Back when I was pregnant, I took the advice of the elderly in the family: sleep as much as you can now, because you won’t get much sleep after your child is born. And I did, I slept and slept, thinking I would make stocks of sleep that would last me for a couple of good years.
After giving birth, but while still recovering in the hospital, the baby would come by for ‘visits’ during the day, but I would get the nights to myself for sleeping/recovering. The thought went through my head in those nights that these are my last days of sleeping through the night, but they vanished pretty fast.
At home, after giving it a good cry when arriving( pure, sheer happiness, hormones, subconscious thoughts generating anxiousness, worries, hopes, all came bursting out) and then starting the whole raising a child, reality struck in ways I could not have imagined.
I have seen some of the most beautiful sunrises during this time, I have seen my baby constantly needing me, every 15 minutes or so, I saw him getting up and falling back to sleep and I’ve also realised I will never sleep again, like I used to.
I was happy at every break of dawn, knowing that my husband would wake up and give me a chance to shower, who knows, even wash my teeth, perhaps eat.
I was worried at every sunset that this night might be a bad night sleep wise, whether it was good or bad. One good night followed by ten bad nights, that’s the best I could get in terms of sleep.
We co-slept until about 11 months, then we bed-shared and now, at 19 months, it’s split between the two as we transition the baby back from bed-sharing to co-sleeping. Through bed-sharing though, I was able to get some of my sleep back and act closer to what I refer to as normal behavior.
Sleep deprivation is no joke and being flexible about certain things when raising your child is not a bad thing, for you or the child, or your hubby. The baby is part of your life and in the first years he will need you the most, that’s when he is most dependent and vulnerable.
Like my sister used to say: once your child starts to walk, he becomes more and more independent and I fully agree. And so will his sleep. But will this mean that I will get to sleep more? Maybe, but as your child grows, I believe our sleep needs to change also, but will we really sleep more, as in more time, more relaxed? I think not, but, please, feel free to tell me I am wrong😊