The Triumphant Mom - 18 July, 2010
There are several reasons why babies wake at night:
- Has not yet established his circadian rhythm -- some newborns sleep all day and are awake most of the night.
- Hunger, as his ‘tummy’ does not hold enough milk to satisfy him for longer than four to five hours at the most (and more often only two to three hours)-- this is normal for a newborn baby.
- A misunderstood parent perception of what night waking is. Newborn babies are noisy sleepers. The regular grunts and whimper sounds they make throughout the night can be misinterpreted as night waking and parents may mistakenly pick up or attend to a child who was actually still asleep.
- A misconception on what sleeping through the night actually means - sleeping through the night for a newborn means 5 hours.
- Discomfort, such as bloating, burning pain in his chest due to reflux, gas pain due to an immature digestive system, too hot, too cold, or a wet or dirty diaper.
night waking
Suggestions to help your baby sleep at night
- Ensure that your baby is fed regularly throughout the day.
- Before bedtime, change your baby’s diaper, put on diaper rash protective cream if you use one and swaddle him in a 100 percent cotton wrap when he shows tired signs.
- Play some ‘white noise’ to drown out the sounds of other children and any loud sudden noises.
- Hold him in your arms until he is relaxed but not after his eyes close. Place him on his back in your chosen sleeping area, allowing him to achieve the final stage of falling asleep on his own. Sleep patterns and associations are established at an early age.
- A newborn does not need to cry himself to sleep – instead, he needs to feel loved, comforted, and secure. If he does not go off to sleep when he is placed in his sleeping area and begins to cry, repeat the process and try again. If he is not asleep after 20 minutes of doing this, hold him until he is asleep.
- When your baby wakes during the night, nurse him as quickly as possible before he starts crying and get him back into his bed. You don’t have to change his diaper or unwrap him if you don’t need to. Keep the lights low and remain in a sleepy state yourself, that way you will both get back to sleep easier.
Seek help early
If you feel you have tried everything you can to help your baby to settle to sleep and a week has passed but nothing seems to be working, and if your baby is not contented and happy and you are exhausted, then it is time to seek individual professional help. Your baby relies on you to be functioning well and not be exhausted from lack of sleep. By getting professional help early, a diagnosis can be made and sleep can be regained within a couple of days.
By Jan Murray from www.settlepetal.com Co-author of Caring for your newborn: How to enjoy the first 60 days as a new mom
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