Hey, exhausted mums. Welcome to your night, in video form. And condensed to just 59 seconds, for your quick viewing pleasure.
Bed-sharing with a baby? Breastfeeding in your sleep? Waking up to the cries of a toddler? This brutally honest video has all this. And oh so much more.
Mum-of-three Melanie Darnell is the master-of-making-sleep deprivation look good. She is a popular blogger by day and a sleepless ninja by night, balancing a baby, a toddler and an older tot (who didn’t make an appearance this particular night of filming).
Parenting doesn’t end when the sun goes down
Melanie decided to make a time-lapse video of just what night time looks like in her household (minus her hubby who is away for the night). In the course of eight hours, Melanie is up twice, once to get her crying infant and once to comfort her crying toddler. She takes the smart route and co-sleeps with her baby, allowing him to breastfeed, kick her and play with her hair throughout the night.
She also lets her toddler hop into bed for some mummy cuddles before carrying her to her room. In between the constant bed shuffling and the squirming, Melanie may have been in bed for eight hours. But we’re willing to bet she got a total of three, perhaps four hours of actual sleep.
However, somehow, she manages to remain cool, calm and collected throughout the sleepless night. Even her hair looks awesome!
Love them no matter what the clock saysÂ
Melanie shared her night on Instagram and it instantly went cray cray, sending off a frenzy of likes, shares and comments into the social media world. You can see the slightly longer video she posted to YouTube below.
“I want to parent at night the same way I parent during the day. You have two nighttime parenting goals (1) get sufficient rest yourself and (2) meet the nutritional and emotional needs of your child.”
For Melanie, this means constant night wakings, late night feeds and reassurance when her kiddies need it most, at night.
“During these moments let’s think of all of the other parents that are up with their babies at the very same middle-of-the night moment and take comfort in the thought of each of us cradling our babies in the dark of our homes, together in shared experience. Rather than feeling isolated and exhausted, we can feel connected to the other tired mothers that are also awake #momsunited,” she writes.
“So, to all of the tired mothers out there, breathe in and breathe out. These days are intense but short lived,” she writes. “Both you and baby will be sleeping more soundly before long. For now, cuddle your babies, nurse them and love them no matter what time the clock says. The baby you rock tonight someday may have the opportunity to be gazing at the stars while holding a sweet baby of her own. She will be thinking of, and appreciating, you.”
Here, here mumma!
Looking for more reassurance that you’re not the only one lacking sleep and functioning on coffee? Check out This Is What It Feels Like When Your Baby Won’t Sleep.Â
