Every parent I knew warned me about the sleepless nights while I was pregnant: “You just have no idea what tired is until you have a newborn baby.”

How tired could I really be? I survived college all-nighters, I traveled on 20+ hour flights without falling asleep, I’ll be fine. (Embarrassing to admit, I know.)

In the first few days after having my son, I quickly understood those warnings. “I’m tired” doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of my walking zombie self. I was exhausted — mentally, physically, emotionally.

And no matter how tired I was, I couldn’t shut my brain off. It was on constant overdrive just filling up my parental mental load tank: Is he breathing? Is his diaper too tight? Is the sound machine too loud? When I’d finally fall asleep, it was time to feed again.

It’s daunting to think that when I finally got a 3-hour stretch in the middle of the night I felt like I had just taken a spa day. But it doesn’t have to be that terrible.

That’s why we created The Ultimate Guide to Sleep for Really Tired Parents, a package of nearly 40 articles to help you, and the rest of your family, sleep better in pregnancy and early parenthood. Consider it your perfect bedtime read.

Jamie Webber
Editorial Director, Healthline Parenthood