We asked mums for the sleep advice they wish they knew. They all said these 3 things.

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One of the most daunting and, well, terrifying things to hear about when you're pregnant for the first time is all the war stories about the lack of sleep you can expect.

I had severe pregnancy insomnia both times I was pregnant. I thought I would never be able to sleep again, then as soon as they came out, my hormones shifted and insomnia lifted.

Then, I was up every two hours feeding. I remember feeling like I would never be okay again.

Watch: A GP with twins shares her sleep hygiene routine, post continues below.

Now, 13 years later? I would tell my startled new parent self: you will sleep again. And actually sleep when the baby sleeps in the day. The washing doesn't matter.

We wanted to hear from all the other mums who've walked the path before. What would they tell themselves? What do they wish they knew then, that they know now? Turns out, it can all be boiled down to three main areas:

Surrendering. Blocking out external 'noise' (aka the opinions of others). And asking for help.

From the wise words of Holly Wainwright, to the hindsight of Claire Murphy, we gathered some pearls of wisdom from the parents in the Mamamia office and community.

Hindsight's a beautiful gift, so here is ours for you.

The advice we wish we'd known before having kids.

"I would tell you to let go of the idea of a full night's sleep being a marker of some kind of success for quite a long time. With babies and maybe more babies, someone needing you in the night in some way is likely to be a feature for the best part of a decade.

Yes, sorry about that. But also - napping is your friend, there's no medal for making it through the day a jibbering wreck. And take any opportunity offered for a night away and a lie-in. You will never appreciate it more." - Holly Wainwright.

"I'd tell myself to let someone know when the sleep deprivation sent me to the edge of sanity. I have never felt that unstable before in my life and I wish that I'd had someone to look out for me and step in when my husband was working so I could shut my eyes for a bit. I just pushed through, it wasn't great." - Claire Murphy.

This too shall pass.

"I was terrified I'd never sleep again. But you do, eventually, sleep again. Nothing is permanent." - Sarah.

"It's all temporary! There are still good and bad nights and the worst sleep might come later on when you least expect it, and you're weaning from breastfeeding. You're not broken, your body is just adjusting yet again." - Rachel.

"I would let myself know that none of it is forever. It will feel like it, but stages change, development happens, and new patterns emerge." - Lisa.

"Before you even realise what happened, your kids are suddenly seven and four. You slept through the night, and you'll wake up to the sun streaming in through the window and the warming sounds of your elder child helping your younger get cereal.

It won't be the end of nightmares, wet beds and other odd child awakenings, but for the most part, you did it." - Pip.

Practical sleep strategies.

"The first few weeks and months, you will get more sleep if you just stay in bed. No one says your day has to start at 8am. If you need to stay in bed until 10am or 11am to get that seven hours of sleep around feeds, then do it!" - Emma.

"I'd say that you can't make a baby sleep and embrace the phase, even though it's the most exhausting phase ever. It does pass." - Kate.

"If you want to co-sleep, go ahead and do it (following safety guidelines). Don't believe the hype that 'they will never sleep in their own bed' or that 'they will never learn to be independent'. I co-slept with my babies, who are now 10 and 14, and they are well-adjusted and independent to an age-appropriate level." - Maya.

Listen: Learn more about sleep hygiene in this episode of Well, post continues below.

Trust yourself, not the internet.

"Don't wade into Google with postpartum hormones. Have a Google liaison (ideally, another mum with older kids) who can wade through the information for you and report back if there's something you're worried about." - Jessica.

"I fell pregnant with my first child when I was only 20, so I was completely ignorant of what was to come, except she slept like an absolute dream. I didn't know they needed naps, so she would just fall asleep on her play couch in the lounge during play.

I didn't stick to bedtimes, we'd just relax together at night, and she'd fall asleep in my arms, and I'd put her to bed.

There was no Instagram sleep consultant to tell me I was doing it all 'wrong'. 10 years later, I had my second kid and my Instagram feed was flooded with sleep consultants telling me what wake windows my babies 'needed' and how many naps they were 'meant' to have.

I was wondering why it was so much easier 13 years ago... so the next day, I threw all the rules out, ignored wake windows and how many naps he 'should' have, and he slept the whole damn night.

My advice to my former self would be to block out all the noise, live my life, stop living by the clock in dark rooms rocking for hours on end and just enjoy my kids and sleep will happen in good time." - Natalie.

Watch your mental health.

"Sleep deprivation will impact mental health. Make sure your partner, GP and psychologist know what to look for when you're not coping and what services can help you and when it's time to consider help to support your mental health." - Priya.

"My sleeplessness started with pregnancy loss, grief and impact on mental health and continued on through years of IVF where I was too nauseous and uncomfortable to sleep.

Add a horrific pregnancy again and feeling too sick for decent sleep... by the time I had my baby, I was used to little sleep. The difference was it was not coming from within me." - Amanda.

The bottom line.

Reading through these honest reflections from parents who've survived the sleep-deprivation trenches, the message is clear: you're not alone, you're not failing, and yes, you will sleep again.

Most importantly, be gentle with yourself. Ask for help when you need it, sleep when you can, and remember that keeping your baby fed, safe, and loved is enough. The rest can wait.

Sweet dreams are coming, we promise.

Feature Image: Supplied.

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