Je Dor Bien (I Sleep Well)
25 Aug 2024
Check me out! I’m sleeping regular 5+ hour stretches, and even have to my name a handful of 7, 8, 9 and even 9.5 hour nights. That’s right: I’ve bestowed upon my delirious, sleep-deprived parents the gift of sleep.
They are very, very grateful.
It’s interesting to note the difference in my mama from one day to the next, with sleep as the variable. One day she is defeated that the rest of her life will forever consist of numb, zombie-like days filled with sore nipples, and crying (her and me). The next day, hope returns and she believes in life again.
Can you guess which one followed a night of better sleep?
I’ve tried to tell her that it’s all gonna be okay, that this is a temporary and very short-lived time, and to enjoy the newborn memories while we can – but it just comes out as gurgles and coos and she thinks I’m just being adorable (which I am). Someday I’ll have words and hopefully by then she won’t need me to articulate this truth.
In the meantime, I experiment with how my actions effect her, knowing that while the umbilical cord is gone, there’s still a profound tether between us. When she can see the perfection of this moment regardless of sleeplessness and postpartum depression*, she gurgles and coos, too.
Cordialmente,
~Mlle Mirabelle
P.S. Postpartum depression is real, and serious, and there is help. My mama is navigating her own journey with it, but has always been passionate about mental health advocacy and and helping others navigate back to health, happiness and wholeness, too. She believes more awareness and support is needed both in France and especially the US. She found this hotline for those in need.
