By Kelli Foulkrod, MS, LPA, RYT
I work with SO many women who have trouble with their sleep in the postpartum period. Part of the challenge is the extreme hormone fluctuations, but chronic night wakings literally transform a woman's sleep architecture. Ongoing sleep disruption reshapes a woman's nervous system to create a state of hyper vigilance, of "always being on in case of danger". This would actually be a beneficial thing if we were still living out in the wild and living among predatory animals. Yet in our modern world, postpartum insomnia is quite inconvenient and typically leads to daytime mood symptoms.
But remember, your body is amazing! It birthed your baby and has innate healing wisdom. All the negative emotions, insomnia, and chaos in the postpartum period are actually part of your healing process, and not a process to shut down or avoid. You are not broken or crazy...you are living in a culture that makes early mothering VERY hard. Reach out for help if you need a guide on the crooked path of motherhood!
Check out this postpartum sleep hygiene handout I created to offer tips and knowledge for sleepy new mamas. If you share the document, please give credit where credit is due :).
I work with SO many women who have trouble with their sleep in the postpartum period. Part of the challenge is the extreme hormone fluctuations, but chronic night wakings literally transform a woman's sleep architecture. Ongoing sleep disruption reshapes a woman's nervous system to create a state of hyper vigilance, of "always being on in case of danger". This would actually be a beneficial thing if we were still living out in the wild and living among predatory animals. Yet in our modern world, postpartum insomnia is quite inconvenient and typically leads to daytime mood symptoms.
But remember, your body is amazing! It birthed your baby and has innate healing wisdom. All the negative emotions, insomnia, and chaos in the postpartum period are actually part of your healing process, and not a process to shut down or avoid. You are not broken or crazy...you are living in a culture that makes early mothering VERY hard. Reach out for help if you need a guide on the crooked path of motherhood!
Check out this postpartum sleep hygiene handout I created to offer tips and knowledge for sleepy new mamas. If you share the document, please give credit where credit is due :).
| postpartum_sleep_hygeine.pdf |
RSS Feed
