Sleep Tips for New Mothers: Quality vs. Quantity

It seems impossible: could new mothers really get the same amount of sleep as usual?

That's what one report seems to be saying ... until you dig a little deeper (so don't throw tomatoes at me yet, new moms).

According to a new study that looked at the sleep life of postpartum mothers from the birth of the babies until they were four months old, new moms may often get a decent amount of sleep -- an average of 7.2 hours to be exact -- but here's the catch: they don't get the quality of sleep they really need.

A little more than seven hours of sleep is actually better than average for most Americans, but the sleep these new moms were getting is not the kind of sleep that makes you feel refreshed and well rested the next day. The study revealed, not to my surprise, that new moms experienced highly fragmented sleep that steals much needed deep sleep. In fact, their sleep patterns mimic those who suffer from sleep disorders like sleep apnea, where you experience enough hours asleep but you don't spend enough hours in restorative sleep.

How is this possible? It's simple: patterns of sleep follow definitive cycles, each one lasting about 90 minutes to two hours. A new mom whose sleep is disrupted during the night may not get enough full cycles of sleep, if she gets any at all.

The old adage of quality trumps quantity rings true. You're likely better off getting high-quality sleep for 6.5 hours than low-quality sleep for a longer period of time. This may explain why some people are okay on fewer hours of sleep than average. If you can log lots of restorative sleep in a shorter amount of time, you're golden. Few, however, have this ability. The vast majority of us really need 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

And if you're a new mom whose baby, even at one year, makes it a challenge to get a full night of uninterrupted sleep, there are some solutions to consider:

• Nap for a full cycle: a 20-minute power nap might not do much if you're severely sleep-quality deprived. You would do well to try and get a full cycle of sleep into a nap, which means about 90 minutes. If your baby sleeps for that long in one of his or her siestas during the day, don't catch up on your work at that time -- take a nap too!

• Be mindful of your mood: if you feel like those postpartum blues are getting worse, speak with your doctor. Sleep deprivation can exacerbate the stress a new mom's body goes through after giving birth. Hormonal changes add to the challenges. And all of these can further make for troubled sleep.

• Teach your partner so you can skip a feeding: I've mentioned this before and it bears repeating because I don't see this happening enough. It's not hard to teach your partner how to tend to your baby's needs in the middle of the night so you can skip a feeding and sleep through it. Even moms who are exclusively breastfeeding can pump and have a bottle ready to go.

• Ask for help: Don't be shy about asking for help from family and friends. A long afternoon nap while someone else takes care of your baby may be worth more than you ever imagined.

As an aside: For many parents, the onset of the new school year is like New Year's in children's lives. Now that summer has set with Labor Day, it's a great time to renew commitments to health. Which of course entails a pledge to sleep better. The kids are back on a schedule. Get back to a sleep schedule too. It probably won't be the same one as your kids', but it'll help you to be the best, most refreshed parent (dare I say patient?) you can be.  

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD

The Sleep Doctor™

www.thesleepdoctor.com

 

 

 

Follow Dr. Michael J. Breus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesleepdoctor

Comments

[mrs adler]

05:28 PM on 10/01/2010

I am 21 and I haven't decided whether I want to have children or not, but one thing I have clear is that I will sleep more than 8 hours a day, no matter what: be it skipping a feeding or letting my mom/friend take care of the baby for a whole evening. I think that sleep deprivation makes any person moody and irritable and it makes it not only worse for yourself, but for the baby too.

Any moms over here who have done the same?

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

07:11 AM on 10/04/2010

dream on sweetpea.

[mrs adler]

10:52 AM on 10/04/2010

Why? When one does not have something, it is kind of arrogant to think that others cannot have it either.

They told me to dream on becoming first on class of the most difficult studies of my country and here I am!! :D So I think I'll dream about getting my +8 hours a day too.

[Bluemax1]

04:51 AM on 10/01/2010

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned against infants and toddlers sleeping in adult beds due to the risk of suffocation and strangulation. The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees. There were 515 reported deaths from 1990-97 and 75% of these were infants under the age of 3 months. There were 100 reported deaths from 1999-2001. It is recommended by AAP to have the crib next to your bed in order to be close while sleeping. An alternative is to attach a bassinet device to your bed. The crib next to the bed worked perfectly in our case. It is not worth the risk to in order to co-sleep with your child.

[WWJJD]

02:27 AM on 10/02/2010

There were more crib deaths than co-sleeping deaths, but you don't hear about that. People should do what works for them.

