Stacey’s Mayhem Management Tip #13

So you had a baby. You are home from the hospital with a bundle of cuteness. You have spent the last three months not sleeping due to being a pregnant monstrosity and you are so excited to sleep. And then your bundle of cuteness spends the entire night eating. Yes, you are sleeping and sleeping on your stomach no less, but you are basically taking one power nap after another.

After a few days, you start to notice long-term effects of permanantly power napping.

You do things like welcome your child home from gymnastics by asking how school was. Upon picking your preschooler up from school, you realize that she has been wearing her six year-old sister’s clothes…all…day…long. You are in a panic because you haven’t seen a child, and upon inquiry of the family realize that she is the one you are in the car to go pick up.

All true. Sad, but true. But congratulations on your personal sleep deprivation torture yummy bundle of baby.

So what’s a sleep-deprived Mom to do? Well, I’ll tell ya!

1. Sleep when baby sleeps Ok, so this works better with your first. But if it is your first, don’t be a hero, go take a nap. If it’s not your first, turn on the TV for your little ones and take a nap.

2. Caffeine I know, probably not the best, but sometimes, it’s so totally necessary. I have personally kept Pepsi in business by having my 7 kids.

3. Laugh Seriously. There’s like endorphins and crap that are totally good for your brain. So when you can’t remember what day it is and your kids are making fun of you…just laugh.

4. Sit down and hold that baby Remind yourself that it’s totally worth it. Smell that yummy baby, watch him wiggle, count his fingers…whatever. Just enjoy it. He’ll be getting into cupboards soon enough.

5. Let Dad do it Seriously. He won’t break the baby. I was so paranoid with our first that I wasn’t very good about letting Dad take over baby duty. I’m totally over that now. Sometimes, he’ll come home from work, I’ll hand over the baby and go take a nap.

6. Realize that This Too Shall Pass Baby will start sleeping more. I promise. They all eventually mostly sleep through the night. Your kids may have to realize that by pouring them the wrong cereal after they asked you five times to get the other kind, that you are functioning at a quarter of your regular brain capacity. They’ll live.

What are your tips for surviving the sleep deprivation of the newborn phase?