Advice From A Sleep Deprived Mom
Sleep Deprivation Is No Joke
If you are a mom, you know what sleep deprivation is. Some parents are more sleep deprived than others, but at some point, as a parent, you experience the feeling. For me, with my first child, I had the normal newborn sleep deprivation for the first month, but then he started sleeping through the night pretty regularly at 4-6 weeks. Now, my daughter who is 13 months old still doesn’t sleep through the night and even worse she is up many times through the night. I do think as moms, we get used to fewer hours of sleep and can function fairly well like this. With that said, doing it for too many days in a row can really affect your body, mood, and overall health.
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Take Care of Your Basic Needs First
One thing I have learned through two kids is that if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be good to anyone else who needs you. I don’t go crazy but I do the basics. I make sure I am able to get a shower, brush my teeth, get dressed, put on make-up if I desire. So many moms say they don’t have time for these things, but in reality, once you get the flow of taking care of a new baby, you can indeed fit these things in. There is always a way.
Eat Right
Most moms meals consist of the leftovers from their children’s plates or the floor for that matter, don’t let this be the norm for you. An hour of prep will make all the difference for you during the week. Cut/wash fruits and veggies to have on hand. Have healthy snack options like nuts, protein bars, and cut up cheese if you do dairy.
Breakfast is always the hardest for me because I am always in a rush getting the kids out the door. Knowing this, I get things ready the night before. I have my protein bars and/or shakes ready the night before. For the shakes, you can put all the ingredients in ziplock baggies so all you need to do is throw it in the blender in the morning. This changed my life. Remember you need energy in order to keep up with your kiddos and how you fuel your body will dictate how much you have.
Workout
I know not all people are fitness and sports enthusiasts and that’s ok. This doesn’t mean you can’t still find ways to get moving and be healthy each day. The key is finding something you like to do and that you will make time for. I happen to love working out and the amount of energy it gives me. No matter how tired you are, make time. For more ideas and tips about fitness and exercise, head on over to that section of my blog. [Click Here]
Choose an Activity
Lastly, I want to touch on the topic of still making time for things you did before kids. It is important to not lose yourself in the process. This is especially something that seems to happen when you are sleep deprived. Keep your women’s night with your friends once a month, your date nights with your husband, your book club or whatever it is that you enjoy. So many moms I know cut all this out after kids and they wonder why they feel disconnected with their husband, why they don’t know what is going on with their best friend or why they feel like they are going stir crazy. Stay true to who you are, your kids need to see you have a life too, it’s healthy.
You Matter
Sleep deprivation is and can be a very serious matter if not handled properly. There are so many cases of moms doing dangerous things without even knowing what happened while they were sleep deprived. Please, Mamas, take care of yourself so you can take care of your family!
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