Sleep Deprivation 101

Every new mother is a sleep deprived person struggling to look vivacious while showing off your baby. Not all of us succeed though, and end up looking like the expressionless baby holder on all the pictures. So this is a list (yup, another list) of what I think future mommies should know before their saga:

Chocolate can cure anything. If used wisely. The trick for me is making sure I had protein not long before, 'cause if I don't, then it makes me crash even more. Not good for when you have to hold a new baby or chase a new crawler (my case right now). Also, eating more than the portion size that the package says causes the same effect. BUT, if you follow these guidelines, it can be HEAVEN (as in, keep you awake until daddy comes home).

DON'T clean the house. You may think, "you just say that because you're messy". Well, no. Not entirely, at least. What I mean is that when you're desperately sleep deprived, don't go dust everything everytime the baby sleeps. It will make you a crankier mom. The key is, do what you have to (like dishes or laundry), keeping in mind that NOTHING can be more important than sleeping or checking your email.

Stop thinking. Seriously, when your baby sleeps, go back to bed and stop your overactive mommy brain. I'm so guilty of this. But I even read that if you think too much in bed, your mind will associate it with a "thinking" place and not a relaxing one. Now stop thinking that you're thinking too much, and go to sleep.

Have fun too. Being fun deprived is almost as bad as being sleep deprived. Have you seen moms that don't have fun? They don't even look like themselves anymore. There's no light in their eyes, and when you talk to them you can see they're thinking of their kids' poop and not even listening to what you're saying. Please don't be like that. Check your email. Blog. Or do whatever used to make you laugh before you became someone's mom. Your baby AND your husband will thank you for it.