Coping with tiredness

They told you about the sleepless nights. And you thought you could handle them (you'd had your fair share of up-all-nighters before you were pregnant, after all).

But now you know the bleary-eyed truth: nothing, but nothing, can prepare you for the bone-shaking, earth-shattering, tear-jerking levels of sleep deprivation we parents with new babies have to put up with.

"Sleepless nights can make you stressed, depressed and likely to find it difficult to interact well with your baby", says Luci Wiggs, a sleep expert at Oxford Brookes University. If lack of sleep is wearing you down, try these perk-you-up-a-bit tips:

Rise and shine

• Start the day with a shower. Pop your baby in her bouncy chair and let the water jets re-invigorate your sleepy soul.
• Get dressed. It'll make you feel (slightly) more on top of things. Mooching around in your pyjamas all day only lengthens your lethargy.
• Push the pram round the park. A nice, brisk pace will get your blood pumping and lift your mood. Your baby will enjoy the fresh air, too.

Eat for energy

• Think healthy but simple. This is not the time for elaborate meals. Jacket potatoes and pasta are ideal energy-boosting choices.
• Snack well. Resist the urge to keep yourself going with chocolate; try oatcakes and bananas, too.
• Up your B vitamins. These are the key nutrients for energy. You'll find them in green vegetables, wholegrains, fish and eggs.

Snooze or lose

• Get into cat-naps. The moment your baby shuts her eyes, so should you. If you find you can't nod off, at least put your feet up and rest. The housework/cooking can wait.
• Go to bed early. Even if you're under the duvet before Coronation Street. And don't watch TV in bed: it can set your mind racing just when it should be winding down.
• Bring on "quiet time". If you have other children, set aside half an hour a day for cuddling up on the sofa to read books or watch a DVD. OK, so you're not actually sleeping but at least you're sitting down!

Night-time know how

• Start a bedtime routine: bath, milk, cuddle, bed
• Keep things dark and quiet if she wakes at night
• Don't leap up if she stirs. She may settle back
• Don't tiptoe round when she naps in the day
• Believe this will pass: you will sleep again, honest!