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Sleep and settling - what to expect in the first three months
Understanding how variable babies’ sleep patterns are from baby to baby, and from week to week according to individual feeding, growth and developmental stages can help relieve your concerns, and help you to ‘go with the flow’ of your baby’s individual needs.
Here are some key takeaways:
Variability in Sleep Patterns: Recognize that babies' sleep patterns vary greatly from baby to baby and can change week by week. Understanding these individual variations can help reduce anxiety and enable parents to adapt to their baby's unique needs.
Comfort and Reassurance: Babies require familiar sensations to feel secure, such as warmth, security, nurture, movement, and soft sounds. These comforting elements help babies adapt to the new world outside the womb.
Reading Baby's Signals: Understanding a baby's cues for sleep, hunger, or discomfort is essential. Babies exhibit various awake and sleep states, and responding promptly to these cues can minimize feeding and sleep issues.
Tired Signs: Learning to recognize when a baby is tired is crucial to prevent overtiredness. Signs include jerky movements, yawning, fussing, and looking away from stimulation. Calming an overtired baby involves a quiet environment, reassurance, feeding if needed, and soothing techniques.
Feeding and Sleep Connection: Addressing a baby's hunger is crucial before attempting to settle them to sleep. Babies under three months often need multiple feeds, and feeding cues should not be ignored, as they might override attempts to settle the baby to sleep.
Day-Night Rhythms: Newborns are initially oblivious to day and night, but environmental cues and a mother's sleep/wake hormones gradually influence a baby's circadian rhythm, typically developing around two months of age.
Avoiding Rigid Routines: Avoid highly structured routines, as they might not suit the baby's individual needs. Responsive parenting, based on cues rather than strict schedules, is more beneficial for a baby's well-being.
Expect Changes: Babies' sleep patterns change with growth and developmental phases. Flexibility is crucial during these times, and it's normal for strategies that once worked to suddenly become ineffective.
Seek Support: If coping becomes challenging, seeking help from friends, health professionals, or a doctor is encouraged. It's essential to acknowledge the difficulties and seek assistance when needed.
This advice promotes an understanding of a baby's needs and signals, encouraging a responsive and flexible approach to parenting, rather than adhering to rigid sleep routines. It emphasizes the importance of nurturing and adapting to the unique needs of each baby. If you are finding it very hard to cope, talk about it with a close friend, your Child Health Nurse or GP. Don’t despair, help is nearby.
Visit the PBC Expo Midwife, Hayley at an Expo near you
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