Maternal support in Seychelles: Infant sleep |12 July 2021
In the following interview with Celia Ponzo, we learn about Infant Sleep, about the signs that an infant has a sleeping problem, how to gear a baby towards adapting to the life of day and night, and what parents can do to help their baby fall asleep.
Ms Ponzo is a trained Maternal Support Practitioner, also known as a Doula, and the founder of Birth & Beyond – a maternal support practice based in Seychelles.
She also holds a Bsc in Medical Anthropology and a Masters in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Seychelles NATION: What, according to your knowledge, does normal infant sleep look like?
Celia Ponzo: First of all, the saying sleeping like a baby is a myth! Sleeping like a baby means sleeping very lightly and waking up very frequently! It is important to prepare new parents and educate them on what biologically infant sleep is like, in order to prepare them for this new stage.
We all know we are in for some sleep deprived nights in the early days, but very quickly we expect our babies to adapt and sleep through by the age of 4 months! We are bombarded with images in movies with a peaceful sleeping baby in their cot, in a perfectly decorated nursery.
As new parents, the most popular question we get asked is ‘Is your baby sleeping through yet?’ If our baby is not, we are being given unlimited amount of advice in order to make them sleep through, leaving parents feeling like they failed and doubtful about their ways. This is all because we have this false expectation that babies should be sleeping through very quickly.
From a neuroscientist perspective, biologically this is what is normal in an infant's sleep; babies need to wake up during the night very frequently so they can feed themselves small amounts of food. Their sleep is very light so they can rouse easily to let their parents know if they are in trouble. Hence babies having a light sleep and waking up very frequently is a PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR SURVIVAL.
Babies have a very different sleep cycle compared to adults. Their cycle only lasts for 30 minutes. Within these 30 minutes, there is only a limited time of deep sleep. This means that your baby could wake up every time it goes through a new cycle! This of course does not always happen.
Seychelles NATION: What are some of the signs that an infant might actually have sleeping problems?
Celia Ponzo: Once we have understood that it is normal and protective behaviour for babies to wake up frequently during the night, we can be confident that there is nothing wrong with our baby. Of course there are signs that show that your baby may be waking up more frequently for different reasons.
It is normal for your baby to wake up for 4 common reasons:
1. Hunger
2. Wet diaper
3. Too cold/hot
4. Wanting to be close to mother/father
If all the above have been checked off your list, this could be a sign that something is up. The following should be evaluated: Does my baby have colic? Gas? Is your baby going through a growth spurt? A sleep regression? Does my baby have a cold or feel sick? Is my baby teething? Does my baby have reflux?
With time you can evaluate each one individually and see whether you can identify your baby's cause of excessive waking.
Seychelles NATION: You mentioned that parents can help their baby to make the difference between night and day. Tell us more about this.
Celia Ponzo: Yes, so in the womb your baby is in complete darkness and does not know the difference between day and night. There are no schedules and everything is the same 24/7. Suddenly when they are born, they are presented with sunlight and darkness but they are not able to know when to sleep or when to wake, so they continue sleeping when they feel like it, whether its day or night.
This is called the circadian rhythm, and we can help and gear a baby towards adapting to the life of day and night.
How can you help? MAKE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DAY AND NIGHT
During the day:
1. When you give your baby their first feed, open the curtains
2. Talk with a clear, loud voice
3. Go about daily activities like meeting friends, walking, shopping
4. Sing, interact, talk
During the night:
1. Dim the lights
2. Speak softly if they wake at night
3. Keep your night activities low
4. Have little interaction with them when they wake
5. Have a winding down routine before bed time
Seychelles NATION: What are some of the signs that parents can look out for when a baby wants to sleep? How can parents help their baby to fall asleep?
Celia Ponzo: Every baby will show a different sign when they are sleepy, some include;
- Staring
- Rubbing eyes
- Yawning
- Losing interest in their activities
There are then signs that show that your baby could be overstimulated and overtired, these include;
- Fussing and crying
- Cranky and difficult to soothe
- Over active
Have a ritual before putting your baby to sleep, whether it’s a story, cuddling, changing clothes, music or feeding, if you mimic this every time your baby goes to sleep, the ritual will become a cue and your baby will start recognising the time to go to sleep.
Seychelles NATION: Is there anything else you would like to talk about?
Celia Ponzo: There is so much to talk about with regard to baby sleep! I am passionate about this subject and have trained to become a sleep consultant after I had tremendous difficulties with my daughter's sleep. I realised that actually there was nothing wrong with her but that her behaviour was completely natural!
I am passionate to prepare and support parents through the sleep deprivation experience they might encounter during the few years of their life! There are many ways that we can support parents through this phase.
If you are interested to know more, I have a personalised sleep package as part of my services!
For more information:
- Visit: www.birthnbeyond.net
- Follow: Instagram: birth_beyond_
- Email: celia.doffay@gmail.com
- Telephone/WhatsApp: 2 780 232
F.P.