Baby's finally down. Why aren't you? Here are eight ways to get the best postnatal rest.

Sleepless Nights - Too-Little Shut-Eye Can Be Dangerous

The new bundle arrives with new responsibilities. Finally when he went to dreams, you get time to think of you and other things. You start doing other chores around you like cleaning the dishes, dusting the furniture, arranging the stuff around the house, getting the food ready for the next day. After doing all this you sit on your computer at 2 a.m. to check emails and send your baby’s pictures to family and friends. We suggest you to stop doing all that. World won’t end if you won’t clean the dishes for a day or dust the house etc. Get some help during the day to do all these things. Never ever spend sleepless nights or you’ll have no energy for the next day.

Getting the sleep you need during those first few months is vital not only for your sanity but for your safety as well. According to a study conducted, people who sleep less than five hours per day are four to five times more likely to be involved in a sleep-related crash. But not everyone can fall asleep on a dime. "Sleep when the baby sleeps" sounds blissful in theory. In reality, taking catnaps throughout the day can be a tall order for new moms. Still, there are things you can do to increase the odds of sweet slumber.

1. Lie down, even if you can't sleep.

   Get off your feet, relax on the couch, and stay off the phone. Don't stress if you can't fall asleep. Just lying down for a half hour can be very restorative.

2. Enlist help for nighttime feedings.

   One of the best ways to get a solid stretch of sleep is to have your husband or visitor work the night shift for you. It's easier to turn feedings over to someone else if you're bottlefeeding, but moms who are breastfeeding can introduce a bottle of breast milk early on so that someone else can provide relief in the middle of the night. An extra bottle of pumped breast milk can be liquid gold, equal to an extra two or three hours of sleep. Or you can pump at night to have the expressed milk on hand during the day.

   If the baby falls asleep after only one breast, pump the other so that anyone else can feed him in the morning while you get some additional sleep.

3. Keep baby close.

   Another idea for nursing moms is to get a bassinet that attaches to the bed or sits next to it. When the feeding time arrives you have the baby next to your bed. You won’t need to get up and go to the other room for feeding your baby.

4. Find snooze-inducing activities.

   For those moms who have trouble falling asleep even after a draining day of caring for a new baby, it might be tempting to decompress in front of a computer or television. But that may be counterproductive.

   The light from the computer or television can be very stimulating and keep you up.

   Some women find the radio to be the perfect sleep aid.

5. Be choosy about guests.

   There are helpful visitors (mothers-in-law who make meals and change diapers), and aggravating visitors (coworkers who just want to gossip).

   When friends and family stop in to visit the new baby, women may feel obligated to entertain, prepare food, and keep people happy. Visitors who put high demands on you or expect the same level of effort and hospitality that you had before you became pregnant will only sap your energy. On the other hand, many people are more than happy to pitch in. When you have a guest who offers to help, let her!

6. Don't rely on coffee or tea.

   Although gulping down a cup of coffee or tea first thing in the morning can give you the jolt you need to be alert, overdoing it can mask your need for sleep, and may actually prevent you from falling asleep when you finally lie down.

7. Realize that the sleepless nights won't go on forever.

   Healthy babies usually settle into a routine in which they sleep for longer stretches at night (five or more hours) by 2 to 3 months of age. Almost all babies should be able to sleep through the night by the age of 6 months, but there can be a significant discrepancy between this statistic and what happens in any given family on a given night.

   Sooner the baby learns this better becomes your life. Try to teach your baby to sleep by himself. Put him in the crib when he is drowsy but not sleeping. Stick with this routine. In a week or two and after come crying your baby will learn to relax and sleep by himself, then add those hours to your sleep.

8. What Helps, What Doesn't

   DO

   • Delegate chores to visitors who are willing to help.
   • Pump, so someone else can feed the baby while you sleep.
   • Rest or do something relaxing when the baby naps during the day.
   • Enlist your husband to help. If he seems at a loss as to what to do, give him specific tasks.
   • Consider a bassinet that attaches to your bed so you don't have to get out of bed to feed the baby.

   DON'T

   • Watch television or work at the computer 30 minutes before bedtime, or if you're up in the middle of the night.
   • Drink more than one cup of caffeine per day.
   • Try to be the perfect hostess.
   • Stress about the house's appearance or getting out thank-you cards.
   • Use baby's naptime to do chores.