Interrupted Sleep
Once upon a time there was a woman who was able to get all the sleep she ever wanted. She took naps whenever time allowed and was not ashamed. She was able to make it to REM sleep without any interruptions.
In the mornings she felt so rejuvenated after getting at least eight hours of sleep. The only reason she had to awake at night was to release her bladder. Since the house was so quiet and peaceful she was able to fall right back to sleep again within seconds.
Then one day, she started having children and it aaaalllllll changed. 😵💫😩😭
Moments before entering REM sleep…
Knock, knock
Mama mama can you help me?!
Knock, knock
Hey mama are you still asleep?
Knock, knock
Can I use your bathroom?
Knock, knock
Sorry to bother you but…
Knock, knock
Is it time for snack?
😑🥴🥱
And the list goes on.
After my first child was born I became the lightest sleeper ever. I remember every move or noise she made I would pop up to check her to make sure she was okay. Having your first child can be scary because you don’t know what to expect and you are constantly looking after your little one.
I remember those nights I didn’t get any sleep whatsoever. When I did start to fall asleep my eyes would pop right back open. When she got a little older I was able to sleep a little more than I was at the beginning.
It seemed with each child that came I was able to be more relaxed and sleep a little more sense I was getting the hang of motherhood. However, I still popped up at the sound of any type of whimpering or sudden movements. I was so alert and ready to take care of my babies at any given time during the night.
My husband could and still can sleep through everything 😒. There were nights I was hoping he would wake up and take over…but no. It got to the point I would just hit him to wake him up to take care of the babies so I could try to sleep 🤷🏽♀️😁.
Well, of course when it was time to nurse he couldn’t help so I didn’t bother him when the babies were hungry. I did wake him up to change many of diapers though 🤣.
Many nights I just sat up in the bed to read or crochet. It was so hard getting up and down and waking up so much from my sleep that I just gave up on trying. I remember some nights I felt so dizzy from all the interrupted sleep.
I didn’t mind though because making sure my babies were safe and well were what mattered most to me. There were many times I had to sleep with my hands near one of my babies so they would feel me near them. I was always nervous to let the babies sleep in our bed.
I read too many horror stories about parents rolling over on their babies at night 😔. Some nights I was so tired and nearly sleep walking that I fell asleep nursing them in my bed 🤭. My husband would wake up in the middle of the night sometimes to put them back in their cribs.
I’d wake up frantically looking for the baby in the bed and then realize they were put back in their beds. After that happened so many times I vowed to only nurse them in the rocking chair. I didn’t fall asleep in the chair as easily as I did lying down in the bed.
I admit that I am so thankful and grateful I made it through those tough times of having newborns. Those were the sleepiest times of my life.
Now that my kids are older I am able to get more rest for the most part. It helps because sometimes I still get to take naps during the day after we finish school. My two youngest are still really needy and of course want mommy over the help of their older siblings.
My three year old busts through our bedroom door when she’s crying, demanding something or telling me what someone did or said to her. We’re working on teaching her how to knock first and ask for permission to come in. She’s getting there 😅.
My five year old argues and bickers a lot with my eight year old and always comes crying and upset about something. He tends to forget to knock when he’s so frustrated about things. I think I get the most interrupted sleep with him.
My big kids do pretty well not interrupting my sleep unless it’s an emergency or they really need my assistance with something. I try to take my naps when my husband arrives home from work so that he can take care of their needs and I can fully get some rest.
Sadly to say I’ve become quite the grouch over the years of not getting enough sleep. It’s becoming very bothersome being woken up from my sleep. It’s like my body is fighting back after all these years and screaming out
LEAVE ME ALONE! 😖😤😠
Hahaha my husband and older kiddos are scared to wake me up because they know they’ll get a little bit of grouch and attitude from me. 🤣🤣🤣
Living with so much interrupted sleep has made me adore and appreciate my sleep time more than ever. When I can get a full nights sleep everyone in my household is happy because I am happy. 😆
You are a very happy person) Your children are already a treasure, the most precious thing in the world, which brings with it additionally many interesting changes and discoveries.
