The reason for my sleep deprivation

I knew that having a child would alter my life forever. I did not enter parenthood blind to the responsibilities that it entails; indeed, my decision to bring a child into this world was made after many months of soul-searching. And with that decision made, I prepared myself for the greatest, and most challenging, job I would ever accept. I knew, long before she was even conceived, that my daughter's needs would precede my own.

Since her arrival, I average approximately 6 hours of sleep per night. That may seem enough for some but if you consider that my night is split up into 2 full blocks of unbroken sleep - the first lasting 2 hours and the second lasting four - you should understand why I walk around much of the day like a zombie. I'm not complaining but merely stating a fact, a truth uttered by billions of mothers before me: I am sleep-deprived because of my baby.

Each morning at 6 a.m., I hear her cry or call out "Mama." Usually, I manage to climb out of my fog and out of bed to stumble to her crib. I am often greeted with a smile, one that only recently included one tooth. That smile is often followed with another "Mama" and, with that, I instantly forget my fatigue. With one scoop, she rests in my arms and we sit in the big blue armchair in her room, her eyes fixed on mine as she nurses. In those early hours of the day, sleep-deprived but content, I know that I made the right decision.