Being a mother is all you've ever dreamed of and more. The intoxicating smell of the newborn; daytime strolls to the park; endless hugs and kisses; and the joy you get with each new milestone achieved.

Then there's the "and more" part; the seemingly endless crying periods both by mother and baby, the spit-up, the diapers, the worries about childproofing everything.

The days you dreamed of are finally here, but dreaming seems to be a thing of the past.

You can't sleep.

Between late-night feedings, tending to fevers, your toddler crawling into bed with you and your soft bed that seemed to all of a sudden develop rock-like qualities, you are not getting nearly enough sleep.

As hopeless as it may seem, there are ways to help improve your sleep situation.

1. Nap when your baby naps

Reading this, you may be rolling your eyes and thinking, "Yeah, right. Then when am I going to get anything done?"

Yes, having your baby down and not making messes, allows for hands-free time to clean, catch up on emails and other work. But doing these things when you're exhausted just makes the chores mundane and may even take longer had you done them having had some rest.

Allow yourself to sleep even 20-30 minutes of your baby's hourlong nap and save the remainder of the time to get things done. You will be glad you did, come afternoon time, when you have more energy to take that stroll to the park.

2. Do less

Whether you work outside the home, have older kids with busy schedules or if you are a new mom, there is something you all have in common: You feel the need to do everything.

The neighbor needs you to watch her son while she runs errands; you were asked to be room mom in your daughter's first-grade class; you want to maintain the once-spotless house you had; you want to make homemade meals that you heard were always the norm at grandma's house.

Your head is spinning, and you feel like a failure, and you go to bed exhausted, unable to sleep with these thoughts swirling in your head.

The simple, yet often difficult solution is to do less.

Pick what is most important to you that day. If it's making a home cooked meal, great. If it's getting your morning exercise in, wonderful. If it's sitting on the floor playing dolls with your beaming baby girl, that's fantastic.

By deciding to do less, you will be accomplishing great things, without feeling like a failure, making you have more energy throughout the day and fewer worries come bedtime.

3. Invest in a new mattress

As you toss and turn at night wondering why you can't sleep, the answer may just be right under you. Yes, your mattress may be a key issue in your sleep deprivation.

Sure, your bed isn't crying all day, demanding your attention or causing you to worry, but having a mattress that is comforting and that fits well with your body may just be the key to falling asleep and staying asleep.

In fact, according to Lisa Zamosky of WebMD, "Your mattress is the first building block to a restful slumber."

4. Share the load

Pushing through sleepless night after sleepless night is something you just shouldn't do. This is where you need to share the load with your partner.

Whether it's splitting nighttime duties or having him take care of the baby while you nap, this will help you get the sleep you not only need but deserve.

It may even give him the much-needed confidence in being a daddy, something that all parents need.

5. Know that 'this, too shall pass'

While you are in the thick of it, you may think that it will never end, but it will.

Your baby will sleep through the night eventually. Knowing this is a phase that will eventually — maybe even sooner than later — end, may even help you relax at night.

After all, worrying about sleep never helped anyone sleep better. So, relax knowing that sleep will come.

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