Seriously
I can’t believe what I was able to accomplish after almost no sleep, and most certainly, not more than 30 minutes at a time.
I’m sure you feel my pain Mama.
Sometimes it was a feeding.
Sometimes it was a diaper change
Sometimes it was indigestion
Sometimes I think it was aliens – j/k (maybe not j/k)
Here are a few of the strategies I wish I’d known with my first baby that would have made a difference in her sleep and mine:
- If you’re a nursing mom, look at your diet. Consider eliminating things like caffeine, refined sugars, and chocolate. What you are passing to baby through your milk may contribute to sleep challenges.
- Also if you’re a nursing mom, consider adding foods to your diet containing amino acid tryptophan, which the brain uses to produce serotonin, a chemical that regulates the mechanisms of normal sleep. Foods high in tryptophan include bananas, cottage cheese, fish, dates, milk, peanuts and turkey.
- Put the baby to bed drowsy, and not yet asleep. Then the baby learns to fall into sleep on her own
- Massage doTERRA Lavender essential oil on baby’s feet at bedtime. Studies show that lavender is calming (in this case for mama and baby), and a foot massage harnesses the power of touch for relaxation
- Make peace with a pacifier if it helps baby to self soothe and go to sleep
- Massage the muscles on either side of the spine to help relax baby
- Swaddle baby – it might seem restrictive AND so was the womb 😊
- Let baby sleep in his own room. This might seem extreme, and I’ve learned that even in the other room I could hear the baby if she awoke, and not hearing every breathe or wiggle helped me sleep better.
- Diffuse doTERRA Roman Chamomile in baby’s room at night
I noted a couple of doTERRA essential oils here↑. It’s important to know that not all essential oils are pure, EVEN if they say so. The industry isn’t regulated, and it is maddening to think you could buy something at the store to support your baby that includes harmful chemicals. doTERRA has earned my trust, and you may borrow my trust if that helps.