[dianecurriesam]

12:51 AM on 10/05/2010

"According to controversial research conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year 60 babies die in adult beds—but most of these babies are alone. On the other hand, 900 babies die each year in cribs, and in the last 25 years there have been 36 recalls of cribs. Does this mean that cribs are unsafe? No. It means that babies sometimes die at night."

http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/sleeping-with-baby-breastfeeding-night.html

I agree - do what works for you.

http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/sleeping-with-baby-breastfeeding-night.html

[Tree201]

11:13 AM on 09/30/2010

I'm expecting our first baby in March and I appreciate all the comments here that counter the article's suggestion to skip a feeding. It's definitely something I'll remember later on, no matter how exhausted I will be.

[1Woman4Obama]

02:41 PM on 09/30/2010

I didn't produce enough milk for this to even be remotely possible but Iike most things with parenting, you'll see what works for your family. If you are producing a ton of milk (I know plenty of moms who had more than enough, especially after the first few weeks), pumping occasionally and letting dad take a night or two every once in a while after you and the baby are established breastfeeders, isn't going to hurt (well, it may be a little painful for you if you are engorged but it may be worth it if you can get a full nights sleep.)

[WWJJD]

02:27 AM on 10/02/2010

Wish I would have done this with my daughter! I am due with a son in a week and I will be doing things differently, and one of the things is having my husband get up at least once during the night to feed the baby a bottle of breast milk. I am not going to try and do everything and make myself crazy in the process. I am not sure how you would go about skipping a feeding, because won't most babies just cry until they are fed?

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

07:15 AM on 10/04/2010

My husband took one night a week and he and the baby went to a different part of the house so I couldn't hear them. I couldn't sleep the whole night due to too much milk but I got an extra hour or two. It certainly made it easier to get through the first part of the week by telling myself...just two more days(or whatever) and I can sleep longer. He loved those nights with out children too.

[NWBrunette]

11:00 AM on 09/30/2010

That's an adorable sleep patch in the picture. Where can I find one like that?

[LdyJane]

10:11 AM on 09/30/2010

The only advice I have for new mothers is: you do what you have to do to get through the day. If you have to pump, go for it. Co sleep? It's been done since the beginning of time. But whatever you do, DON'T let someone talk you into doing something that you are uncomfortable with. Too often there are women who think they have all the answers and know what's best. Everyone has an opinion. In the end, what matters, is the physical and emotional health of the baby and mother.

[dianecurriesam]

09:42 AM on 09/30/2010

Ok. So, I see you are a Phd, and a "sleep expert". Are you are a lactation consultant or have any training in breastfeeding? Please don't contribute to the massive amount of mis-information and bad advice given to new moms. It is not good advice to tell a new mom to skip a feeding, especially in the earlier weeks/months. And pumping/bottle feeding shouldn't be started too early either, as it can also reduce milk supply and cause latch problems. Co-sleeping and nursing on demand seem to be the best solution.

[WWJJD]

02:28 AM on 10/02/2010

GREAT post. I also don't get the skip a feeding. How the hell would you even do that?

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

08:23 AM on 09/30/2010

Yes, you can pump and let your partner feed the baby. However, you can't make your breasts understand that you're just trying to get some sleep, here. They're just going to keep on making milk. No way, in the first few months, could I sleep past a feeding more than an hour. It was just too uncomfortable. I think the idea that new mothers can be anything but tired is ludicrous if they are the one taking care of the baby. My advice...if the baby's sleeping , you should be sleeping as much of the time as possible. Forget about the house, the hobbies, the errands...that will all be waiting after the first few months. Those months are all about you and the baby. This works for the first child, it's not possible if there are older toddlers or children around but I found I was better at it with subsequent children. Once your milk settles down, then pumping works fine.

[elizabeth catanese]

01:08 AM on 09/30/2010

Breastfeeding women should *not* pump and let someone else feed the baby if at all humanly possible. Skipping a feeding decreases milk supply. Moreover, early introduction of a bottle can confuse a baby's latch on the breast - which will lead to an inability to nurse at all. Like other posters have said, co-sleeping is the best way for new mamas to get the sleep they need without sacrificing their child's needs.

[WWJJD]

02:32 AM on 10/02/2010

I have to disagree with you. I think telling women NOT to pump and let someone else feed the baby is not O.K. I exclusively breastfed my daughter because I was so afraid she would have nipple confusion, but I ended up depressed and sleep deprived. Women need to do what works for them. If it means pumping and having someone else feed the baby during the middle of the night they SHOULD.

