“You will never sleep again” Someone well-meaning stranger advising me just before my baby was placed in my arms forever.

I can’t lie there was a bit of panic that set in. I often reflect back to that moment. What could they have meant? Of course, I knew babies slept a lot initially, cried a lot, needed diapers changed, needed regularly feedings, and were ultimately dependent on the parents for all their basic needs. This was literally what I signed up for, BUT I would “never sleep again”? I soon discovered my next experience was a 3-hour crying spree.  2 hours off and on of trying to figure out how to comfort my baby and another hour of my own questioning my parenting abilities. Adjusting to a baby/ a child in the home can be very taxing.

New parents are often told to sleep when the baby sleeps for a reason. It’s important to replenish and recharge the “parental reserves” in order to bring you’re “A-game” as a parent. Tending to your child’s needs can often put your own needs on the back burner. I focused on tending to the rhythms of sleep for my child and I took advantage of napping and comforting myself as well as my baby. I reflect back to the well-intended stranger and think, he must have meant I would stay awake smiling, dreaming, staring, and planning, for the future of my baby. Later I would be awoken to a hungry baby or a diaper to change.

You can find more info on the Importance of sleep and its connection to our mood, mental health and developing brains on Webmd.com