A new mom is struggling horribly through her first few months with her baby. She can’t seem to nap during the day. At night, when the baby awakens, her and her husband spend hours trying to soothe her down. Neither parent is getting needed rest, and everyone is at the breaking point.

I don’t actually know this woman, but a close friend of mine has been sharing her story with me and it pains me. Why? Because I remember that desperate hysteria of exhaustion from my first days as a new mom–and how impossible it was to even think of solutions.

I worried that I’d never emerge from my fatigued haze, but some wise friends were able to help me set up a feeding schedule that made a huge difference. If I could just get four hours of sleep each night, I enjoyed my baby so much more the following day and could problem-solve other challenges of early parenthood. I pumped after each feeding so that there was enough available for my husband to do the 11pm feeding. I went to sleep at 8pm and sometimes even slept for a whopping six hour stretch. It was amazing!

Can’t get enough milk pumping? If you pump just a few minutes after each feeding, your milk supply will increase over time since our bodies automatically respond to higher demand. (You can also take an herbal pill called fenugreek, which will naturally increase your milk supply while making you smell like maple syrup. Pancakes anyone?)

Are you currently in the haze of exhaustion?  Do you have good solutions to offer other tired souls?