One of them is that you have begun to appreciate sleep more, and to enjoy it more, as from any value that is so rare and desirable for us)
I think despite the difficulties and inconveniences, it makes our lives more interesting and fulfilling..
Thank you @alekst7! 😊
Even amongst all the challenges my family brings me joy. I generally tend to be a happy person just as you pointed out.
Yes very true! I have missed my deep sleeps throughout the years but all of the craziness, loudness and busyness has definitely made my life more interesting and fulfilling.
Thank you for your nice and thoughtful comment ~
I don’t know but I feel like mothers aren’t appreciated the way they ought to. I can’t Stand a person’s disturbance not to talk of kids!
Wow! Weldone
I appreciate your comment about mothers. ☺️
Thank you for reading ~
Thank you for writing about me. haha.
Don't you just wish you took advantage of all the nap times our own moms asked us to have? 😪
The problem with me now is though I can definitely sleep through the night as thr kids are now bigger, my getting-older-self does not want to do that anymore. Sleep early (like 10 or 11) and I'd wake up in the ghost hour of 3am thinking I've already slept so long. Then I'd struggle to get back to sleep. Sleep late, and it's still the same - waking up at 3am! What's with 3am anyway? 👻
Hahaha yes! This post was dedicated to all mothers that feel this way! 😄
Oh my gosh yes!! If only we knew! 😴
Wow that sounds like what my husband goes through. If he takes a nap during the day his body won’t go to sleep until 2 a.m. If he manages to get to bed at a decent time he’s tossing and turning a few hours later.
Do you diffuse oils in your home? Maybe diffusing relaxing oils like lavender would help.
I have no idea about the 3 a.m. but there was one year I kept waking up at that time over and over and I’m like what is going on?
Oh my motherhood is hard, I love my sleep, I could not imagine long sleepless nights. You are very resilient , congrats! I guess motherhood can give you strenght
Oh MY let me tell you...it was and still is hard. If I didn't get to take naps I don't think I'd be standing right now.
Thank you ☺️. It just became such a normal thing that I learned to live with it and get through the day as a zombie lol. These experiences have definitely made me stronger. 😊
Thank you for always leaving sweet and thoughtful comments ~
I rely on having a great partner with whom I could share the chores and the naps. I can't imagine going through sleepless nights all alone. You were a brave woman for coping with so much fatigue for so long!
Thank you so much. I'm not sure how much I could have handled without my husband right there with me, helping take on all the challenges ~
To be a mother is not an easy job I would say you mother's @crosheille are really giving your best for your kids
Thank you so much for this beautiful comment @emeka4 ~ 😊
This is probably one of the biggest preparations a first time mother needs. Brace yourself. You will cope on V.E.R.Y. little sleep. Although my children are very different. My eldest has always been a good sleeper. My littlest.....well....she amazes me on how little sleep she gets by on....YAWN!!!!!
Oh my gosh YES! Brace and get ready!! I remember being told to get as much sleep as I could before they got here but I was so busy preparing, cleaning and being excited that I couldn't sleep enough. 😩
Wow that's the same here. My eldest loves her sleep but my youngest is a night owl and won't get to sleep sometimes until after midnight. Although she does tend to sleep in a lot because of it. 😄
Those of us who are parents understand you perfectly. My children are 6 and 8 years old and although they don't wake us up regularly, for some reason I can't sleep so peacefully. When the nights are very cold I cannot help waking up a few hours after falling asleep and I go to their room to check that they are adequately covered. My mother and mother-in-law used to say that when one is a father and mother, one does not sleep again.
Wow I am really enjoying seeing how much parents think alike and do the same things. I too wake up very often to go check on them and recover them. It's a habit that if I wake up throughout the night I'm checking in and making sure they're okay.
I am a witness that they were telling the truth 😳!! I can’t remember the last time I had a full night’s rest (wait yes I can, when they were spending the night at a relatives 😂).
