You have just had breakfast together in bed at half past nine, celebrated a series marathon on the sofa until 5 a.m. in the club or simply cuddled on the sofa. Sleep was not yet precious and rare goods.

That has changed because you have become parents. The first year with a baby is a time full of joy, discoveries and unforgettable moments. But between the sweet moments and the first steps there is a challenge that many parents share: lack of sleep! A recently carried out survey of 1,300 parents showed that 7 out of 10 parents lose average three hours of sleep every night in the first 12 months after birth. These three hours a night a night of shocking 133 night sleep, which are sacrificed before the baby's first birthday.

Newborns are actually a lot of sleepers, 16-18 hours they sleep on average per day. However, most parents do not seem that way. Instead, one wonders whether the sandman has fallen into his sack itself and now oversleep his job, because the little ones never seem to sleep through. And that is exactly what they don't do, sleep through. We adults sleep about 7-8 hours at a time and are awake the rest of the day. Unfortunately, your baby does not stick to this schedule. The interruptions through nightly feeding, changing diapers and calming web of the baby affect the coherent sleep and make it difficult to achieve the deep relaxation that you need so urgently, because the days are unfortunately no less exhausting.

The lack of sleep can put a partnership to the test. Exhaustion can lead to increased irritability, stress and general fatigue, which can lead to tensions between the partners. Communication can suffer because the energy and patience to address problems may be missing. It is important to be aware that this phase is temporary and that support and Understanding for each other are of crucial importance.

There are steps to deal with the lack of sleep and recover. The key lies in communication and in parts of responsibility with the partner. Creating a sleeping plan in which both parents alternate can help. If your baby is breastfed with your chest, a large part of the mother is automatically responsible. Therefore, dear men, support your women at night. If your baby gets the bottle, you can think about a night bottle. The short preparation time of 5 seconds directly on the bed helps to connect the sleep cycles and to design the night more stress -free and relaxing for the whole family. And both parents can alternate with the bottle when feeding.

Our conclusion: be nice to each other and think about it, your better half has become dad or mom for the first time and is probably sometimes just as overwhelmed as you are. You are a team - a family!

It may feel like the lack of sleep is endless, but this section will pass. In about 12 years you will have a teenager at home that you probably have to pull out of bed.