Overnight care is the absolute best gift you can give to yourself and your whole family when you have a new baby – here’s why::
1) Even 2 nights a week make a huge difference – with a doula, you don’t have to commit to 5 or 7 nights a week. Just knowing that you’ll get a good night’s sleep 2-3 nights a week can be a huge lifesaver and keep you going through the nights you’re alone. Of course, get as many nights as you’d like! More is just even more awesome and luxurious.
2) They’re helpful even if you’re breastfeeding – Many moms are concerned that it’s a waste of money to have help if they’re getting up to nurse anyway, but it’s definitely not. First of all, your doula can offer guidance on breastfeeding, which often looks much different in the middle of the night than during the day. She will bring the baby to you if you’d like, so you don’t even have to get out of bed, and take care of all the peripheral tasks like changing, burping, swaddling, and getting the baby back to sleep. She can even make you a nice snack while you feed! And once you’ve introduced pumping and a bottle, she can take one or all of the night feeds while you pump at your convenience and go right back to sleep.
3) They will help your baby sleep through the night sooner – when you’re with your baby, you need to get back to sleep as quickly as possible, for your own health and sanity – so you often feed at the first peep. Your doula is not there to get sleep, she is there to support you. So if the baby wakes and can be comforted back to sleep without a feed, she will stay up and do that. She does rest when the baby is sleeping, but a lot of the night is spent working on GENTLY getting them sleeping long stretches – no sleep training required!
4) You aren’t missing out on bonding time – A lot of parents worry that they’ll miss lovely moments in the middle of the night. Trust me, you aren’t. Newborns tend to be LOUD sleepers, so you’re mostly missing lying there trying to sleep while they snuffle, grunt, and fart. Your doula will feed (if you’d like), burp, change, and get them back down as quickly as possible. Plus, if you’re not exhausted, you can enjoy those lovely daytime bonding moments so much more!
5) It makes you a better parent during the day (especially if you have older kids) – With a good night’s sleep, you can basically rule the world. If you just have one baby, sure, you can laze around and nap when the baby naps. But if your other kiddos (or the other twin!) are counting on you to show up and be the Mommy and Daddy you’ve always been, that’s not an option. Being well-rested will help you have the energy to play and make snacks and do something other than be a zombie on the couch. Because let’s face it – who has time for that?
Devon Clement is the proud owner of Mama’s Best Friend, a New Jersey based postpartum care agency that specializes in overnights and baby sleep support.
#franklin #howtogetmoresleepatnightafterhavinganewbaby #postpartumdoula #nightnursenashville #eastnashville #shouldigetanannyoradoula #nannyagencyinnashville #findingthebestnannyinnashville #nashvillechildcare #nashvillenannies #doulanashville #howdoigetmoresleepatnight #southernstandardnannies #whatsthedifferencebetweenapostpartumdoulaandananny #canmydoulabemynanny #greenhills #howdoIfindananny #whenwillmybabysleepthroughthenight #whencanistartsleeptrainingmyinfant #sleeptraining #springhill #howtosleeptrainmyinfant #nashvillenanny #overnighthelpwithbaby #bestnannyinnashville #postpartumdoulanashville #whatsthedifferencebetweenapostpartumdoulaandanightnurse #nashvillebabysitter #nightnannynashville #overnightdoulas
Comments