Flash forward: You've just had a baby and you've never been more
tired in your life. Sure, you've heard the advice: Nap when the
baby naps. Leave the dirty dishes, and don't worry about the
laundry — you'll get to it eventually. But the reality is that
most days you need this time to take care of chores and other
business. So what advice can you really use to get some sleep?
We invited BabyCenter parents to share their survival tips. One
tried and true strategy is to share the nighttime feedings with
your partner so you'll both be guaranteed at least five hours of
solid sleep. Some families find that bringing their baby to bed
with them is the key to staving off fatigue. Read on for more
ideas.  Pump and sleep  "We started giving our daughter bottles
when she was 2 weeks old. I would pump at 9 p.m. and then go to
bed. My husband would wake her at 10:30 p.m. and give her the
pumped breast milk. I got to sleep from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m.,
when she woke up again." —Jodi Mindell, author of Sleeping
Through the Nigh