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Nikki Bella Reflects on ‘Getting Judged’ for Sleep-Training Son Matteo After Backlash

Welcome to the club! Nikki Bella spoke to her twin sister, Brie Bella, about being mom-shamed for the first time.

Related: Jana Kramer and More Moms Clap Back at Parenting Police

“I’ve been getting judged outside the home,” the new mom, 36, said in the Wednesday, September 23, “Total Bellas Podcast” episode. “It’s been great.”

Her Incomparable coauthor, also 36, replied, “I was mindblown when you talked about sleep-training on your Instagram. I could not believe the backlash you got.”

Nikki Bella Sleep Training Son Matteo
Nikki Bella and Matteo Courtesy of Nikki Bella/Instagram

Related: Everything We Know Pregnant Nikki Bella Has Said About Starting a Family

On September 14, Nikki announced via Instagram that she had introduced her 1-month-old son, Matteo, to his “first day of sleep-training.” She wrote, “Once he realized it’s not so bad, he was all smiles! Brie used it with [her daughter], Birdie, and now [her son], Buddy, and got amazing results and already is getting amazing results. Here’s to eventually sleeping through the night!”

Nikki reflected on the comments she received, telling Brie on Wednesday: “I don’t know if people thought I was sleep-training [him] like a toddler but no, there’s sleep-training for newborns. It’s probably what everyone does already.”

She added that Birdie’s 3-year-old daughter “is the best sleeper” after using this process and opened up about the steps.

“You feed your baby, you change the diaper, maybe vice versa, and from the moment your baby wakes up, you have your baby up for an hour, then you put your baby down for two hours,” Nikki said. “For someone like me and my personality, I need a schedule. And it keeps Matteo happy.”

She explained that by holding Matteo so much in the beginning, she was making the infant “overtired.” Since his new schedule, he’s been an “amazing” sleeper.

Related: Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev's Son Matteo's Baby Album

Nikki and her fiancé, Artem Chigvintsev, welcomed their baby boy in July. Less than 24 hours later, Brie gave birth to her and husband Daniel Bryan’s second child.

While Brie and the professional wrestler, 39, are in their second round of parenthood, Nikki and the Dancing With the Stars pro, 38, weren’t “as prepared as [they] wanted to be.”

The Russian dancer explained to Extra on Tuesday, September 22: “We were supposed to take classes and stuff, but because of [the coronavirus pandemic], we couldn’t.”

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