We’ve all heard the adage “sleep when the baby sleeps.” This is something as mothers to infants or toddlers, especially new moms, battle with. For me, being on maternity leave also felt like the opportunity to get my home in the perfect shape I’ve always desired and couldn’t achieve because of work and other factors. I also had dreams of whipping up gourmet meals each night for dinner, with recipes I’d collected while pregnant. However, I didn’t take into consideration the exhaustion that comes with #moming247, which requires you to not just take naps, but grab each opportunity for a nap when it comes just so you can function.
Is it possible to nap each and every time the baby naps? Absolutely not. But it takes effort to capitalize on those precious moments of zen gifted to you by virtue of your little one’s slumber. I remember the first time I took a real nap while my baby napped. We had just returner from her 2 month vaccination appointment and she was fussy and cranky. I held her and softly rocked her to sleep and decided to enjoy the moment with her, instead of rushing back to the kitchen to do XYZ. Till date I think that was the most blissful and refreshing nap I’ve ever taken. As a result, I’ve since learned that the dishes can wait, that it is okay procrastinating moping the floors and that dinner doesn’t have to be a 3 course spread - sometimes a fig bar and a banana would do. After all, a healthy, energetic, loving refreshed mother is what your baby needs, not a perfectly polished floor or dish free counter top. What are your thoughts on naps v. chores?