Sleep

Never again will I underestimate the power of a good sleep.

I need 7-8 hours of sleep most nights in order to function; when I was pregnant, it was the prospect of losing so much sleep which feared me the most, without it I would be an absolute dragon to live with. I was right to be scared!

When my waters broke at 1am on the Sunday morning, it was another 40 hours before was able to sleep. Following this broken and restless sleep, I didn't get another full night of sleep for 4 months. My labour had been a good one, but after little sleep, I was flaking right from the starting line, like the many women who suffer long, tiresome labours.

Lack of sleep had weird and wonderful side effects: feeling like I was on a rocky boat, coupled with dizziness, headaches and sickness, massive mood swings, forgetfulness, weakness (two nights on the trot I struggled to hold my baby to feed her), lethargy and of course exhaustion. I'm sure plenty of people are likely to become depressed working under such conditions for 24 hours  a day, 7 days a week.

Baby H began sleeping through consistently at 4.5months and I felt myself evolving slowly into my old self. I finally found my sense of humour, I was less irritable and more motivated during the day time. Sleep has a lot to answer for!

Of course, we still have our rough nights, but they are rare and the numbing feeling of daily life brought about by little sleep is losing familiarity. I'm beginning to take things in again, I'm enjoying life with the energy I used to have before sleep deprivation took me prisoner, I can even remember what I opened the fridge for these days! I believe however, that I am still recovering from 4 months of sleep deprivation, yet so many families suffer it much longer than we have, I ought to be thankful and believe me, I am.