HOW TO RECLAIM SLEEP AS A NEW MUM — ONE SMALL STEP AT A TIME
Sleep deprivation is the hardest part of early motherhood — hands down. It affects everything: your patience, your hormones, your relationships, your sense of joy.
After 18 months of constant night wakings with my exclusively breastfed daughter, I reached breaking point. I’d tried to power through — juggling feeds, keeping my toddler entertained, and surviving on coffee and willpower alone.
In desperation, I hired a sleep coach who told me that weaning was the only option if I ever wanted to get any sleep back. But it wasn’t that simple.
WHY “ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL” SOLUTIONS DON’T WORK
At that point, I was mentally and physically drained. The idea of night-weaning felt impossible — my husband had to get up early for work, my toddler would’ve been woken by the crying, and our flat meant every sound carried through the walls.
It wasn’t a cookie-cutter situation.
It was our real life — full, noisy, and stretched thin.
So instead of trying to fit into someone else’s version of sleep success, I decided to trust my instincts and find what worked for us.
WHAT I DID TO RECLAIM REST
I stopped chasing the “perfect” sleep plan and started being creative about rest — because a rested mum is a capable mum, and she deserves to enjoy early motherhood too.
Here’s what actually helped:
🌙 Started co-sleeping safely in another room with my daughter so we could both sleep longer stretches.
📺 Used screen time strategically so my toddler was happily occupied while my baby and I rested.
🔕 Disabled the doorbell (why does Amazon always ring at nap time?!) and put up a “Do Not Disturb — Mum & Baby Resting” sign.
🧸 Created a “yes space” for both kids, so I could safely rest while one watched TV and the other napped.
🌤 Got outside early each morning for sunlight and a pram nap to reset everyone’s body clock.
🏫 Booked a nursery place for my high-energy toddler, since we didn’t have family nearby to help.
☕ Asked my husband to do one early shift on weekends, giving me one morning to sleep in.
😴 Cut down on caffeine (the hardest step — but it helped me fall asleep faster).
🌛 Went to bed earlier on stressful days, instead of staying up to “get things done.”
🧹 Shared cleaning duties with my husband so it didn’t all fall on my shoulders.
🕊 Simplified my days to just the essentials: get up, get dressed, eat three proper meals, get outside, nap when I could, and take it easy.
None of it was perfect. But together, these small, intentional changes gave me back something precious — my energy, my clarity, my patience.
SLEEP ISN’T A LUXURY — IT’S A RIGHT
We talk so much about feeding, milestones, and development — but rarely about how impossible it is to mother on an empty tank.
You deserve sleep, even when your baby doesn’t.
You deserve to feel calm and capable, not constantly on edge.
And you’re allowed to protect your rest — not as a reward, but as a necessity.
Sleep deprivation isn’t a test of strength. It’s a signal that you need support.
YOUR TURN
What’s one thing you can do today to make your sleep non-negotiable?
If you need help setting boundaries around rest, explore my Sleep & Recharge tools — including a printable Nap Time Sign and Sleep Schedule Checklist — designed to help mums protect the little pockets of peace that make all the difference.
🧡 Visit newmumwellness.com for more gentle tools and reminders that your rest matters too.