The baby has a particular sleep rhythm
During his first two months, the baby does not know the difference between day and night. It follows cycles of three to four hours which include phases of wakefulness and sleep. The waking periods occur indifferently at night or during the day. It is especially the feeling of hunger that will wake up the baby. He may also have difficulty switching from one sleep cycle to another. So, you will have to be patient before you can enjoy a good night’s sleep again without waking up at 3 am! It is “illusory to want to teach your baby the circadian rhythm as soon as she returns from motherhood”, warns Dr Bernard Bedouret, pediatrician, in his book “First days at home”, written with Madeleine Deny (ed. Nathan, 2010). ). “Between 2 and 4 months, the 24-hour rhythm begins to set in, with an alternation between day and night, writes Laurence Pernoud in“ J’élève mon enfant ”(éd. Horay, 2011). The installation of this rhythm is favored by external factors: daylight and darkness at night, regularity of meals, moments of exchanges, games, walks. At this age, a baby can sleep six to eight hours a night, but the truth is, there is no common rule for all children. Some parents will have to be even more patient than others! Around 5 or 6 months, “most infants sleep at least eight hours and no longer need meals at night”, adds Laurence Pernoud.
To rest well: settle on baby’s sleep
To succeed in keeping up with the rhythm of nocturnal awakenings, you must learn to sleep at the same rate as the baby. Has he just fallen asleep? Come on, we too slip into bed for a nap. However, we would take the opportunity to get rid of a few housework or administrative. Error: it will then be difficult to recover from the fatigue accumulated during these first weeks at home. It is therefore useful to know “how to welcome sleep even in broad daylight”, advises “The Guide to my baby naturally” directed by the pediatrician Dominique Leyronnas and the journalist Catherine Piraud-Rouet (ed. Nathan, 2010). However, “an active woman has developed the habit of resisting the message her brain sends her when it needs to take a break”, continue the two authors. This message is called a “coup de barre” and is accompanied by yawns and loss of vigilance.
Sleep and breastfeeding according to Edwige Antier, pediatrician
“It is a misnomer to talk about sleep disorders for breastfed children who ask for the breast at night. If you are motivated, well advised and sufficiently organized, you will endure periods with one or two nocturnal feedings for a long time and will even find pleasure there. It is a mistake to perpetuate the myth of the nights that should be done as soon as possible. “
