How new mums can get some good sleep – even in the middle of a pandemic

Anyone who’s ever had one will tell you that having a new baby is both the best and most frustrating experience in the world. The experience is made frustrating by the off-the-charts lack of sleep that new moms are forced to operate on. 

Add a global pandemic into the mix and the situation becomes almost impossible. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the world and much of humanity is at home, as per advice from government and scientists, watching this once in a lifetime situation play out. Psychologists have shared that the experience will naturally place mental strain on many people.

Abdurahmaan Kenny, Mental Health Portfolio Manager at Pharma Dynamics, says levels of distress are bound to increase as more South Africans become infected and/or lose their income, and social isolation becomes a way of life beyond the lockdown as a consequence of the outbreak.

“Parents who are dealing with childcare responsibilities during school closures and work-from-home obligations, may experience greater levels of anxiety as they try to juggle it all while taking care of elderly parents and reassuring their children during the lockdown,” adds Kenny.

Sleep has been shown to be a great preventative measure against the onset of depression and mental strain. According to the US-based Sleep foundation, “when you don’t get the 7-9 hours of quality sleep you need, it can heavily influence your outlook on life, energy level, motivation, and emotions”.

New moms, who because of already operating on little or no sleep, are at an even higher risk of having this pandemic tip them over into depression.

Also read: Stranded mom begs to be reunited with her breastfeeding one-year-old daughter

Here’s how a new mom can get more sleep:

Rotate the night shift

Sharing is caring and this saying couldn’t be truer when it comes to newborn sleep. In any given week, ask your partner or a family member who lives with you to sleep with your baby for one night and you sleep with the baby the following night. This way, you can at least get a good rest every second day. If you’re anxious about leaving your baby for an entire night, maybe start with your partner or family member sleeping with the baby from midnight to morning. During this time, you get uninterrupted sleep.

Pump for your off evenings

It may be hard to secure a full night’s sleep for yourself when you’re breastfeeding. Try pumping milk for your baby for your partner or family member to use during your off nights.

Jodi Mindell, author of Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night’s Sleep says: “We started giving our daughter bottles when she was two weeks old. I would pump at 9pm and then go to bed. My husband would wake her at 10.30pm and give her the pumped breast milk. I got to sleep from 9pm until 2am when she woke up again.”

Also read: Moms: 3 things to remember if you’re feeling overwhelmed

Turn in early

While it may be tempting after your kids and newborn fall asleep to stay glued to the news media following the latest developments about the coronavirus pandemic – don’t do it! Not only does this rob you of a much-needed window of sleep, but it also inadvertently causes you anxiety as you prepare to go to sleep. So go to sleep when your kids do.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.