Photo: Chad Johnston/Masterfile
Tick-tock. While my baby was snoozing soundly, I?d lie awake at night. Crushing exhaustion permeated every inch of my body, yet I?d be unable to fall asleep. It was torture. I dubbed it ?momsomnia,? and it plagued me on and off for months.
I?d been a prize sleeper pre-baby, crashing easily anytime. The momsomnia began suddenly when my then-nine-month-old daughter, Annabel, started sleeping for a miraculous eight ? if not 10 to 12 ? hours continuously. At last, I could catch up on my zzzs, I thought. But it was not to be. I?d wake in the wee hours of the morning, and to-do lists and scenes from the day ran through my mind. I was hyper-alert to every whimper and rustle Annabel made. As a new parent, I knew I?d signed up for sleep deprivation, but I didn?t know it?d be due to my own inability to turn off my brain. I?d obsess about not sleeping, then I?d worry about all the things I had to do the next day, and how I would get them done on no sleep. Calgary mom Stacey Polet was afflicted with momsomnia from day one of parenthood. ?What I was most worried about was not hearing the baby. So I would lay there and listen,? she recalls, describing her experience with her first daughter, Amy. ?I was so worried about keeping her alive. It was crazy anxiety.? When her second daughter, Phoebe, came along, momsomnia struck again, but even worse. ?I worried about being able to function the next day. I knew I wouldn?t be able to nap like I did with Amy. I?d ...