What to do when baby sleeps

'Sleep when the baby sleeps.'

It's a lie.

You don't.

It's a very good idea to (trust me, you will really want to, especially in the very first weeks) but in all honesty what you do when your baby sleeps is a minefield of choices and they are all as equally important as sleeping.

Like taking a shower. When you haven't showered in a week and your legs are fuzzy, knowing you have at least 20-30 mins in which you could take a shower makes taking a nap verses feeling clean and fresh a difficult toss up. Put baby safely in their crib/Moses basket, leave the bathroom door open, and jump in the shower.

Or eating. You need to eat. Ok so skipping meals might seem a great idea for losing the baby weight fast (no, it's not a good idea) but it won't leave you with the energy to look after your baby. You'll be cranky, more tired, get a headache etc etc. What can you rustle up and eat in 20mins? Beans on toast, cheese on toast, a salad, pasta and sauce, a jacket potato? Feed baby, feed Momma.

Expressing. If you're breastfeeding you might be expressing so that you can store milk for later, be that for months down the line (yeah, frozen breastmilk keeps for 6mths in the freezer!) or that evening so you can bottle feed. It's really difficulty to express when your baby is awake and it's just the two of you. Grab the opportunity when baby sleeps!

Laundry. Again, they say the chores can wait but honestly if you're like me they can't. Especially when it comes to having enough clean underwear. It's the one load of laundry I prioritise other than 'new baby's' clothes. Even when the rest of your outfit smells faintly of milky sick you'll still feel comfortable in the knowledge you have clean underwear on.

Checking baby is breathing. And then checking again. Yes, we've all done it and it prevents you from napping for more than 5 mins at a time. You get yourself into a vicious cycle and before you know it baby is awake and your golden opportunity for a snooze is gone. After about 6 weeks you start to just listen out for their breathing instead. Yeah, ok, I'm not being very helpful with this one I know. I'm still doing it myself after all.

But if you can sleep DO IT.