the body up to protect it when tired, hence the “Power Hour” if a child gets overtired. Naps generally dwindle as the baby ages, but if you are disciplined, and sprinkle on some luck, your child will continue to nap through their pre-school years. Hold onto those naps, like you do the feel of your baby’s fat wrists, for as long as you can.

When people ask that loaded question, “How is the baby sleeping?” the best answer is “Like a baby.” And when your dear husband wakes up after sleeping all night and asks, “Honey! Did the baby sleep through the night?” remember how you’ve always loved him for his optimism.

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