6 Tips for Resting as a New Parent

One of the biggest struggles my clients experience as a new parent is adjusting to the disjointed sleep routine life with a newborn brings. A lot of people ask me what their initial postpartum period should look like.

In the simplest form, plan to spend:

5 days IN BED,

5 days ON THE BED,

& 5 days AROUND THE BED.

This means the birthing mother need not do anything except, eat (in bed!) rest, and nurse. The birthing mother should not be cooking, definitely should not be cleaning, or even hosting friends who are “just stopping by!”

As a doula, there is nothing I love more than walking into a home and seeing my client in bed with baby and their partner close behind ✨

Here are some ways to get REST (sometimes just as good as sleep) with a newborn after those first 21 days:

01. PLAN AHEAD

If you are breastfeeding, consider pumping or hand expressing some milk once nursing has been established. Then, someone can give the baby a bottle and you can tuck in for a four hour stretch of sleep!

Typically a four hour stretch of sleep will be enough to reset your system and make you feel brand new.

02. STAY IN BED

Do some skin to skin! Doesn’t it feel so nice? This will guarantee that you are resting and not doing house chores.

03. ASK FOR HELP

Do not be afraid to have a day where all you do is feed your baby and then hand them off to your partner, family member or doula (😉) to have them burped/changed/rocked back to sleep.

This can help you catch a few extra hours throughout the day.

04. UNPLUG.

Use a digital alarm clock to keep track of when it is time to feed and put your phone away. Mindless scrolling takes away from time you could spend closing your eyes instead (it also makes you more tired!)

05. WEAR YOUR BABY

Invest in a good infant carrier or wrap for when baby is fussy because you still gotta eat and use the toilet or get some fresh air! I love the solly wrap for the early days!

06. BONUS PREGNANCY TIP

I also love suggesting that during your last trimester you practice closing your eyes for 10-20 minutes at a time throughout the day. Napping during the daytime takes PRACTICE! It doesn’t always come naturally but it is a skill that can be learned!

If you’re reading this in the thick of it, I promise you, you WILL get through these days and sleep again.

And for the days where you’re overtired and in need of a moodshift, I like to ask the question…

What’s your favorite way to reset after a long day or night?

My answers:

+ take some deep breaths

+ light a candle & hop in the bath

+ hug your partner

Even just five minutes to yourself during these early days (or any day!) can make a huge difference in feeling more like “you.”