Newborn and sleep: How to survive the first week at home?

The first few days with a newborn are filled with a range of emotions. Love, tears, fear, joy and gratitude.

These days may include a few sleepless days as you try to juggle life as a parent, taking care of your baby, feeding your baby, diapers, and all the unfamiliar things that a newborn brings.

But how do you survive the first week when it comes to sleep? Where should you start trying to establish good sleep habits?

These following tips will help you during these first seven days and beyond, reports Telegraph.

Keep your waking hours shorter

A newborn sleeps an average of 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they can only handle short periods of time without sleeping. So, be careful how long the baby stays awake and try to minimize that time to no more than 45 minutes.

Take care of the baby

Most babies want you to tie their diapers tight. Take care of them with different lullabies and rock them to sleep more easily.

Natural light

Early exposure to natural light while awake can enable them to distinguish between night and day sleep. For sleeping periods and at night for feeding, keep the light to a minimum.

Sleep environment

Before the baby is born and the fatigue sets in, make sure you have a safe sleeping environment and avoid any unsafe sleeping practices. Educate yourself and remember the rules of a safe sleep:

– Babies should sleep alone
– Babies should sleep lying on their backs
– They must sleep in their bed or crib

Don't stress about your sleeping habits

The first days and weeks are mainly about emotional bonding with the baby. Among the most important tips you can get as a parent is not to worry about developing bad sleep habits.

If they sleep while you feed them, that's okay. If you have to hold them until they fall asleep, that's okay too. Do whatever it takes to get the baby to sleep and then sleep yourself.

Ask for help if needed…

'Surviving' the first week with a newborn can be a tiring thing, especially for mothers who are still recovering from childbirth. So it's perfectly normal to form a team with your husband and others, and to share parenting duties.

You should keep in mind that sleep is a very important step in recovery and you definitely need the help of others. /Telegraph/