Tips for new parents: Don't expect to sleep
I think one of the bigger changes you'll experience when you have a new baby in the house is that your beautiful nights of dreamland bliss are gone. Gone where? Gone away. Far far away into a distant memory which, in your zombie-like dazed state, tricks you into thinking that it was just imagination, something you read in a story or newspaper article. But trust me, you did have those nights of joyous slumber, and now it's payback time.
Sleep-deprivation can drive anyone crazy, insane and naturally tired. Couple that with a screaming baby who seems insatiable and that's a perfect recipe for suicidal thoughts. But somehow, new parents evolve into beings that can somehow operate (almost) normally on less sleep. While you once needed eight hours of sleep a night, all of a sudden, four is enough. Granted, I've sent out a couple of nonsensical emails during the work day and occasionally find myself on an MRT train heading in the wrong direction, I really have to be grateful that I don't operate heavy machinery or perform open-heart surgery - in which case I would have probably taken leave until night-times become more "regular", say 2 years.
So if you're waiting for first baby to arrive, then prepare. Each time you lay your head down on the pillow, be grateful. Be grateful for the quiet, be grateful for no interruptions (you still have to go to the toilet occasionally, so technically interruptions have always been there), be grateful for the ability to choose your waking-up time.
Waking up time. Ah, that's another big one. When you have kids, they decide on the waking time. It's not really fair huh - when they get up, you get up. It doesn't work the other way around - which is actually a good thing, gives you some time to catch-up on the newspapers. :)
Sleep-deprivation can drive anyone crazy, insane and naturally tired. Couple that with a screaming baby who seems insatiable and that's a perfect recipe for suicidal thoughts. But somehow, new parents evolve into beings that can somehow operate (almost) normally on less sleep. While you once needed eight hours of sleep a night, all of a sudden, four is enough. Granted, I've sent out a couple of nonsensical emails during the work day and occasionally find myself on an MRT train heading in the wrong direction, I really have to be grateful that I don't operate heavy machinery or perform open-heart surgery - in which case I would have probably taken leave until night-times become more "regular", say 2 years.
So if you're waiting for first baby to arrive, then prepare. Each time you lay your head down on the pillow, be grateful. Be grateful for the quiet, be grateful for no interruptions (you still have to go to the toilet occasionally, so technically interruptions have always been there), be grateful for the ability to choose your waking-up time.
Waking up time. Ah, that's another big one. When you have kids, they decide on the waking time. It's not really fair huh - when they get up, you get up. It doesn't work the other way around - which is actually a good thing, gives you some time to catch-up on the newspapers. :)