You will not know how many days you can go without a good sleep until you have a newborn. Most of the newborns take time to establish a sleeping pattern and even after that there will be days that they will struggle to fall asleep. That is when the phrase “sleep when the baby” goes to the trash. The baby will be wide awake in the middle of the night and he will need someone to keep his company. So none of you will get the rest that you need.
Your baby will be awake at night for short periods in the first few weeks of his life. When the baby grows up and settles for a sleeping pattern it will be easier for you. But in the meantime, you need to get some rest to survive so it is better to know what keeps your baby awake. The reasons that might keep your baby awake at night are mostly temporary problems and will not hint at a medical concern. This article will talk about a few of the most common reasons that keep the babies up at night and how you can fix them.
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1. Hunger
The babies do not eat much in a single feed. When the baby digest the little milk he ate in the last feed, he will be up and ready for the next feed. The breastfed babies digest milk faster and will need to be fed again. So this is one major reason why the babies will wake up in the night after few hours of sleep.
When a baby wakes up two-three hours after a feed, it is more likely that he is hungry. The only way to fix this problem is to fill his tummy with breastmilk or baby formula so he can go back to sleep with no discomfort. It is not healthy to force the babies to sleep at night for long stretches without waking up for feeds as the newborns need to eat well to grow and gain weight.
2. Day and Night Confusion
The babies are not born with a sense of when the night is or the idea that the night is for sleep. The babies will need time and practice to learn that the night is for sleep. Some babies will have reversed sleeping patterns where they will sleep well in the day and spend the night up and active. This confusion will go away when they grow up. But until then few tricks can help you to make the baby sleep well at the night.
- When the baby wakes up for the feeds during the daytime, try to keep them up for a longer period. Do not force the baby to stay up if he is already sleepy and tired. You can play with your baby for some time or give him a little massage. When the baby stays awake for longer durations in the daytime, he will feel the need to sleep at night.
- Sunlight can fix the natural clock inside our bodies. Exposing the baby to sunlight will help the baby to fix his reversed sleeping patterns. But this should be done carefully as too hot and bright sunlight is not good for the babies. Dress the baby well and take him out after a feed. You can also place the baby swing, crib, or play mat in a place where it is exposed to mild sunlight.
- Know what makes your baby sleepy and avoid those factors during the daytime. If you think rocking your baby makes him sleepy, do not rock him during the daytime. Baths also can induce sleep in most of the babies so make it a part of the bedtime routine.
- Create a dark surrounding for sleep. At night, use dim light or even no lights at all. Try to avoid loud noises and movements which might disrupt the baby’s sleep. You can use white noise to make a calming sleep environment for the baby. When the surrounding is dark and calm at the night, the baby is more likely to learn the concept that night is for sleep.
- Swaddling is a lifesaver when you want to get your baby to sleep. Wrap him with the arms and legs inside with a light swaddling blanket. It will restrict the movement of arms and legs during the night helping the baby to sleep with no disruptions from the startle reflex. When you are swaddling your baby, make sure it will not be unraveled creating a suffocation risk to the baby. when they sleep well at night, they will not be much sleepy at daytime so the reversed sleeping pattern will be broken.
3. Discomforts
The newborns have immature bodies which are growing fast. So the bodies are prone to discomforts and the babies will stay awake as a response to them. If your baby does not have day-night confusion in his usual sleep patterns but keeps awake at night suddenly, check whether he is showing signs of physical discomfort like being gassy, constipation, teething, or an illness like a cold. When you identify the reason, try to remedy it so both the baby and you can get a good rest at night.
If it seems like the discomfort does not go away with the home remedies, consult your pediatrician. For illnesses like cold and fever, you will need to take advice from your pediatrician before giving any over-the-counter medications to your baby.
4. Need to feel safe
In the newborn stage, the babies need a lot of hugs and cuddles to feel safe. He just came out of the womb and adjusting to a new environment, so no amount of warm hugs from his loved ones will be too much. The baby will wake up in the middle of the night and will feel like he needs a cuddle to feel safe.
The easiest way to get a good sleep as a parent while being present to make your baby feel safe is to share the same bedroom with them. At least until the baby turns six months, he will need to sleep close to the parents. Having the baby’s crib in the bedroom will be a win-win for both the baby and you.
Remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics has only recommended sharing the same room with the baby. Bed-sharing or co-sleeping is not recommended and is seen as a risk factor for SIDS.
5. Overstimulation
Have you noticed that your baby keeps up after a dinner with the grandparents or an extra-long playtime? The babies are very sensitive and can get overstimulated easily. When a baby is over-stimulated, he will struggle to fall asleep. overstimulation can also be a result of a change in the mother’s diet if the baby is breastfed.
The reasons for overstimulation will differ largely from a baby to another. You have to identify what makes your baby hard to fall asleep and avoid them as much as possible.