baby thoughts
Oct. 31st, 2001 08:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iamomHad an idea last night about how I could prepare for the eventual sleep deprivation that will come with having a new baby. The idea was to practice by setting the alarm at regular intervals throughout the night and getting up for a half hour each time. Seems a bit ambitious for me, but I might try it out a few times to see what it's like. B told me about something a doctor told her last night: apparently, men do less well with sleep deprivation than women do, and men who aren't accustomed to it tend to be quite grumpy the next day (and hard to rouse during the night, also). I asked B if she thought I'd be that way, and she said yes! I laughed, and said I didn't think that would be the case. She said she hoped it wouldn't be, but she still thought I would be. I thought that other doctor was relating more of her own personal experience than a valid, projectable conclusion about men in general, but B still thought I'd be a grumpy one the next day. I guess that's why I came up with the practicing idea - I want to see ahead of time how well I'll be able to deal with it.
We visited some friends with a 4-week-old baby last week, and I enjoyed hearing about their first month's experiences. They said that the longer I can take off work, the better, and they also said that the baby takes up about 95% of your time in the beginning. I suppose that's to be expected. Anytime you're not awake with the baby, feeding it or going for a much-needed walk, you're having a nap with the baby while they sleep, just to catch up from your lack of sleep in general.
I think it's important to think about these things in mental preparation before the baby is born. I usually deal with things better if I've given them adequate thought ahead of time. I also expect that detachment will help a lot. Certainly not emotional detachment from the baby itself, but rather emotional detachment from any of the "painful" physical parts. I mean really, B's going to be going through the wringer physically and not me, so I don't plan to make a big deal about whatever small sacrifices I'll have to make to my sleep or whatever after the baby is born.
It's all good, as usual - how could I expect it to be anything else?
We visited some friends with a 4-week-old baby last week, and I enjoyed hearing about their first month's experiences. They said that the longer I can take off work, the better, and they also said that the baby takes up about 95% of your time in the beginning. I suppose that's to be expected. Anytime you're not awake with the baby, feeding it or going for a much-needed walk, you're having a nap with the baby while they sleep, just to catch up from your lack of sleep in general.
I think it's important to think about these things in mental preparation before the baby is born. I usually deal with things better if I've given them adequate thought ahead of time. I also expect that detachment will help a lot. Certainly not emotional detachment from the baby itself, but rather emotional detachment from any of the "painful" physical parts. I mean really, B's going to be going through the wringer physically and not me, so I don't plan to make a big deal about whatever small sacrifices I'll have to make to my sleep or whatever after the baby is born.
It's all good, as usual - how could I expect it to be anything else?
