Setting Your Newborn Up for Sleep Success with Unnati Patel
Show Notes:
[1:11] Our reviewer of the week is Wittyditty, and in her original review, she said: “I love this podcast! It is informative, fun to listen to, and encouraging. I love all the good info each week and the more natural approach taken while still considering moms in all kinds of situations. As a first time mom, I am just soaking up everything I can!”
She later updated her review after she had her baby, and it says: “We welcomed our precious baby girl into the world via a water birth at the birth center after a 7.5 hour labor! It was the birth of our dreams, and I owe so much of that to this podcast. The information I learned helped me feel so prepared and confident going into birth. This podcast helped me ask informed questions and helped calm any fears I had. THANK YOU for what you do!”
Thank you so much for this review! I would love to hear your entire birth story, @wittyditty! Send us an email at [email protected]. My favorite thing is when I hear that you guys listen to the podcast, put in the work, and come back to let me know how it has been successful for you. It brings me so much joy! π
What is one of the main concerns mamas have when it comes to postpartum? SLEEP. π΄ You’re already learning to adjust to all the things when it comes to bringing a newborn home, and you’re required to function on minimal amounts of sleep?! This week, we’re going to talk about things you can start to implement in your routines NOW to help set you and your newborn up for sleep success! Listen in!
[2:40] If you’re coming up to the third trimester, this episode will be so helpful! It will prepare you for the other side of motherhood. When you’re bringing your baby home, what do I need to make sleep successful at home? π₯°
[3:46] Our guest this week is Unnati Patel, who is a certified pediatric sleep consultant. Her main focus is to make sure your family is thriving in parenthood by sharing all the tips and tricks to becoming a well-rested family unit. π¨π©π§π¦
[4:51] Unnati shares about how terrible it is that in the last trimester of pregnancy, mamas don’t get much sleep! It’s like practice for the sleepless nights. π΅π« Whether it’s heartburn, getting up to go pee for the billionth time, or not being able to get comfortable, 50% of pregnant moms suffer from insomnia during pregnancy according to a study from University of California!
[6:56] Start implementing a nighttime routine! It’s so important to start doing this to wind down (an epsom salt bath, warm tea, relax, etc.) Control your screen time exposure before bed. If you are trying to break the habit of having your phone on right before bed, keep it far away from you (and not on your nightstand). π±
[9:11] For mamas in the middle of the night with their newborns, I need to start preaching to leave your phone on your nightstand. π Don’t immediately pick it up to scroll while you’re breastfeeding.
[9:57] Another tip, when getting up to go to the bathroom, get a night light because we don’t want you to trip or fall during your third trimester. β οΈ
[11:24] How do we set mom up to be successful when bringing baby home? If this is your first baby, everything is a learning experience! Always give yourself grace! “Practice over perfection.” Go in with this mindset! BEFORE you bring your baby home, prepare a plan with your birth partner. What do you want? Where will baby sleep? What will their sleep space be set up like (crib sheets, blankets, swaddles, etc.)? πΌ
[15:41] Dr. Harvey Karp in his book, Happiest Baby on the Block, says to implement the 5 S’s when it comes to sleep: swinging, sucking, side-stomach hold, swaddle, and sound. Get a white noise machine! π
[17:24] For moms that are bringing baby home, what can they expect? For the first few weeks, baby will sleep a lot during the day and “party at night.” At 6-8 weeks, their circadian rhythm (day/night), is still developing and melatonin isn’t being produced in their bodies. Be sure to wake your baby up during the day! βοΈ Don’t miss out on feeding baby. Every hour and a half to two hours, baby should be woken up to feed.
[19:46] Undress baby, change their diaper, etc. to wake baby up to feed them. Get a clean, wet washcloth wake them up. π€±πΌ
[20:55] Let’s talk about baby sleep myths. The #1 myth we hear is that you’re spoiling your baby if you hold them too much. You are NOT spoiling your baby by holding! π π»βοΈ It is recommended to help with skin-to-skin to help with milk production and bonding. Baby wearing also helps with attachment which can impact sleep.
[24:49] I’m guilty of this! I was told that babies need to cry it out and self-soothe! I remember being so torn up inside about it. π
[25:55] Sleep training does not equal cry it out. Sleep training is more involved where the parent is helping the baby self-regulate. Unnati has her families be as involved as they would like, and they can start with the “drowsy but not awake” method. At the end of the day, parents are the ones with full control. ππΌβοΈ
[29:01] One of my favorite things that I was told was when I transferred baby to their own room was: heat up a water bottle and place it where they can’t reach it, but just so they can feel that warmth and fall asleep. π Another thing I was told was to put baby down awake, when they start crying, wait 2 minutes, go in and comfort them, and then leave. Wait 4 minutes and do the same thing if they continue to cry. Double the time each time. β³
[29:43] It’s so important for moms to get uninterrupted sleep. Not just broken sleep. It can make a huge difference! π΄
[30:54] Ways to find Unnati on social media:
[33:19] Unnati is the owner of Nested to Rested Sleep. πͺΊ She will be launching her newborn sleep course in January! Everything from mom’s sleep, mental health, lactation, formula feeding, back to work, etc. She also has resources and support available as well.
[35:20] Unnati has a 10% discount service for any of her one-on-one services! Use the code MEB10! π₯³
To Leave a Review βοΈ
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ALL the best,
Links Mentioned:
Nested to Rested Sleep PDF: Setting Your Newborn Up for Sleep Success
