Middle of the night

What do you do when you hear the cry in the middle of the night? You’re exhausted, too exhausted to think clearly, and you crave one thing, and that is more sleep. You would consider trading almost anything for a full nights sleep. You’re reduced to basic needs. Who cares about 3 star restaurants or the latest movie, you’d just like an extra hour of sleep each night. Whose turn is it to get up with the baby? Maybe if I lie here with the pillow over my head and feign sleep, my husband will get up. Not likely.

Maybe the baby knows somewhere deep in their tiny little heart that Mommy just needs a little more sleep and take pity on us and go back to sleep. Wait, no, I heard another wail. What you do, is you drag yourself out of bed to check on your little one. What do they need, you wonder to yourself. Do they need to be changed, rocked, picked up? Are they hungry, teething, or are they cold or sick or, or, or, the list goes on and on in your mind as you feel your way along the house, tiptoeing and avoiding the creaking floor boards in the dark. Parenting and mothering encompasses so much loving and selfless giving of ourselves. And it doesn’t end at 6 pm or even at 2 am. Moms need a few things to be happy and sleep is high on the list.