Thanks so much for adding your valuable input ~
Well that happiness we have only lived it twice 🤣
🤣🤣
Motherhood is really hard! I guess seeing your babies doing okay makes it all worth it. For someone who finds it hard to fall asleep, I'm always mad when my sleep gets interrupted, I don't know what I'll do when it becomes a constant thing. You're really strong!
Yea it really does make it all worth it. It was like a natural reflex for me to suffer in order to make sure they had what they needed. Haha maybe sacrifice is a better word. I knew I would have to give up some of my comforts but had no idea how hard it would actually be.
I can imagine how frustrating it is to get interrupted especially when you have a hard time falling asleep. Come to think of it, it was probably best my husband didn’t wake up all those times because he too has trouble falling asleep. Once he awakes he’s most likely not going to be able to get back. That would have been hard on him going to work that morning.
Thank you so much. Lord willing when you have children I’m sure you will be strong as well. Those mother instincts and strengths kick in and you’ll be amazed how much kick you actually have ~ 😉❤️
Before I had my son three month ago I was a light sleeper, I barely sleep, hubby always say it was my body training me for the babies arrival, nighttime would be easy for me.
Now the baby is here I wish I slept all through the pregnancy and even before then, it feels like I had always lived a sleepless life. Now I want my sleep so badly.
I am at that phase too, staying strong for my baby and making sure he is safe
First let me say congratulations on your new baby! 😊🤗
I know exactly what you’re going through. When I was told to get my rest I was too excited and more focused on deep cleaning and organizing for baby’s arrival. I too wished I had slept way more before they arrived.
Are you able to take any type of nap during the day, like when your son is sleeping? I’m telling you napping is what got me through those stages. Even a 20 minute nap had me saying
Stay strong and hang in there. Our babies need our sacrifice, they are so worth the struggle. Also, those baby stages go by so fast. It wasn’t long before I was wishing they were little again (that was back then,
I’m totally okay with them growing up now at this point 😅😂).
Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. I’ll be heading over to your blog soon to read about your pregnancy post I saw ~ 😉
I understand you, certainly when I don't sleep well I get in a bad mood, sleeping well and resting for me is as necessary as breathing ...
Right, sleeping well and getting enough rest is so important and necessary for us to properly function.
we are told by so many wise women to sleep well before our children are born, and yet we don't do it or take their advice that seriously and then.... we come to this side of life and omg do we regret not listening lol.
GIRL!!!! my lovely baby daddy had the lightest sleep of all, I couldn't move on the bed or he would just wake up, but since our baby was born the dude sleeps like a rock, i mean baby crying, me getting up to kill a cockroach while screaming for help .... nothing.... he will sleep right through it all. So, i guess a woman brain changes when she becomes a mom to never sleep again, but a man's brain is the other way around -.-
Oh my gosh I laughed so loud and hard reading your comment!
Yes, we didn’t listen and then end up regretting it. My mind was in other places and I felt that I would still be able to get some sleep…yeah that didn’t work out for me LOL!
Girl that is soooo hilarious!! All the sudden he became a deep sleeper when the baby arrived. 🤣
Yep, it’s a special power a mother has, to be a light sleeper, hear everything throughout the night and live the rest of their lives as sleep walkers! 😂😆
Thanks for that good laugh ~ ❤️
Hi @crosheille,
I am blessed to be able to sleep through the night, at least about seven hours a day. My overnights have been related to some eventuality related to my sister's health, which thank God does not happen often.
When I have sleepless nights, I don't like that feeling of exhaustion, I can't imagine how there are people who suffer from insomnia and can have that feeling of tiredness all the time. I really appreciate being able to sleep well.
It's good that you can sleep more and that somehow you have the support of your family to take a nap, that helps you recover a lot and allows you to be in a better mood.
Greetings
It's so good you are able to get adequate sleep most nights.
It’s not easy being a sleep walker (I call it that because that’s what it feel like for me a lot of times). I am so tired of feeling tired all the time. I am really thankful I do get those naps, they really help give me a needed energy boost :)
Thanks so much for reading and commenting ~