“I Was So Tired That I…” Stories From the Trenches

I don’t know much as a parent, but in the last four years I have learned that “motherhood” is basically just a synonym for “being tired all the time.”

As I was awaiting the arrival of my first, I vaguely knew that newborns got up a lot at night, but thought I would be prepared for that since my very pregnant bladder got me up at least once a night toward the end. I smugly thought that maybe other people’s kids might not sleep through the night, but mine sure would because I would just teach them to do it. Boy, was I wrong!

Nothing can ever adequately prepare you for the sleep deprivation that accompanies taking care of even the most wonderfully behaved of little babies. Caring for a little human that can’t even hold its head up is completely draining in every capacity – not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually too – and that sleep deprivation is brutal. It is literally used as a form of torture throughout the world. 

There have been a few times in past few years as a stay-at-home mother of a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old where I literally felt so tired I thought I might pass out {usually when both kids are sick and I am as well}. After a night of getting out of bed multiple times to tend to tears or being up for an extended stretch of time taking care of a sick kid, I crawl out of bed in the morning with my head feeling heavy and fuzzy like it is stuck in thick fog. Sometimes I feel like I hear buzzing in my ears, and I cannot brew coffee quickly enough to take the edge off.

coffee, so tired
There is never enough coffee.

If you are in this stage of life mama – you are not alone! There are thousands and thousands of mothers in the trenches with you. In stressful seasons like these, sometimes you just have to laugh about it, otherwise, you are going to cry about it, right? To cheer you up, here is a collection of surprising/hilarious/ridiculous things the ladies at Mid-Michigan Moms have experienced because of sleep deprivation: 

“I was so tired that I…”

  • I pumped in the middle of the night and then stumbled to the kitchen to put away the parts and dumped both bottles right down the drain. I was so tired, heart-broken and mad I couldn’t even think of what I was doing. ~ Jenna W.
  • I put my full coffee cup down and could not for the life of me find it anywhere… only to find it, days later, still full to the brim on top of a stack of board games in a closet. ~ Katie A.
  • I poured water on a lit lamp because I thought the light was a fire when I got up to feed a baby. ~ Stephanie Ruth M.
  • Once I set my 4-day-old son on the kitchen table to answer the door. I still a hand on him when it hit me “that’s your BABY, not a bag of groceries, take him with you.” ~ Christine D. 
  • I forgot to buckle my daughter in her seat after getting my son in his. – Victoria B. 
  • I was so tired that I dumped two 8-ounce bottles of freshly pumped milk down the drain before washing the bottles. ~ Lyndsey C. 
  • I left my purse and house keys on the front porch and the door wide open. I guess my neighborhood is safe! ~ Courtney E. 
  • I went to the post office & asked for snacks instead of stamps. I was pregnant, tired, and hungry! ~ Jessica S.
  • I was so tired that I fell asleep in a chair with my newborn in one hand and a full cup of {cold} coffee in my other. I spilled it all over both of us. Thankfully we were both fine despite my terrible mom guilt. It was my first lesson in new motherhood to tag someone in when it’s overwhelming. ~ Amber H. 
  • I sat down to my daily bowl of oatmeal and nearly threw up the first bite – instead of cinnamon, I had sprinkled a hearty amount of cumin on the top! ~ Katie A.
  • I forgot to move the laundry over, again and again and again…. {Ok, so that’s every day…} ~ Stephanie Ruth M.
  • I let my dog inside & didn’t realize it until I asked my husband when he let her in. ~ Amanda F. 
  • I forgot to attach the collection bottles to my pump and pumped milk all over my legs for 15 minutes before I even noticed! ~ Stephanie M.

Kids *eventually* get better at sleeping. It took both of mine about 16 months each, but they did start sleeping through the night. You will truly get to sleep again. I promise. Parenting is a marathon, and those early sleepless days can feel so awful – but there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can do hard things, and you are going to make it, mama!

Do you have a crazy sleep deprivation story? Share it with us! 

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Hi, I'm Katie, a teacher by training who is currently loving the SAHM life. I live in Chesaning with my husband, principal of Zion Lutheran School, and our three young kids. My roots are in Milwaukee, but have been a small-town Michigander for the past 6 years and love it! I run a toddler/baby playgroup called Mornings with Mommy in Chesaning - come check us out! My loves include coffee, reading, cooking, writing, my family, and Jesus most of all. Being a mother is a great blessing, and I am grateful to be a contributor with Mid Michigan Moms - can't wait to journey through motherhood with you!