Yes, I'm getting 8 hours of sleep while breastfeeding... sometimes
my "routine" for getting some precious shut eye
Hello beautiful people! I would absolutely love to hear what topics, deep dives, and wellness tips you’re interested in me discussing. So if you have a minute to spare, please leave a comment below 🫶🏻
📚 WHAT TO READ: I know I’m late to this game, but I am devouring Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. If you read and liked ACOTAR then you need to read this. Dragons, “magic”, steamy romance… what more could you ask for? Also the main character, Violet, 100% has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.
I’ve been reading on the Kindle app while breastfeeding so I can turn my phone on airplane mode and reduce Celia’s EMF exposure.
📺 WHAT TO WATCH: The Great British Baking Show is baaackk! Sadly they’re only release 1 episode a week, but if you haven’t started it yet then you have two whole episodes to “binge”.
🎧 WHAT TO LISTEN TO: Since giving birth to Celia I haven’t really been listening to anything. So with that said, I’m linking my favorite fertility episode from Huberman Labs in case you haven’t listened to it yet. It dives into male and female reproductive health and is the crash course we all need prior to conceiving. How to Optimize Fertility in Male & Females.
You need aloe vera and you have some options: you can 1. buy a medicinal aloe vera plant (basically just the regular ol’ aloe plant) or 2. buy organic aloe vera gel. Yes, it’s great for burns, but we also just used it topically on our dog Vienna to help with her little grass allergy on her chest. It’s also extremely helpful during the postpartum period in helping treat hemorrhoids. Yay for natural remedies!
Today I’m discussing my “routine” for getting 8 hours of sleep at night while breastfeeding. No this doesn’t work all the time, but man is it wonderful when it does.
Also included in paid 👇
Links to the products that I’m using to help me at night
The top foods you need in your next grocery delivery
I want it to be abundantly clear that I am NOT getting 8 hours of sleep every night. Two nights ago I got 5 and then 6.5 with a daytime nap. Though I still want to share the things I’m doing to help myself have the opportunity for extra sleep in the hopes that it helps one of you! I understand that we may be in a unique position with Celia being easy (minus eating chili recently and totally destroying her stomach). These tips don’t just pertain to the baby either, they help MY BODY transition from awake to asleep and capitalize on every minute I can get.
NO we do not co-sleep!! People asked if we were achieving strong sleep via co-sleeping and no, we are absolutely not co-sleeping. The safest place for baby to be is in their bassinet, next to you, on their back.
You need about 11-12 hours to get 8 hours of sleep. Our “ideal” schedule is I fall asleep at 9pm, wake up at 11-11:30pm. Breastfeed, change, and burp/sit baby (sit up for at least 20 minutes) for one hour+, asleep by 12-12:30am. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes Celia can do 2.5-3 hours asleep and sometimes it’s only an hour and a half. But after about 4 cycles I can usually get around 7.5-8 hours of sleep. If we go to sleep later I just nap during the day. Some days I even get 9+ hours via naps. *DON’T FORGET NEWBORNS NEED TO EAT AT LEAST EVERY 2-3 HOURS!
Sleep at night is all dependent on sleep times during the day. If Celia sleeps nonstop all day then she is likely to stay up during the night. Seems simple enough, right? At this point I’m not waking her up in the day, if she is asleep I keep her cozy and comfortable until she wakes up on her own. Though if she remains awake after being breastfed and changed I capitalize on that awake window! I take her outside to get some fresh air and gentle sunlight on her body (which can help treat or prevent jaundice). I do tummy time either on my chest or on her little Lovevery Play Gym. I read her books with textural components. And her dad is the master at dancing, singing, and playing with her to keep her engaged. Basically just work on engaging with and helping her learn and grow while she’s awake… not that ground breaking.