Sleep Deprivation

That first week home from the hospital with your beautiful new baby is so full of adrenaline and excitement that you don't realize how bone-achingly tired you are becoming.

Then it hits you. You're in your bathrobe, your hair is a mess, you haven't showered in days, and your adorable baby finally drifts off for a nap. You stand over the bassinet, watching your well-fed, just bathed, perfect child sleep and you wonder what to do with this brief interval of freedom. Sleep? Shower? Eat? Laundry? Dishes? The number of things that have piled up is overwhelming.

The answer to this dilemma is always SLEEP. If you're starving, eat a quick snack, but it'll be important to learn how to eat while rocking or feeding your baby. One consistent piece of advise that all your friends and family will give you, advise that is actually good, is sleep when your baby sleeps. Let the rest of the world just be. If you can nap for five minutes, do it.

Eventually, your body will learn to go on less sleep. Eventually, your baby will start to sleep longer stretches, and even through the night. You can catch up on laundry and the dishes and life then. For now, just sleep.

And let hubby deal with the mess.