No I havenβt finally gone stark raving mad with sleep deprivation.
It occurred to me, as I paced the living room carpet at 3am with Littlest B the other night, that there are actually some good things about broken nights.
There arenβt many good things, admittedly – see things they don’t tell you about being a parent –Β but nevertheless I have managed to come up with five.
5 good things about broken nights
1. The light of the moon. I didnβt realise the moon created actual shadows on our living room carpet until I became a mum. I remember seeing it for the first time and doing a double take, thinking one of us had left a light on. In my sleep deprived state it took a while for me to realise this strange illumination was in fact coming from the moon. And what a light it is.
2. Nocturnal goings on. I donβt mean in the bedroom department, I mean outside. The owl cooing, the fox crossing the road, the cats in a stand-off on the garden fence: fascinating stuff.
3. Birdsong. Sometimes, possibly because Iβm in a sleep deprived state, I stand in our kitchen just listening to the birds as dawn breaks. Thereβs a proper orchestra in our neck of the woods – itβs really quite uplifting.
4. Sunrise. Without a doubt some of the best sunrises Iβve seen are those Iβve happened to catch when stumbling out of bed to deal with a crying/wet/colicy baby. Sunrises I just wouldnβt have seen had I been fast asleepΒ in the land of nod.
5. The peace. Of course youβd rather you hadnβt been dragged from your slumber by ear-piercing wails to deal with the poonami to end all poonamis, but when theyβre clean, fed and content again there is something special about snuggling down with your baby when the rest of world is sleeping. Something you know youβll look back on and wish you could do all over again.
What do you think? Am I clutching at straws and have I finally gone stark raving mad with sleep deprivation, or do you think there are some good points about broken nights too? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Linking up withβ¦
Well done for putting a positive spin on something that most parents hate! When my daughter was breastfeeding throughout the night, I would watch TV shows and films on my iPad, which made the whole experience ALMOST enjoyable – but not quite. #FamilyFun
Oh I used to find the nights a bit lonely. Like I was the only one awake and everyone else was asleep. I used to think that there mosh be so many other mothers out there doing what I was doing and that we had some kind of unspoken solidarity. Whatever gets you through eh. I must say though one good thing was watching box sets. I watched A LOT of box sets in the small hours and I secretly enjoyed it. Especially when I only had one and we could sleep the next day! Thanks for joining us at #familyfun
Hahaha I love the ‘cats in stand-off on the fence’ comment. Iβve actually witnessed a fair few cat stand-offs since I’ve been a parent. You’re right, these things are fascinating.. #familyfun
Ah I think this is a lovely positive and very mindful post! I would never have though of this myself but now you mention it I love hearing the early birdsong when I’m up with a little one at that time. Thanks for the ‘spin’ and ‘reframing’ – I will remember this post in the future to help me keep calm when I’m up multiple times in the night! #familyfunlinky xx
Well done for trying to focus on the positives, it’s horrid being woken all night long, but you’re right, it’s not all bad #abloggingoodtime
Wow, that is a gorgeous sunrise! And yes, the peace and quiet is very welcome (though I still wouldn’t trade it for more sleep!!!;)). Glad that you’re seeing the positive side of night-wakings:)
#ablogginggoodtime
I secretly loved middle of the night feeds for some of these very reasons! I love hearing the birds first start their song and just how peaceful and still the air feels <3 I appreciated those sleepy night feeds a lot more with my second than my first I must say xx #ablogginggoodtime
You definitely have to look for the good or you really would go stark raving mad. That sunset picture is beautiful, and peaceful cuddles with a baby are always precious x
#Ablogginggoodtime
That sunset is beautiful and lovely that you are looking at it so positively #FamilyFun
Oh those night time feeds and the night time wake ups you learn so much about the night time world you never before knew.
Ughhh may be slightly clutching at straws lovely. id rather know nothing about the night ha ha ha!
Thanks for linking to #ablogginggoodtime
[…] There are actually some good things about broken nights. Like moon beams and sunrises you wouldn’t see if you were […]