Sleep? Why a lack of it sends Mums Crazy

Babies are like sponges, they soak in everything around them (even in the late stages of pregnancy).  It’s not hard to see then when parents become sleep deprived and stressed that things can spiral downwards creating an even more unsettled baby.  Easy to say but how can we solve it with tired parents and a crying wakeful baby? 

In later discussion points we will look at age specific strategies for gentle sleep. It is important to recognise that we are looking at a very dependent relationship (from a babies perspective) and parents need to feel the best they can and understand that they can relay their stress onto the baby.

Mums are often sold gimmicks and products, yet they are not told often enough how wonderful a job they are doing, how amazing it is to bring new life into the world.  So take a step back and remember you are very special and clever!

Now some harder work.  Much of what we do outside of mothering we are in control of. Paid employment, participating in hobbies and sports, living a busy life.  Parenting a newborn bears little similarity, we are seemingly very ‘out of control’.  A woman before having a baby can hold down a demanding job completing many tasks at once and yet when she can’t seem to settle a little baby she feels such a failure!

We must not see our early days of parenting as a failure, just as a radically different job needing a totally different approach.  As a new Mum we are really not in control. If we accept this and ‘let go’ of a rigid idea of motherhood we will find it far more enjoyable (this is also important for Dads!).  Look at all the glossy magazines.  The headlines are scary ‘back to pre baby shape in 6 weeks!’, etc. Sometimes in a quest to get back in shape, keep a tidy house and look after a baby we can get lost. This is where poor settling and sleeping begins.  At Living Textiles we know that one size does not fit all when it comes to parenting.  We do know, however you need time to relax in order to teach your baby the same thing.