Currently Mrs Berg and I are running on empty. It’s a struggle to get up. It’s a struggle to focus. It’s a struggle stay focused.
It’s all due to the time old affliction every parent (except that one friend from the school yard pick up, we all have one) experiences, good old sleep deprivation.
Because it’s summer, the older kids are up later. The baby keeps us up all night and the younger 2 wake us up early.
In my sleep deprived haze I am beginning to believe they have collaborated to ensure one of them is up and keeping us up at all times.
I imagine board meetings where they plan a rota and strategy,
“So you have them 6-9 then I’ll wake up 9-1”
The night time baby shift is the worst, because that is where I get in trouble.It is mostly assumed that I get a good nights sleep between 1 and 5 because 9 times out of 10 I’m not handling the baby.
The baby is still post breastfeeding and enjoys more of the same, can’t help there, or she has a bottle and is really insistent that this is mummy’s job.
It is not me insisting this, she has Mrs Bergs stubbornness and is quite forthright about letting me know that I’m not Mrs Berg.
So I get in trouble.
But really I might not be able to help with the feed sometimes, but because I’m a dutiful father I do get the bottle ready, do the nappy, do my sons night time blood glucose checks and generally stay on alert in case I’m needed.
Neither of us get a full nights sleep.
It is difficult to keep going. Especially when you forget what you were doing midday, or leave a crucial piece of kit at home and have to go back.
So annoying. It seems like the more you forget the more jobs you have to do, going back revisiting the places you’ve just been. Which obviously gets you more tired.
It is a constant, exhausting cycle which can build up stress, resentment, anger and frustration.
One of the most difficult things to do is keep going. The morning child has no concept that the baby kept you awake, he was still sleeping, he just wants to watch Thomas the Tank engine, and if you don’t watch it with him he will find someone who will, like his little sister you spent all night getting to sleep.
My tactic in this situation is usually damage limitation, get the child downstairs quickly and get Thomas on. While he snuggles up to you engrossed in the engines adventure maybe you can get 10 minutes or so in. If your lucky you might get through Mr Men too.
After that its coffee all the way. Caffine is holding me in good stead at the minute. Its keeping me awake while Mrs Berg has her nap. Hopefully I’ll get my sleep shift in soon.
*Baby crys from cot.
Or maybe not.
Bergs Place 