Sleep deprivation can be absolute torment and any mother/father with a baby who isn’t a fan of you getting a decent unbroken sleep will know this. As you all know I have a 12 week old baby girl (I know it has gone so fast!) and I am extremely lucky and grateful that she appreciates a good night sleep; so far anyway. My boys on the other hand would wake up a few times a night, not for any reason in particular just because and if truth be told not much has changed now that they are 6 and 4. I swear they just enjoy waking me up and seeing how much crap I can take on minimal sleep. I am not the only one and neither are you – there are parents everywhere suffering exactly this; which is why Bepanthen has a new campaign promoting Mummy’s Diaries series on YouTube where mums share their experiences, feelings and basically how they get through the day. It is a great idea for new mums who are experiencing everything for the first time and feel like they can’t talk about it.
It has proven time and time again that mothers, fathers and other children that experience the unfortunate lack of sleep are all too familiar that it can cause waves of unexpected emotions, makes you feel lethargic and struggle to stay awake during the day and makes you less tolerant to those around you. Now obviously you cannot change whether or not you are woken in the middle of the night by babies or children however you can do a few things to help you get through the day. Get that hit of caffeine first thing in the morning (if breastfeeding remember don’t over-do the caffeine and consider substituting with a cold glass of water), get some fresh air and go for a walk (not only do you get to enjoy the sun but you will also be getting some exercise).
I know from experience that sleep deprivation can be an absolute nightmare but I have learnt to enjoy every second of this torture because they grow up way too fast and before you know it they will be teenagers and will be keeping you awake with a different kind of stress. They are only babies once – enjoy it!
This is a sponsored post but opinions are my own.