Daylight Savings Sucks!
Daylight savings happens twice a year, in the spring we “spring ahead” an hour, “losing” an hour of sleep and in the fall we “fall back” an hour, “gaining” an hour of sleep!
Do we? I mean do we really?
Yeah…for most parents with young babies and children, daylight savings is a mean trick! You see, there use to be a time when you loved daylight savings in the fall. An extra hour of sleep! An extra hour to lie around and take your time getting a start at your day. The adjustment happened, casually.
Then you became a parent and reality set in.
Daylight savings is shit! As if missing out on sleep in the early weeks after giving birth to your baby wasn’t enough, now this daylight savings thing is added insult to injury! You psyched yourself up for sleep, real sleep, all to be let down when you are awaken by your baby yet again.
Fed, check! Burped (twice actually), check! Changed, check!
Breast pads changed, check! A sip of water, check! Bathroom trip, check!
You climb back into bed, right next to your partner who is snoring and has clearly been oblivious all night. The clock says 2:20 a.m. You roll your eyes, so tired you fear they may actually get stuck like that. After all, there seems to be more truth to all those things your mama warned you about. Motherhood sure changes your perspective.
Then it hits you!
It’s daylight savings baby! Cha-Ching! Banking an hour in savings! Time to roll that clock back… for a brief moment you’re excited about the possibility of an extra hour of sleep, but as you change the clock that thought quickly ends with the reality that you can’t escape being a mom!
It’s now 1:21 a.m. you close your eyes and are so tired that they actually, physically burn. As fast as you had that thought you were out, like a light, like your snoring partner… until 2:15 a.m. when you wake, yet again to your mini-me signaling for a boob and some snuggles.
You wonder, am I dreaming? Surely this a nightmare, didn’t I just do this? Wasn’t it already 2:00 a.m. once? Screw you daylight savings, you suck! What are you really saving me? Lies!
Daylight Savings Blows! Here are three tips to lessen the blow:
Throw a receiving blanket over that clock!
Do that every night and vow to never look! Does it change the amount of sleep you receive? No! It can help you deal with the long nights better. You can smile a little more while feeding your baby. It allows you to be more mindful of the moments you have together. Repeat after me, they are only little once. Embrace the suck!
Establish a texting buddy!
This is usually another mom who is burning the midnight oil while they feed their baby too! If not a mom a friend who works the midnight shift.
Call in reinforcements!
No, seriously! Every single mom we’ve worked with has been blown away and so happy they booked with us for postpartum and infant care support. We are your reinforcements! We’ll burn the midnight oil alongside you and your baby and take over as soon as you are ready. We will feed, burp, change, soothe your baby so you can stay asleep! We will do the damn thing right there so you can actually enjoy your sleep and daylight savings!
Long story short; daylight savings is trickery!
I wished I had known two decades ago that I could have hired amazing help! Daylight savings could’ve sucked a lot less! You feel me?
If you’re (also) not sliding an extra hour of sleep over into savings, know that you have options for night time support and plenty of blogs to read here if you’re not hiring help!
Happy Birth & Parenting!
~Elizabeth Luke
