Sleep When The Baby Sleeps

When I was pregnant, the number one thing I kept hearing is "sleep when the baby sleeps".

I'm here to tell you why that advice- as well intended as it may be- does not always work. Maybe it does for some people, and if it does, please tell me your tricks.

Let's start with nighttime. Once Zackary finally falls asleep (which takes anywhere from 20-60 minutes after he finishes a bottle), I'm wide awake. Well, I'm tired, but I'm alert and on edge. I hear every sound he makes and think "he's waking up". I start wondering how I'm going to get him to go back to sleep. And as soon as I start to drift, he's making another noise. Babies are NOISY. And maybe some people can tune it out, but I cannot. And then, he stops making noises. So I panic again- IS HE BREATHING? and rush over to the bassinet to look. Essentially, my brain is going haywire. I even "Wrote" this blog post in my head as I was trying to fall asleep last night. By the time I do finally fall asleep, I get maybe an hour before he wakes up to eat again. Repeat cycle. Even if Tom feeds him and puts him back to sleep, the noises wake me up.

Day time? Well. Mr Zackary prefers to be held for a nap. I know the old school method states "don't let them get in that habit"... but he's 4 weeks old. Modern research says- babies can't be spoiled. Hold them. So I hold him, or wear him in my carrier. And he does sleep that way. But, that means I can't sleep. I don't feel comfortable dozing off while holding him. Just when I feel like "okay, I can put him down", I do, and he wakes back up. And when he's not being held for a nap, and is dozing in his bassinet or dock a tot, the same issue I have at nighttime resurfaces.

Oh! He does usually sleep in the car or the stroller. But I can't exactly sleep then, either.

And then there's the fact that I also need to eat, shower, get dressed, and MAYBE like.. do some dishes or laundry? I don't expect myself to be doing deep cleaning, but simple chores, for my own sanity, need to get done. The only time to do that? When he's asleep.

So to my friends who are expecting- I will not tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps. I know how difficult that actually is to do. I'll tell you this- sleep when you can. An hour at a time. a 20 minute power nap. Whatever you can do to at least get a little sleep so that you can function. Hand the baby off to your partner so you can doze. If people offer to come hold the baby so you can sleep, TAKE. THEM. UP. ON. IT. If it's Christmas Day and the whole family is playing a game downstairs and you go upstairs to nap for 3 hours, do it. (I may have done that).

And, do what I keep doing. Tell yourself that this is a phase. (At least, I really hope it's a phase. Please tell me I will not be holding my child to nap for the rest of his life).