Blog by Andrea Elovson of Sleepy Bug.
What is wrong with this picture?
Nothing as far as I am concerned. If it takes a spinning wheel, a strand of pearls and a sun kissed meadow to get you to sleep, awesome!
But there are easier ways. Beginning today, I will be posting suggestions to help you get more sleep (and it doesn’t require that your baby be sleeping, or the purchase of a heart shaped bling ring). Hopefully by Sunday, May 10th, you will feel rested enough to enjoy the Mother’s Day that you so deserve.
Of all the sleep advice I will give, this one is by far the most difficult. To challenge your belief that serious sleep deprivation is “a small price to pay for a happy, healthy baby”. That sleep, for new (and not so new) moms is a “luxury” that you can’t afford.
Many of my clients compare themselves to other moms, including their mothers, grandmothers, their sister-in-law, friends and colleagues. They tell me, “If they can go without sleep, so should I”. “It is selfish to spend time away from my baby while she is awake.”
When I ask these same mothers if they would put their babies or toddlers on a bus with a driver who hadn’t had a decent night sleep in six weeks, the answer is always a resounding NO!
And yet, the majority of moms don’t place this similar logic to themselves. But we need to try, to practice listening to our bodies. Rather than pushing through the exhaustion, head-aches, dizziness, jitters and sadness, we need to start listening to our bodies and fuel it with sleep.
Being a mother isn’t only what you give to others, it’s about learning to give to yourself and other moms around you. Reminding yourself that you not only need, but deserve sleep, challenges the old-fashioned, self-abdication that continues to deny sleep to the women who need it most.
So let’s make a deal…
You will keep reminding yourself that your sleep, really, really matters. And I will provide you easy, concrete ways to start getting more of the essential sleep you really, really need.
Andrea Elovson is a Certified Gentle Sleep Consultant and Founder of Sleepy Bug: Baby and Toddler Sleep Coaching. Sleepy Bug is the winner of Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of” award for Sleep Consulting. For more information about Andrea and her sleep consulting services, visit www.sleepy-bug.com. Andrea can also be reached at info@sleepy-bug.com or by phone 267-432-1020. Andrea offers potential sleep clients a free 15 minute phone assessment to discuss your families sleep issues.
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