New baby is like jet lag

I was trying to describe to someone how I was feeling the last two months. Yes, I'm sleep deprived and not myself, but I'm still functional for at least part of the day, especially after lots of caffeine. Then there is the fact that you don't feel in control. You don't know when you are going to be able to sleep or how long you'll be able to sleep.

I started to think back and this feels a lot like jet lag when flying back from Asia. The big difference is it has taken a lot longer to get back to normal. In this case back to normal may be a different normal. The advantage of jet lag is you return to normal after a few days. It has been two months and we are still struggling with sleep.

So if you've experienced jet lag from really long flights and haven't had kids that might give you some expectation of what you are in for. If you've had kids and are going to be flying long distances for the first time you already have an idea of the jet lag will likely feel like. Of course, everyone is different on how they deal with sleep derivation, jet lag, and newborns. Just my personal observation.

Sleeping Longer

Last night Nate slept for 4 1/2 hours straight. That was his longest uninterrupted sleep to date. We realize that one night may not mean this will be the norm. However, it does prove that he can sleep for long enough that on a good night he would only have to wake up once at night to be fed.

Even though Nate slept for 4 1/2 hours last night, once he woke up he didn't want to go back to bed. So the overall nights sleep was not wonderful. However, maybe before too long we'll get back to enough sleep that I won't have to drink large amounts of caffeine during the day to not be a zombie. I started thinking about a few months ago when I was sleeping well at night. A cup of coffee or a Dr. Pepper in the morning got me going and that was about all I needed all day. Now at least two cups of coffee in the morning and a couple caffeinated drinks during the day are more the norm. Even then I'm still not myself.

So there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We just don't know how long the tunnel will be.