[LivewithFlair]

09:29 PM on 09/29/2010

Thanks for writing about this. I think a lack of sleep contributed greatly to my post-partum depression. I had very little help, and I wanted to keep my home organized. When my daughter napped, I wish I would have just napped with her. Instead, I thought I needed "my time" to read, work, clean, or prepare meals. I say to every new mommy: SLEEP when you can. It was one of the biggest mistakes I made in that first year. Very hard to live with flair when you are sleep deprived. http://livewithflair.blogspot.com/

[WWJJD]

02:36 AM on 10/02/2010

I could have written this. I agree with you so much on this. I think women try too hard to do it all and be a perfect Mom (esp. with a first child) and you read/hear so much conflicting information. I wish so much I would have slept more and pumped so my husband could feed my daughter, I am SO doing this with my son that is due in a week! I am getting my sleep this time. I finally realized a happy, well rested Mom is more important than my baby getting breastfed at every feeding. A bottle of breast milk once or twice a day is NOT detrimental. A crazy sleep deprived Mother is.

[adalheid]

08:38 PM on 09/29/2010

Dr. Breus - great news! Other recent research has shown that moms who both breastfeed and co-sleep with their babies get better quality sleep, and more of it, than either moms who formula feed or moms who sleep separately from their babies. Makes sense because it's so much easier to latch on and go back to sleep than to get out of bed to feed a baby. There's a great summary of all this research here: http://www.ibreastfeeding.com/content/newsletter/nighttime-breastfeeding-and-maternal-mental-health
I encourage you to incorporate these findings into future posts so more new moms can benefit.

[Montreaux1991]

09:09 PM on 09/29/2010

Co-sleeping is a recipe for disaster. Sure it may make feeding/comforting a newborn easier, but at the cost of the relationship that CREATED that child. What about a heavily sleeping partner? I've heard one too many horror stories of an infant accidentally suffocated, even with the mountain of pillows and sleep supports there to protect them. And lastly, have fun getting the kid OUT of your bed/room and into their own: that will be a several year ordeal.

[adalheid]

09:33 PM on 09/29/2010

There is research on the safety of co-sleeping. Like everything else we do with kids, it should be done safely. When simple precautions are followed, it is safer for babies than sleeping apart, mainly because there is a much lower SIDS rate for co-sleepers. On the relationship side, that's something for parents to work out between themselves. Unfortunately, many aspects of having a child create conflicts and trade-offs between parents. Having the new mom get better sleep may be worth it for some couples.

[Robin Engelman]

12:47 AM on 09/30/2010

I thought like you until I did research after having a baby. Jim McKenna's book will show you how to cosleep safely. If heavy sleeping partner, just put the baby between Mom and safe barrier or on a separate surface (snugglenest or armsreach cosleeper). Planned cosleeping parents have plenty of sex, just not in their bed. Cosleeping is very sweet and inclusive of your partner meaning more intimacy....Recent research show that breastfeeding and co-sleeping mothers get significantly more restful sleep. It is curious because I breastfeed my baby a few times during the night so I definitely do not get uninterrupted sleep, but I am always waking up rested (and I am a person who loves her sleep). Most of the world cosleep. All mammals cosleep. Human babies are the most vulnerable mammal and most slow developing mammal with only 25% of their brain volume at birth. How could we put them in a different room for 12 hours a night without their parents. Mothers and babies bodies are wired to cosleep. Mother's physical closeness help regulate a baby's heart rate, heart rhythm, hormones, blood pressure, body temperature, and breathing. A 2004 study showed that cosleeping babies accept sleeping alone about 1 year later than babies who have no choice but to sleep alone. So when I weigh it out...painless bedtimes without the crying, healthy babies (more breast feedings), healthier attachments, happy babies, psychologically healthier children and adults...the decision to cosleep was EASY!!

[peachpage01]

03:30 PM on 09/29/2010

The writer of this article certainly gives little credit to "partners". Do you think all men are cretins and don't know how to feed a child, etc.? It's not rocket science. Both parents have an obligation and a duty to know how to share in the care of their children.

[Nicole Dixson]

10:01 PM on 09/29/2010

Yes, I wasn't digging that part about teaching your partner to feed the baby. What is that all about and why are women supposed to naturally know how to care for a child, but a man needs to be taught? I would question the sanity of any woman who was with a man who has to be taught to put breast milk or formula in a bottle and then put said bottle in the baby's mouth.

[halucijason]

03:01 AM on 09/30/2010

Agreed, my son's mom pumped and I fed him all the time and I loved it! EASY and a bonding experience.

[Erin Sobansky]

01:04 PM on 09/29/2010

This article if very informative, however there does seem to be one misnomer. Women who are exclusively breastfeeding should never skip a feeding. This will make their bodies think their babies do not need as much milk and therefore they will stop producing as much milk. This happens often and then women start supplementing and eventually quit breastfeeding all together because their supply has decreased so much. We need to support breastfeeding women and let them know all of the facts.