It’s Mother’s Day!! What a wonderful thing! Finally we can ask something without feeling guilty. Moms, working or not, of twins or not, fit, fashion, expat, vegan or lazy-ass.. It doesn’t matter! They bust their butts 24/7 no stop! I’m sure we all agree on this, right? So can we dare to say that we deserve a little reward at least once a year, or not?
So should you ask for Mother’s Day? A holy, uninterrupted, I-don’t-exist-for-anyone night of sleep!! Voilà, I think I just bit any record. Answer given in a nanosecond, final answer with no audience help! How about that?
Do you remember…?
I could honestly stop writing right now because you’re a mom and don’t need further explanation on why this would be the only answer that makes sense, but I want to dedicate a special minute to you too mom. You, who thought for a minute to choose that pair of shoes that you like so much. But don’t you dare.. STOP! Don’t think! Let your body guide you for once in the right direction! Close your eyes and..
Nothing! Just close them! And don’t reopen them until morning! SLEEP! Do you remember how fantastic it was? I know I do! You know the billion things you do on a daily basis? There, try to imagine would you could do with a full night of sleep! It’s like when Superman recharges with the sun or when Harry finds the Elder Wand! U-N-B-E-A-T-A-B-L-E!
Mother’s Day was created to let us sleep!
As I mentioned in my “what to expect after you’re expecting” series’ first post, unfortunately one of the things parents are not often prepared to is sleep deprivation. It can lead you to do and think the worst things. In time you might be lucky enough like me (I admit it) and discover that your baby, all things considered, sleeps at night. Clearly if he’s not sick or teething, etc. But there’s no point in deluding ourselves. Sleep it’s not the same anymore.
If it isn’t because of post-partum hormones, it’s the concern of not hearing from her all night; if it’s not baby-colic o the ear infection, it’s the fact that you got in the loop and you wake up anyway; if it’s not because she just learned to walk o wants to practice at 3 in the morning (devil’s time), it’s because your bladder got used to wee and wakes you up! I honestly don’t recall one night, since my little house-elf was born, when I didn’t wake up for a reason or another. Last year I was still full time breastfeeding every 3 hours, so forget about it. But this year… HA!!
Getting ready for the big event
1. spouse
First thing first, tell your spouse to mentally prepare. His turn!! Not that he never helped, but better specify that not one sound is allowed to come from the baby’s room. Punishment: no sex and dish washing for at least 10 years (duration is at personal discretion and can be modified at any time)
2. Sickness
If your baby is showing any symptom a week before Mother’s Day, any exceptions are granted for medicines and any kind of possible remedy to prevent night awakenings between Saturday and Sunday. Any other night it’s ok.. After all, it wouldn’t be very different from the rest of the year anyway.
3. Mentally prepare
Yep, that counts for us mamas as well. We’re so used to it that sleeping for 8 hours straight (if you’re lucky even more) might seem unnatural. So keep in mind that your baby is okay, that if she opens her mouth your spouse will take care of her and that she’s not craving the pacifier, starving, or teething to death. Which brings me to the next point.
4. Feed her to numbness
We try to eat healthy as much as possible, right? Well, that Saturday night before Mother’s Day forget any nutrition rule. I’m not saying to give her McDonald, but a big fat feeding won’t hurt her for once and will give you better chances of uninterrupted sleep. No sugar for the love of God!!
5. Earplugs
If you’re not used to them, they might bother you at first, so try them on during the day to get the hang of it. That night you have to trust your spouse 100% and let him be the only one who wakes up, even if the little one is just sleep-talking.
6. Make sure you fall asleep
There’s no need to tell you to get tired because it wouldn’t even be funny, but I can tell you to take any precaution to not let anything ruin that night: don’t eat to heavy or to light, do some abs or push-ups (some wiggy-piggy with your spouse would be even better) if you need to burn some sugar. No caffeine and, if you really want to play it safe, shove down some melatonin. Don’t worry, it’s not the latest disco-club drug, it’s a natural supplement that helps falling asleep. Or if you prefer, enjoy a glass of wine (or maybe two, but no hangover or the magic’s gone).
7. Don’t forget to wee
Might sound silly (like the rest of this article), but I remember clearly that during the first post-partum couple of months I lost the habit of peeing before going to bed. Very simply I was all messed up and I knew I’d wake up anyway during the night so why bother remind myself? So don’t underestimate the infamous bladder. If after all the above mentioned precautions, you end up waking up to pee, you might have breakdown.
Believe me!
I know! At first sight all this trouble for one night of sleep might seem too much, but I assure you it’s worth it! You’ll see when you’ll wake up.. You won’t believe it and the shoes will be a distant memory. Make yourself this gift because I promise that you won’t have many chances. You have Mother’s Day and your birthday. I strongly recommend to dedicate at least one of them to an apocalyptic sleep.
It’s true that my motto is that we adjust to (almost) everything, but sometimes going back, even for just a moment, might be good for the whole family’s (mental) health.
Happy Mother’s Day! 🙂
P.S.= if you liked this article, don’t forget to share it!! 😉
