Posts Tagged ‘sleep deprivation’
In the Search For Sleep
We chase sleep this kid and I. One of us loves it. The other one not so much. Although he never misses an afternoon nap with his seven blankets and train magazines. I call him a 90-year-old man every afternoon. But the nighttime sleep, he doesn’t love it so much. He goes to bed great…always has. But his preferred time to wake up is 3 am. He comes in my room, touches my shoulder to let me know he’s awake and then he wanders downstairs. I can hear him, my…
Read MoreEndless Nights
There are 24 hours in a day. Every hour is 60 minutes. But I am quite sure the hours between 1:00 and 6:00 AM are at LEAST 6000 minutes each. Lonely hours spent alone with my thoughts. I have been awake during these hours because I am feeding an infant. I have been up because I have insomnia and can’t sleep. I have been awake because I suffer from chronic pain or a cold and so I just can’t get comfortable. A sick and hospitalized child or other loved one…
Read MoreLetting Go of the Things Beyond our Control
We all know mothers can be portrayed as being a bit dramatic. I am not saying I agree with that, but I do think moms, particularly new moms, put an enormous amount of pressure on themselves to raise perfect children. Something that is completely unattainable, especially when you are a new mom trying to figure out why your child is so different than all your friends’ kids. This was me 4 years ago, and I, of course, tried to come up with a way to “solve” these differences. What is…
Read MoreMaybe I Just Want You to Understand Autism
It is 5 am at my house. I am up to get a head start on my day, catch an early yoga class. OK not really. It is not that evolved, progressive or interesting. I am up because my son woke up at 3 am. He woke up giggling and has been playing his keyboard on repeat. He has been running up and down the halls, flicking lights on and off, laughing, giggling and playing like it is the middle of the day. He is happy; this makes it feel…
Read MoreAutism and Sleep Struggles
The number one question I am most commonly asked is…does your son with autism sleep? And if he does, give us your secrets. The answer is yes. He sleeps now. But he didn’t for nearly six years. Cooper did not sleep through the night until he was 4.5 years old. As a newborn he slept 6-8 hours in a 24 hour period and never slept longer than a 45 minute period. The sleep deprivation was torture. Around age 4.5 Cooper started sleeping but woke up before 4 am for a…
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