Promoting Infant Circadian Rhythms

 

You may have heard the phrase “She has her days and nights mixed up” in reference to a baby who sleeps all day and is up most of the night. The reason for this “mix up” is that brand new infants have not developed what is called a circadian rhythm.

A circadian rhythm is essentially a 24 hour internal clock that gives us cues as to when we should sleep and when we should be alert. Many of these cues are influenced by our exposure to light and our hormones. It generally takes 2-5 months for an infant to develop a good 24-hour circadian rhythm.

As a human who needs sleep (that’s you!) it is a good goal to work towards naturally helping your baby cultivate a strong circadian rhythm. You see, it is usually not the amount that a baby sleeps that is the problem- it’s that they don’t want to sleep when you do! (more…)

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The Problem with Sleep Shaming

I don’t know any mother (even a first timer!) who goes into motherhood expecting to get 12 hours of beauty sleep when their little bundle of joy enters their life. We all know that things are about to change drastically, at least for a while. We understand we will be up in the middle of the night caring for a newborn, probably feeding every couple hours, and changing diapers. No big surprise. Especially for exclusively breastfeeding moms (like I was), our willing spouses are not even able to help as much because we are the solitary food source. Most notably during the “fourth trimester,” when babies are still getting used to life outside the womb and their needs and wants are the same thing, we have to be as responsive as possible. (more…)

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