New Moms Fight for Everyone’s Sleep: We Fight for Yours In Therapy
Focusing on everyone in the family getting enough sleep, mothers often leave themselves out of the equation. But getting sleep is self-care, and you can’t be fully present for the needs of your family if you’re not taking care of yourself. We’ll talk through your lack of sleep, as well as your sleep needs and how to get there, including:
- Ways to be protective of your sleep when so much is required of you
- How to be direct about what you can and cannot do when juggling a very busy life on little sleep
- Organizing the people around you to help you get rest
- Exploring options to get your baby to sleep, including sleep training, having the baby in bed, extra childcare, and putting the baby on the bottle
You’re Not Going to Get Enough Sleep With a Newborn: Our Job Is to Help You Tolerate That
For a year or two after having a baby, you just aren’t going to sleep very well. There’s no such thing as enough sleep with a newborn, and we help you tolerate that. It’s okay to decide that this isn’t the year to accomplish everything and instead, focus on getting good enough sleep while navigating your job, relationship, and parenting responsibilities. In therapy at our NYC offices in Lower Manhattan, as well as online therapy, we’ll help you talk through the emotions and expectations in deciding what you can and can’t do on little sleep.
Your Baby’s Sleep and Your Sleep as a Couple Are Interrelated
Your baby’s sleep is closely related to your and your partner’s sleep. In the context of a relationship, a lack of sleep can be emotional and straining. In our couples therapy, we don’t keep score of who’s getting the most sleep. We help both partners get more sleep than they’re currently getting, while talking to each other about how the lack of sleep is affecting them and their relationship.