Mommy Brain
Mommy Brain. I’m sure you’ve heard of it before. And as a Mom, I thought I was doing pretty well. I seem to be getting through the day, performing daily tasks, and functioning as a human being. Or so I thought…
Sleep deprivation is a real thing. Think about not getting a good nights sleep and how that effects you. Then continue that feeling for days, weeks, months at a time. It’s actually quite amazing how a Mother’s body adapts to the lack of sleep. I can be up for hours at a time at night and still go to work the next day, take care of the house, and keep a tiny human alive.
I didn’t realize how much this sleep deprivation had taken a toll on me. Yes I’ve had the few moments where my mind has slipped….a text message that went unanswered, a task left unfinished. But it didi’t really hit me until we played a game of Scategories…
I know, I know…this sounds crazy. But let me preface this with the fact that I am usually really good at games. I used to kill it at Scategories. If you are unfamiliar with the game, players are given a list of twelve categories per round ie. something you find in a park, a U.S. capitol, etc. A die is rolled which designates which letter the answers need to start with for that round. Sounds easy enough!?
It was a fun, family filled afternoon down the shore at my Mom’s house. There were about ten of us hanging around and we decided to play a board game. We pulled out Scategories and the fun began...
I was given my list, the die was rolled and I started to think of my answers. Except I literally couldn’t think of anything. I looked around the room at everyone else who was writing away on their papers. It was like I was back in school, listening to everyone scribble away their answers while I my brain was searching mercilessly for any tidbit of information.
All I could hear was the ticking of the timer and a wave of heat overcame me. I think a bead of sweat may have been forming somewhere on the upper region of my body. People were laughing at their answers, basking at how fun and easy this family game was. Meanwhile I was sinking into the white abyss of nothingness. If I only had a brain…that worked.
Reading the list was actually exhausting, and the thought of having to come up with answers was far fetched. I found myself just staring at the list blank faced. What was happening??
Sleep deprivation people…that is what was happening. My brain literally wouldn’t function. I remember the letter was N. Ok lets try this in reverse. What word starts with the letter N? Nickel…nickel starts with N….will Nickel fit into any of these categories? That was pretty much how my game strategy played out.
When it came time to read our answers out loud, I said “I’ve got nothing” more times than I can remember… eventually bursting out with “I’m so tired my Mom brain doesn’t work anymore!”
I think it’s safe to say I came in last place that day. It was a struggle…and a realization to me that sleep really is an important factor of surviving in life. I’ll have to wait a few months and have a rematch. Hopefully this Mommy Brain isn’t a permanent thing!
<3
P.S.
All you men out there…I know you think you are tired too. The job is hard and stressful. But trust me when I tell you that when Mom’s say they are tired, it’s a tired you probably cannot even fathom. And taking a nap when the babe naps doesn’t all of a sudden make up for the fact that we have had months of sleepless nights. Tip: Tell her you will be on baby duty for a whole night. Let her put some headphones on and actually bask in the land of nod. Truth be told, she probably won’t be able to turn off her super sonic mother hearing, but it’s the thought that counts :)
