Middle of the night feedings, baby and mom crying, and barely awake mornings are a natural part of parenting. Kirstie Alley sleepily pouring coffee into the baby bottle at 2 a.m. in the film "Look Who's Talking" is a humorous but truthful look at sleep deprivation; moms get plenty of it the first few months of motherhood. The key to survival is taking it all in stride and accepting it as another rite of passage into parenthood. In developing a few good habits parents can help babies establish healthy sleep patterns and overnight care can be quick and effective.
Remain Flexible
Infants sleep up to 16 hours a day in one to two hour intervals for the first couple months. There will be many times in the night parents needs to tend to baby; and baby experts agree on the importance of waiting until baby is at least 6 months old, if not older, to begin any sort of sleep training method. By 3 months old, many babies sleep four to six hours at a time and by 6 months old, sleep can last for nine hours at a time. However, all babies are different and there is no magic age to expect sleeping through the night. Overnight care (feeding, changing, cuddling and attending to baby's needs) is generally needed for the first nine to 12 months; it's just a part of the baby package.
Daytime Routine
Instituting healthy habits during the day affects the baby at night. Dr. William Sears, author and pediatrician for over 30 years, advises giving baby plenty of love and attention during the day in order for her to establish trust and security in mom. Without that trust, she can feel isolated or abandoned at night, which does not encourage peaceful sleep. Another benefit to playing with baby in the daytime is that it can wearing down her energy making her less energetic at night. It is important to keep her full throughout the day and teach her that daytime is for eating and nighttime is for sleeping (although infants eat every two to four hours for the first few months and babies up to 12 months may still wake up to eat.) Helping baby keep a full tummy during the day and feeding her a full meal before bed will increase her time spent sleeping and decrease the night feedings after six months.
Bedtime Routine
Establishing a bedtime routine not only helps the baby learn to associate certain behaviors with bedtime but also creates a great environment for bonding. A nightly bath, reading a book, singing lullabies and cuddling and rocking are all great ways to tell the baby the day is coming to an end and it's time to get cuddly and sleepy. It is also important to have a certain time to start the 30 minute routine. The baby will get into a habit of going to sleep at 7:30 (or whatever time parents choose), which will help overnight sleeping and daytime napping.
Baby's Environment
Whether the baby sleeps next to mom, in a bassinet in the parent's bedroom, or in his own separate bedroom, creating a peaceful environment is another factor in overnight care to increase the length of the baby's snooze sessions. Babies like monotonous white noise like vacuum cleaners, washing machines and softer versions such as fans and humidifiers. The temperature in the room is important; just like adults, babies will wake if too hot or cold so dress them appropriately and provide added cooling or heating when necessary. Some babies also like to have a piece of mom nearby, if they're not cuddling right next to her. It's helpful to leave a breast pad or part of mom's shirt for baby to smell and snuggle.
Overnight Feeding
Nighttime parenting as Dr. Sears refers to it, is best kept quiet and low. Low lighting, low movement and low voices all give the signal to baby that it is still nighttime and they should expect to go back to sleep. It is helpful to have a small lamp near the crib or parents' bed so the overhead light can remain off. Infants need to eat every two to four hours, so feeding baby will happen a few times a night. Another benefit of breastfeeding is the readily available breast; many moms choose to co-sleep not only to increase nurturing but also for the convenience. A lot of parents struggle to stay awake during night feedings when they are snuggling with the baby. A common habit adopted (more so with nursing moms) is letting the baby snack through the night rather than feeding her a full meal. Although it's not harmful, when it becomes expected by the baby it can pose problems for sleepy parents who want a full night's rest.
Overnight Care
Keeping with the idea of being calm and low at night, another helpful idea is to have diapers, wipes and pacifiers nearby to meet the baby's needs quickly and quietly. Many products offer dim lighting attached to toys, co-sleepers or crib attachments to help parents see what they are doing but keep it dim enough to not fully wake the baby. It is important to change a soiled diaper even if it is tempting not to wake the baby. Wet diapers can wait until the next feeding because infants urinate more than once an hour, but feces can quickly cause diaper rash and become painful. Many parents rush to the baby at every stir, but infants are like adults in that they change positions and wake themselves up throughout the night. Sometimes the baby will wake up and not want to go back to sleep. Remember, the baby is getting used to mom and sometimes just wants to hang out and look at her even if it happens to be in the middle of the night.
Patience
The most important requirement for parents during overnight care is patience. Much of the "baby blues" that, according to the Mayo Clinic, 85 percent of women experience, can be linked to lack of sleep because functioning on little sleep is difficult in general, much less with the addition of a screaming newborn. Keeping a light-hearted attitude and remembering overnight care only lasts so long helps parents remain patient, and also focusing on how helpless the baby is and how much she needs her mom can help turn the baby cries from annoying to loving with a shift in attitude. If either parent ever feels violent towards themselves or their baby, it is necessary to seek professional help immediately. Dr. Sears advises mom to "hold your baby a lot" to relieve postpartum stress; focus on the sweet, loving, healthy child created and listen to the biological cues of parenthood; all else will fall into place.
