Does sleep deprivation rule you? Five ways to beat the doom

If there is ever a time in your life that you know full well that you are going a little bit loopy it is after you have had a baby. The sleep deprivation is like being stuck in a torture chamber with a screaming animal in your face. The endless cycle can be suffocating as you work around the feeding and sleeping routines. The baby and you will get in to a rhythm eventually so don’t panic just yet.

It is okay to feel like you are losing it, it is okay to let yourself go and have that extra coffee, you deserve it but never feel like you are alone.

When you next walk down the street watch them. They are the women pushing prams, dragging toddlers along between balancing shopping and life. They are your new kind, the ones that you will find solace with in times of need.

Procreation is much easier to face when you are ignorant to the reality of obsessive tendencies, repetitiveness and clock watching (was that just me?). There is a build-up of stress and tension when you clock up the sleepless nights, it affects you, your relationships and the way you interact with your child.

Five ways to help get you through the sleepless doom:

1. People– make them come to you, hand them your baby and relax.
2. Get out– Activities are great. They are awesome for you to be social and give you a chance to actually try and put a sentence together. If it doesn’t make sense the other person isn’t really listening anyway as they are in the same position.
3. Libraries– Rhyme Time, Reading Time, all the times in the world. Right there for you and free. Councils are a good one for free stuff so always keep your eyes open.
4. Meditate– Get an App, whatever works, sit in a bath listen to some tunes. Take your mind away from the day. Breathe in and out a few times, it makes a difference.
5. MAKE THE MOST OF NAP TIME– Screw house work, sleep. You are the business of the family, if you aren’t running properly the ship won’t sink but it won’t be as smooth sailing.

Make yourself a priority for at least 20-30 minutes a day and you will feel that little bit more human.

Very importantly please talk to someone if you are feeling down. It’s hard to get out of the house when you can’t physically or mentally comprehend getting out the front door.

I scatter the page with pictures of a sleeping Matisse as every day I would send one to Dan in amazement that I finally got her to sleep and that face is what made it all worth it.

Be kind to yourselves

MummaKate x