Day 10: Guided meditations at night

Some time between 12:00am-2:00am, my baby starts smacking her lips, grunting, and flailing, indicating that she's ready for yet another sip off the ol' boob. Half the time we both fall asleep during this late night feeding and awaken in an impromptu cuddle session. The other times, I find myself scrolling mindlessly through Facebook, Instagram, and the promotions folder in my emails. Anything to help me keep alert so I don't accidentally roll over on my baby like Google tells me I am going to do (see Day 9: Get off the Google). This habit has the unfortunate consequence of leaving me wide awake, well after she's drifted peacefully back to sleep. Given the intervals of sleep are already so short, it seems unwise to sacrifice any of this sweet slumber to internetting. Last night, as I was mindlessly scrolling through my apps, the Insight Timer caught my eye. I turned on a 10-minute body scan and found myself relaxing parts of my body I didn't even realize were tense. I fell asleep before the soothing disembodied voice got from head to toe. I encourage you to try a guided meditation the next time you're having difficulty drifting off, either after a late night feeding session or alongside your baby's daytime nap. It can be hard to relax the mind when you are always on alert, and I find these so helpful in transitioning back into a restful state.