The scary impact of sleep deprivation on new mothers and how I coped
If you are a mother, you probably have experienced lack of sleep, at least for a season. It can be an unavoidable part of being a new parent with the sudden changes in your hormone levels, breastfeeding, and round-the-clock demands of caring for a new baby.
Taking all this into account, getting an adequate amount of sleep each night can be challenging, and ultimately, could lead to sleep deprivation.
I struggled with sleep deprivation myself as a new mother, so I can attest to how challenging this time can be!
As a new mom of a newborn, I found myself only getting a maximum stretch of two hours of sleep at a time during the night.
At some points, it was even less than that as we had to keep my daughter upright for about fifteen to twenty minutes after she ate to avoid reflux issues. It was such a difficult time to be healing physically and needing rest, but also having a little person who depended on me completely. While my husband was so helpful and assisted me anytime I needed it, I was breastfeeding at the time so naturally the nightly feedings fell on me.
There were nights where I had to sit in the rocker in my daughter’s room all night just to soothe her. As each day passed, I felt the lack of sleep slowly catching up to me leading to what I now know was sleep deprivation.
What is sleep deprivation and why are new mothers susceptible to it?
Sleep deprivation can be defined simply as not getting an adequate amount of sleep that is essential to your well being. And some of the symptoms of sleep deprivation include slowed thinking, reduced attention span, worsened memory function, lack of energy and mood changes including stress, irritability, anxiety and even postpartum depression for mothers.
While children under the age of six need about ten to twelve hours of sleep per night, healthy adults need about seven to eight hours. When you consider the irregular nature of newborn sleep patterns, you can see why new mothers are at risk of suffering from the effects of sleep deprivation. Due to their sleep cycles not being fully developed, newborns often wake multiple times per night, and rely on mom (most frequently) for feeding and soothing, making it difficult for new mothers to get the full seven to eight hours of sleep they need!
In terms of the impact of sleep deprivation, research shows that after giving birth, a large number of women experience what is known as the “baby blues,” with one in five women experiencing postpartum depression. And, lack of sleep as a result of caring for a newborn can only intensify these feelings.
Ways mothers can cope with sleep deprivation:
There are small steps you can take to help alleviate sleep deprivation for you and your family.
First, work on establishing strong sleep foundations and healthy habits for your newborn. Establishing routines and loose schedules based on awake windows will give your newborn the best chance of sleeping well for naps and nights and therefore allowing mom to sleep more too!
As mothers, we can be reluctant to communicate our needs to those around us. Experiencing the stress of motherhood, baby blues or even postpartum depression does not mean you are a bad mother or that you have done something wrong.
It is important to note however, that if you are experiencing the baby blues or signs of postpartum depression for two or more weeks, that you communicate this to your family, a trusted friend, and/ or your doctor.
Second, try making sleep a priority by asking your partner to take turns during night wakings. If you are breastfeeding, consider pumping a bottle for your partner in order to take turns feeding at night.
How I coped with my own sleep deprivation as a new mom:
My daughter is seventeen months old now and thankfully a rock star sleeper, but when she was younger this was not the case! As I mentioned before, I struggled deeply with sleep deprivation as I did not know what I know now in regards to baby sleep, and as a result did experience the “baby blues.”
One of the key ways I coped with sleep deprivation, and the emotions that came from that, was finally admitting to my husband, family and friends how I was feeling.
It was so freeing for me to finally admit that being a new mom was hard work and that I was struggling. Once I did that, I was able to have open communication with my support system about specific ways they could help me! I started pumping bottles so my husband and I could alternate feedings, and my mother and mother in law would take turns coming over and watching my daughter, so I could have a solid nap during the day!
Another way I coped was purchasing the My Sweet Sleeper 4-12 month sleep course!
Having a step-by-step guide to help me get my daughter sleeping better was a game changer. I felt more in control of my days in regards to how to handle naps and feedings and felt more confident in how to handle night wakings! After putting these tips into practice we began to see longer stretches of sleep for our daughter.
It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and my anxiety and “baby blues” definitely decreased with more adequate sleep.
Later, I enrolled in the My Sweet Sleeper Academy and am now a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant on Rachel’s Team helping other moms realize they can get sweeter sleep too!
Though it may seem nearly impossible to find time for sleep and self-care during this stage, one of the best ways to care for your new little one is to take care of yourself too!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2656292/
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-deprivation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29073412/
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/pregnancy/sleep-deprivation-and-postpartum-depression
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