“Ugh just wait” is a common refrain heard by expectant parents on how little sleep they’ll be getting once baby arrives.
Both unhelpful and (somewhat) untrue…but for some reason people love dashing parents’ hopes & excitement of whatever stage is to come.
While it’s true that those first weeks and months will have many bleary moments…there’s a lot of ways to at least maximize rest…
Having seen thousands (I first wrote hundreds then did the math) of newborns as a pediatrician over the years and having gone through this all 6 times in our own home the three most important factors for getting more rest:
Having informed & reasonable expectations on sleep (and lack thereof) so we can intensely focus on getting whatever sleep is available
Working as a team to prioritize rest…lowering household expectations in other realms and having a plan in place
Getting days & nights straight. You can easily do this within a week of birth if you’re intentional about it. I talk about how to do this in the video.
Also…if you’re nearby and looking for a pediatrician, checkout how we care for newborns. Our team has lactation experts to help with all things nursing, we come to your home for that first visit after birth so you can rest up, and parents can text us all those newborn questions (including yes the many “Is this baby poop normal?”).
We have space for just 4 new babies per month, so we encourage parents to book a meet & greet to chat with our team and pre-register to save your spot.
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