Babies Are Blessings

HOW TO GET ENOUGH SLEEP

Recall how many hours of daily sleep you needed before pregnancy in order to function well.
Six hours? Eight hours? That is the amount of sleep you now owe yourself every day.

Since you cannot get his amount of sleep in one stretch, because of interruptions for
feedings and baby care, you will require more hours in bed to get your allotted amount of
sleep.

Plan to stay in bed or keep going back to bed until you have slept your allotted number of
hours. This means that except for meals and trips to the bathroom, you do not get up in the
early morning. Keep a mental note of approximately how much time you have slept at each
stretch, and stay in night clothes until you have slept the required number of hours.

You may have to stay in bed from ten at night until noon the next day to get eight hours of
sleep! If that’s what it takes, do it. Then brush your teeth, take a shower, and dress.

Many parents find it easier to follow this advice if the baby sleeps with them or nearby. As
your baby grows and begins to sleep for longer stretches, it will take you less time to get
enough sleep.

Taken from Penny Simkin, P.T.’s book “The Birth Partner.” 2nd edition.