Sleep interruptions can be a frustrating part of the transition to menopause. Not only is this time of life busy and full—you might have an active career, kids going off to college, aging parents, and endless things to juggle—sleep interruptions make everything harder.

With 75% of women experiencing night sweats and some women experiencing symptoms for up to 14 years, it’s worth taking stock of how to sleep better during this time.

Menopause isn’t actually an event you can pinpoint while it’s happening—it’s more like a continuum, with its official classification being one year without periods. Thus, women don’t know until it’s complete that they’ve hit menopause. Instead, “perimenopause” is used to refer to the transition of shorter cycles and skipped periods. Most women in the U.S. will reach menopause between ages 51 and 52 years old.

But, if you’re currently experiencing the hot flashes, the nigh

By Dr. Amelia Bailey, Ob/Gyn

Motherhood—as you likely know if you’re reading this—is rewarding, but not the bed of roses it’s often portrayed as. In fact, it can be pretty uncomfortable, painful or occasionally embarrassing, too. Here are a few conditions we can run into as we grow our little human, along with some ways to cope.

#1 Morning sickness

First of all, the person who named it morning sickness obviously never suffered from this condition. It is actually morning, noon and night sickness. And it’s worst from 6-11 weeks of pregnancy. Try to eat small meals throughout the day. As long as you’re not a diabetic, it’s okay to eat more carbohydrates at this stage since that is what the pregnancy needs. Listen to your body, and do not force yourself to eat. Btw, you are not actually eating for two–it is closer to eating for 1.01.

By Dr. Amelia Bailey, Ob/Gyn

We teach our children how to do everything: eat, talk, play. But do we remember to teach our children to sleep? That’s right...sleep, while a natural part of our biorhythms, is still a behavior that needs to be cultivated. Here are a few ways to ingrain this important skill starting from the time they're an infant.

Start young.

As soon as your baby is born, he desires a schedule. Early on, that timetable is most closely attuned to feeding intervals; but sleep is a normal part of each full cycle of eating, interacting, and resting. Granted, your little one may seem to fight you on this every step of the way. Remember that they are learning how to do every skill necessary for survival while becoming accustomed to multiple new stimuli. Be flexible with the clock, b

By Dr. Amelia Bailey, Ob/Gyn

You’ve been planning for this moment for months, maybe even years, and it is almost time to meet your new baby. Congratulations! For some of you, this will be your first overnight stay in a hospital. While I strongly believe the hospital is far and away the safest and best place to have your baby, it is not an environment that is conducive to a good night’s sleep. But, let’s be honest, neither is motherhood. Here are a few tips to help you get as much rest as possible so you can take excellent care of your little one.

#1 Your overnight support person is your ally

Your overnight support person may be the most important part of your sleep plan.  He or she should be excited about being helpful and should be supportive of and respectful of your boundaries.  Communicate very clearly with this person before, during, and after your hospital stay about how he or she can help you.

By Dr. Amelia Bailey, Ob/Gyn

As an Ob-Gyn in the third trimester of my second pregnancy, I am keenly aware of the many changes the female body undergoes while doing the very important work of growing a new life.  Hormones surge, ligaments and skin stretch, and bones shift to accommodate your little one, who starts off as one cell and becomes trillions of cells by birth. Momentous, certainly. But it also sounds uncomfortable, right? It is. So what can we do to make sure these nine months are more joy than pain while nurturing our future astrophysicists? One of the most important steps is ensuring adequate nightly amounts of peaceful sleep in spite of our frequent bathroom visits.

Dr. Amelia Bailey, who is currently pregnant, came up with a DreamCell™ configuration fo

By Dr. Amelia Bailey, Ob/Gyn

My life is probably not much different than yours: many people vying for my time and attention, a to-do list that is never-ending, and too few hours in the day to get it all done. Saving time for myself is a luxury. I think it is called the daily grind because it cannot be done without coffee.

If you fall into the latter category, you aren’t alone. Everyone is there at some point; the smartest people find a way to manage work life balance gracefully. While my life is always a work in progress, I have recently spent a good bit of time rearranging the weekdays in order to feel more productive in all areas of my life: family, career, exercise, personal growth, and possibly most importantly sleep.  That sounds great; but how to achieve work life balance?  The following has worked for me: prioritize responsibilities and needs, set a schedule for the weekdays, and operate efficiently.

Prioritize your responsibility and