Jesse is cutting some more teeth.

Well, at least I think he is. If not, I’d love to know why he woke up screaming 3 times last night. We tried some Calpol and all the other well used methods we have to try and settle him, but to no avail. I gave up at 5.30am, resigning myself to the fact that my day was starting at the crack of dawn. Uggghh. I felt awful. And I still do. So I do hope you’ll understand if this post is boring, poorly put together and lacking in wit.

Sleep deprivation obviously goes hand in hand with having small children. When I was pregnant with Izzy I naively thought that I was well prepared for the lack of sleep. Having spent a long time working nights as a waitress in a bar, I rarely went to bed before 4am and definitely considered myself a ‘night bird’.

However, I soon learned that there is a massive difference between lack of sleep pre-children and lack of sleep post-children. When the only person you have to worry about is yourself, you know that when you do eventually head to bed you are pretty much guaranteed some sleep. Moreover, you can get up when you want and usually at your own pace.

I think that one of the hardest parts of life with a newborn is the uncertainty that surrounds sleep. At times your precious little one can feel like a ticking time bomb, a nuclear alarm clock if you will. Essentially, you go to bed every evening not knowing how many times you’ll be up in the night or how long you’ll be awake each time. As to when your baby will decide it’s time to wake up and start a new day, the phrase ‘your guess is as good as mine’ springs to mind. At times it can honestly feel like you’ve started tomorrow before today has even finished.

Thankfully, both my children are fairly good sleepers. I definitely had it easy with Izzy. She slept through the night (and by that I mean from 7pm-7am) from about 9 weeks and very rarely woke in the night from that point onwards. Jesse managed long stretches at an early age, sometimes sleeping for 6hrs at a time even before he was 6 weeks old. At around 10 weeks he was sleeping from 7pm to around 6am… but he has always had a bit of a thing for 5.30am. I have begun many a day before the sun has even started to peep through our bedroom curtains.

To put this in to perspective, I have friends with babies of the same age who are still having to get up 3-4 times a night, every night. Yea, I aint complaining. But even the best sleepers have blipps and Jesse has certainly had his fair share. Teething has proved a real problem, as have the various coughs and colds he has weathered along the way.

So how does one cope with sleep deprivation and all that goes with it?

Most of the time, not very well at all. I mean, I can be grumpy as hell at times. But I do have a few tried and tested tactics to help me survive those days destined to pass in a sleepy haze.

1. Look after yourself – This is probably the most important. Eat well. Drink loads and loads of water. Even when your body is screaming for junk food and cup after cup after cup of coffee, RESIST. You will feel soooooo much better for it. I try to limit myself to 2 cups of tea that I have in quick succession first thing in the morning. I always have raisins, sugar snap peas and an overflowing fruit bowl from which to satisfy my snack cravings and I sip ginger or jasmine green tea when I need perking up in the afternoon. Keeping hydrated will also help to ward of the dreaded dark circles that are desperate to take up residence beneath your tired eyes.

2. Get out of the house – However impossible this might seem and however crap the weather is, you need fresh air and daylight.

3. Do the things that make you feel human, the things that make you feel good – This morning I put on a pair of inky blue skinny jeans, some cute black heels and my favourite fine knit black sweater. My body may have been screaming for boyfriend jeans, Converse and my Superdry hoody but putting on a proper outfit instantly lifted my mood. Make-up and perfume have the same effect, as does gorgeous underwear. It’s like putting two fingers up to the sleep deprived zombie within.

4. Choose your weapons wisely – When the reflection staring back at you in the mirror looks haggard and exhausted it’s difficult to stay cheerful. Get yourself a good eye cream (I’m loving Origins GinZing… no puffiness and it instanly soothes and brightens) and concealer (Bobbi Brown Creamy for me). Never underestimate the power of eye-lash curlers and lashings of mascara. Blusher will instantly make you look healthier. NARS Deep Throat is my go-to blush for days like this. Use a cream or gold eye-pencil, such as GOSH Going Bannanas, to line your lower waterline (a white one will look harsh against the whites of tired eyes which are more likely to be a fetching shade of pink). Red lipstick tricks people into thinking you’re a glamorous, accomplished and well put together woman when in reality you have dribble on your shoulder and you probably forgot to brush your teeth.

Loveaudrey xxx