Once in a blue moon, on a very very rare night, I’m so exhausted I fall asleep after putting H to bed. By the time my husband comes in to check on me around 7, I’m conked out.
The majority of the nights, however, I am still up at 2 when I go in to dream feed H, and then finally fall asleep around 4:30.
When he wakes up 2 to 3 hours later, I am so not ready to start my day, and want to crawl back into bed, but crazy Hulk baby needs food and space to run around and smash! By the time he’s ready for his 9am nap, I usually fall asleep while nursing and rocking him – whoops!
Sometimes I can drag myself out of his room and attempt to do my housewife-ly duties, but a lot of days I get back into bed, pull the covers up, and conk out. Nap while the baby naps, right? That’s what they told me to do, so that’s what I’m doing.
But then the guilt sets in that I’m taking an hour and a half / two hours of time where I should be cleaning up the piles of destruction that Hulk baby left in his wake, or doing laundry or getting myself ready for the day, or blogging or working from home, etc etc etc.
If I don’t nap and I do do something productive, I am a zombie the rest of the day and then so overtired by the time H’s bedtime rolls around I’m barely able to string together coherent sentences. I might be able to fall asleep then, but sometimes I miss my window and the cycle repeats again.
It’s like once I have some downtime after H and hubby go to sleep, all of a sudden I have a million things rushing through my mind – things I did or didn’t get around to doing that day, chores I need to get done, people I need to call, checks I need to send, estimates I need to confirm, and the list goes on and on and on. Why is it that at the time of day where I am supposed to be the most relaxed, I am the most high-strung and stressed? It’s like that picture that’s been floating around Facebook and Pinterest :
The hubs can go into the bedroom, lay down, and is asleep within minutes, even when he’s so-called “not even tired but I have to be up early”. He’s even guilty of falling asleep in the middle of a conversation or two while we’re rehashing our days or making plans! He’s lucky he’s cute and I kinda-sorta love him a lot, and is an awesome dad, because otherwise I might have to regulate.
Not that he’d notice, because the man sleeps. like. a. rock. He sleeps like a hibernating bear in a warm and toasty cave. Aint nothin (including a crying baby) wakin his butt up until his alarm goes off (and even that doesn’t work sometimes). I’m so jealous!
WHY CAN’T I DO THAT?!
At this point I’m rambling (because my brain is mush from running on approximately 2-3 hours of sleep a night), but all this awake-ness (is that even a real word?) has left me more than my fair share of time to think thoughts. Thoughts on motherhood, thoughts on wifedom, thoughts on life. Thoughts on thoughts on thoughts. I’ve been writing a lot of them down, and while most are incoherent and jumbled and don’t make much sense come morning, it’s pretty cathartic to get it all written down and helps to clear my mind so I can fall asleep.
I’m thinking of starting back up a weekly post on the ramblings of a self-inflicted sleep-deprived mom, so stay tuned!
Do you have a hard time getting to sleep?
Any tricks of the trade that help you fall asleep?
Help a sista out!
It was so hard for me to find a good schedule when my daughter was born. First of all, she was mixed up between day and night because she would sleep most of the day and stay up most of the night. I had to change her schedule and keep her up longer during the day, which was really hard. Changing her sleep schedule saved me!
The funny things is my son is sleeping 12 hours a night! It seems the better he sleeps the worse I do :/
OMG! I'm totally with you. Thankfully, I'm almost out of the small baby stage. I promise, it does get better!
I wish I could sleep as well as he does, haha. He sleeps through the night, maybe once he sleeps worse I'll be more exhausted and sleep better 😉
I totally understand you, but in the end, if I'm really all night up, I'll nap like a baby too 🙂
I think naps should be mandatory 🙂
Lack of sleep is the worst. I like to take a bath before bed sometimes because it really relaxes me and then I just hop into bed and fall asleep. Now to stay asleep…
Is it weird that baths freak me out? I tried while I was pregnant and just couldn't do it! A shower does sometimes help though!
I feel for you and know how it's like to miss sleep. I wish I had tips on how to fall asleep easier. I think we'll need to ask a guy for that. Ha 🙂
Haha touche! Maybe my hubby should write a post on sleep tips 😉
Sleep has been an issue for me for years! Just quit feeling guilty about napping….it won't be for life! 🙂
I think I'm over the guilt after reading all the comments 🙂 Mama needs her rest too!
I wouldn't even look at your "napping" as genuine napping. No one is meant to survive on 2-3 hours of sleep long term….that's like POW stuff! For your own sanity, literally, I think that nap you fell guilty about is a necessity and just part of a normal requirement for your body.
Totally true! It's almost necessary at this point! Thank you Michelle 🙂
I feel you! Being Mom is a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. Sleep when you can! <3 #coffee is #mybestfriend
Touche! They should probably just give me an IV at this point – maybe then I'd finally be able to have hot coffee instead of cold 😉
Hahaha! The perils of motherhood! Just kidding! But totally know what you mean. A Mom is the most difficult yet the also most rewarding job in the world. 🙂
Oh I remember those days of no sleep. One day when I was teaching piano lessons, I actually fell asleep while my student was playing. So embarrassing!
I remember those days. My husband is the same way he can fall asleep in an instant.
I would be dead if I didn't have a proper night sleep. I can't imagine what it's like! Give me a few more years yet!
Katie <3
I have such a hard time when I don't get a full nights sleep. I don't know how I'll be in the future!
I would try to accomplish three tasks a day that you must or really need to do, to lower your huge list. Talk to hubby, maybe he won't mind taking a few of those tasks. I am not a mommy yet but I have heard the goods and bads since I work with children on a daily basis. I understand the need to sleep, and I say sleep! But that is my honest opinion.
Sleep is definitely a hard one for me, especially when i'm stressed to the max!
I can't imagine, if I dont get enough sleep I am such a brat! LOL, I am known to have 10 hours of sleep, every single night. God bless you! Lol
HAHAHA that infographic is hilarious!
i can't imagine how hard that is! my gf tells me about this too.. she used to feel really guilty about napping when her kid naps.. but i think after a few years the guilt wore off and she just does it bc ultimately it makes her a better parent when she's better rested. 🙂
Sleep is always so different for me. One day I could fall asleep at 8pm and other nights (like last night) I could stay up until 2am!
I don't have kids but for a time I was the full time nanny for my sisters twin babies. They only stayed over a couple nights but I have NO idea how mothers do it. I was such a grouch the days after they spent the night.