“I wouldn’t have been surprised if the neighbours reported an unattended crying infant to the police last night. ‘No no officer all is fine thank you, but if you could possibly arrest me so I could grab some sleep in the holding cell that would be tops’.”
This is how popular instagrammer, Jules Coffey described just how tired she is.
“You know when you’re really tired and you have to close one eye to focus. Kinda like half of you is at least napping? That’s me typing this,” Jules writes.
(There’s definitely a joke here about coffee and Jules’ last name, Coffey, but it’s probably been made before and we’re all too tired to write a new one.)
Ain’t we all?
In a funny post Jules, who ‘grams as New Mums The Word, describes how a night with her teething baby went down.
“See said child was not left to cry she was cuddled, rocked, patted, sang to, taken out into the loungeroom to watch Wiggles, taken outside to look for birdies (all might I add I don’t ever do because all of the above I am opposed to but when your child is in pain like that and screaming uncontrollably like never before – zero fucks will be given) given water, given three bottles, given Panadol, given gel, kissed, loved, changed nappy, changed clothes, put in with the dog (she was STOKED at 2am).
“Sometimes NOTHING WORKS.”
There it is, friends. The honest truth.
Sometimes, nothing works. Sometimes, babies do not sleep and you have no option but to hold them, cuddle them, feed them, love them.
That’s not to say that holding a your warm baby in the middle of the night is not a privilege and a joy and ultimately a beautiful thing.
It’s to say, sometimes a mum gets so tired she can’t read or type without squinting, that sometimes she gets so tired it hurts, that sometimes she gets so tired she can become delirious with despair.
If you had a night like that last night, last week, last month, if you’re staring down the barrel of a night like that tonight, tomorrow night, for the next week to come, Jules has something to say (and we’re standing right behind her applauding her as she says it).
“To women out there who have had these moments of utter exhaustion & despair, when you feel like you are going to crack, you are not alone.
“We are all human, it’s normal to go through all the emotions when these tiny people are so reliant on you. It’s physically (seriously though my arms & back think they have done a pump class) & emotionally draining.
“You have just got to do what you have to do in the moment & not be afraid to ask for help.”
For more from Jules Coffey, we strongly recommend following her on Instagram.
Tired parents are in a frenzy over the doll that helps babies go to sleep.