" Sleep now because you won't get any of that when the baby's here".. This was told me by so many people while I was pregnant and boy do I regret not listening to them.
According to SleepJunkie.org new parents are falling short of sleep by around 3 hours ever night in a child's first year! This was a challenge I faced since giving birth. I never really been a nap kind of person and before I had the baby I was always a night owl. I would stay up late and sleep in to about 10 am on my weekends. After having Mateo I never missed sleep more than now.
First weeks
The first night in the hospital after giving birth my husband and I maybe had about 2-3 hours of sleep. It was constant hospital staff and personnel coming into the room checking on both me and Mateo.
The first night we came home I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't even sleep on my own. Mateo cried and feed every two hours. The middle of the night feedings were rough! I would be so deliriously tired for the 3 am feeding that sometimes I didn't even know where I was.
Sleep was so difficult because I was so anxious and worried about everything. I wanted to watch him sleep to make sure he was okay. During the daytime I would use the time he was sleeping to get stuff done around the house. Another topi for a later post is the stress I endured with breastfeeding. I wasn't producing enough milk to pump a lot for a bottle feeding and I was stressed about that. In addition to the physical tiredness, mentally I was exhausted. You endure those first fews so much emotions and questions that need answers. For me all of that can made it hard to relax and enjoy some zzzs.
Sleep when the baby sleeps...
This saying just doesn't work for me! It doesn't work for everyone because its simply not that easy. When you have a new baby lots of messes are made, bottles need to be cleaned, laundry must be done and put away, meals must be made (because when you are breast feeding you are hungry all the time) and dogs have to be cared for. Yes I am describing my life.
Half the time while the baby is sleeping I am in a euphoric like state of awake and sleep. It feels like an out of body state. At times I would be so tired that I thought I was seeing things. True story one time I thought there was a frog in our room!!! Yes a frog. I would be too tired to even do anything productive. I would sit on my bed and just mindlessly scroll through my phone or binge watch Netflix shows. I watched the New Season of You in 2 days!
The days felt short and time flew by. A 45 minute baby nap felt like 5 minutes I had to be productive. The hardest part has been getting back into the swing of blogging and creating content. When I tried to schedule my first photoshoot I learned quickly that scheduling appointments with a newborn is challenging. I work around him. That is my new normal now.
Sleep Deprivation Confessional
I'm sure every parent has a good yet embarrassing sleep deprivation story. Something hilarious and backwards that you did due to sleep deprivation. So many times I have put my clothes on both inside out and backwards ( yes both at the same time!). Left the house with two different socks on. `Missed putting my contacts in their container. So many different funny things have occurred. What's your funny story? Got one? Share it below for a laugh!
Health mom = happy baby
The best advice to give is to take care of yourself during this time. The first couple of weeks after the hospital I experienced a lot of anxiety and found myself crying uncontrollably sometimes and being in a funk. During this time I feel like Mateo and I weren't building a bond and since I have let go of some fears, spoken to my OBGYN and close friends things are so much better. Mateo and I have a good rhythm and mentally I am all there for him. I wasn't in the beginning. I feel like I was just going through the motions.
I have also made time for myself. I don't procrastinate and I have taught myself that every minute counts and to make them count! I create time to write for my blog, sneak in a nap, cook a good meal when I can, get out and grocery shop alone and binge watch a Netflix show here or there.
If you have a partner in this with you try to create a schedule for feeding times. My husband is great at taking the 12:30 am feeding and I take the 3:30-4 am feeding. Also ask for help if you can. If friends or family offer to help you say yes! You will be surprised how much a dinner meal dropped off is a huge help! I even signed up to instacart for groceries and it was amazing! Such a huge help when my husband is out of town for work.
Cherish some of these sweet moments
Lately I have been seeing on my feed some tragic news of mothers losing their children under the age of one and it was broken my heart for them. Take some moments and snuggle with your little one. Soak in and breathe them in. It will be these moments that one day will feel like a distant memory..
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