Prospective parents and the parents of newborn babies would be wise to prepare themselves for the biological fact that newborn babies are unable to sleep through the night. This necessarily means lost sleep for parents.

It is one of the many sacrifices that parents have always made for their children. The good news is that this period of lost sleep lasts only a short time. After about two or three months, healthy babies will be sleeping for about five-hour stretches during the night. After about six months, some healthy babies will be sleeping through most nights.

Wise parents know that this sacrifice is just part of being a parent. In any event, free yourself from the expectation that your baby will conform to the sleeping schedule of other babies. Instead, tenderly accept and value your baby’s unique sleep pattern.

It is best to avoid fixating on your sleep loss. There is nothing you can do about it, beyond adapting your schedule to the baby’s. You may be able to learn to sleep when your baby sleeps. After all, she needs to sleep a greater percentage of the day than you do. If your baby wakes when you are occupied with housework, put him in your papoose or sling and continue doing the housework together.

If your baby wakes up while you are busy reading a book, pick up your baby and continue reading the book aloud or simply hold her in your arms while you read. As an adult, who is blessed with greater flexibility, you can adjust your schedule so that you can sleep when your baby sleeps.

Instead of focusing on the inconveniences presented by this period in your baby’s life, focus instead on the many joys of being the parent of a newborn baby Remember that you too were a newborn baby once. You too required about six months before you could sleep through the night.

When your children are grown up and have left the house, the fondest memories you will have of them are usually those related to their babyhood. Consciously and joyously immerse yourself in the beautiful, privileged experience of being the parent of a newborn baby.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 21st, 2009 at 2:41 pm and is filed under Night Wakings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.