Baby sleep schedules are a mystery. Even if your newborn is automatically a good sleeper or you feel that you’ve benefited from Sleep Training 101 (which may be BS), the sleep patterns of babies remain an oftentimes head-scratching, shrug-worthy, ‘well, I guess this works’ experience. What there is no debate on, however, is how these sleep patterns impact parents.
1. If your baby sleeps through (most) of the night
You’re either giving yourself calluses patting yourself on the back for all that sleep training you read up on, OR you’re counting your lucky glow-in-the-dark stars (especially if this is not your first baby). You’re a little low on sleep — because — well, you just had a baby. But functioning on six or seven hours is proving to be pretty doable and maybe, MAYBE you even have time to go the gym/yoga/pilates depending on how that c-section healing is going. You’re the envy of new parents everywhere and some days, some people even tell you that you look great. SLEEP DOES WONDERS LIKE THAT.
2. If your baby wakes up every hour. On the hour.
You’re eating cereal for dinner and leftover Indian takeout for breakfast, depending on how you look at your completely skewed timeline. You have a uniform of sweatpants, old t-shirts and sweatshirts happening that manages to put even your college days to shame. You’re WELL beyond the daily caffeine consumption for nursing mothers, but you stopped caring about that after you had to check to make sure you ACTUALLY put the baby back in the crib that one time. You find yourself napping ever so slightly in the shower (another gargantuan task) and snoozing by the coffee maker. You’re a zombie feigning basic human functions ….who is fooling no one…
Read more: mommyish.com