When was the last time you had a proper night’s sleep?

Last week? Last month? Last year?

sleep deprived mum

It’s almost a year since baby number three joined us meaning it’s almost a year since I last had a decent night’s sleep.

What with exclusive breastfeeding, the night feeds and a threenager who doesn’t like sleep on average I’m up every two to three hours during the night, all night, every night.

It’s fair to say I’m currently functioning on Mombie mode, and even the most well-meaning comments tend to bring out the worst in me.

I’ve written before about 10 things you should never say to a pregnant woman, and here’s 10 things you should never say to a sleep deprived mum.

10 things you should never say to a sleep deprived mum

1. ‘You look tired’. Of course I’m bl**dy tired – I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in aeons. Thanks for pointing it out.

2. ‘I’m sooo tired’. Apart from ending in a game of competitive tiredness, there’s nothing more infuriating than someone who isn’t a parent saying they’re tired. You might think you’re tired, but you’ve got noooo idea.

sleep deprived mum

3. ‘My baby slept through the night at six weeks’. Well whoopee-do for you. You’re obviously an amazing parent, and I’m obviously not.

4. ‘My baby didn’t sleep through the night for three years’. Whaaat? You mean this could go on for YEARS?

sleep deprived mum

5. ‘It gets easier’. No, it doesn’t get easier. It gets worse. Being woken every few hours throughout the night is one thing when you’re on maternity leave and all you have to do is get through the next day, but quite another when life has returned to normal and you’re back at work and you’re still being woken every few hours throughout the night. It’s even worse than when they were newborn.

6. ‘Have you tried sleeping when the baby sleeps?’ Oh yes, silly me, why didn’t I think of that? Because that’s easy peasy when you’ve got a full-time job, three kids and a husband who’s ultra-marathon training.

sleep deprived mum

7. ‘Have you tried…’ Of course I have, I’m not stupid!

8. ‘They must be hungry’. Which is another way of saying switch to formula. They’re not hungry, they’re just not sleeping through the night yet.

sleep deprived mum

9. ‘It will pass’. Will it? When when when?!

10. ‘My friend was so sleep deprived she actually started hallucinating’. Marvellous, thanks for that.

sleep deprived mum

Are you a sleep deprived mum or dad? What drives you up the wall the most?

Linking up with these fabulous blogs!