Zombie Mamas. I didn’t quite grasp that description until it actually happened to me. Sleep deprivation is a state of being when you have very young ones. Children….they are called chil -dren. Forgetting the names of common things, actual names, or any other noun, verb, or adjective is a reality when you have survived only on small naps for days on end. The glazed eyes, the body on autopilot, shuffle-shuffle. Feed the baby. Change the baby. Kiss the baby. Bed…ahhh. Nope! Shuffle-shuffle. The life of a new parent(funny now, not so much then)!

When my first child Barrett was about 6 weeks old, he was having a lot of trouble sleeping through the night. He was very restless and never slept for any long periods of time. When the babies don’t sleep, we don’t sleep. The solution came by accident, but I think it was more of a divine intervention. Late one night Barrett was very fussy in his bassinet next to our bed, and I knew we were on the verge of yet another sleepless night. Then it happened… a plane flew over the house and he was all of sudden silent. The sound was very loud and lasted a long time, but he stayed still and quiet. After checking on him; you know I did, suddenly everything clicked into place. It was the sound that lulled him to sleep.

Thank goodness for a quiet night and a low flying jet! I remembered that while pregnant, I had registered for the Baby Oasis sound machine after reading the book, “Moms On Call”. They had recommended a sound machine with the volume turned all the way up. The next night I put him in his own bed with the sound machine on full volume White Noise, and it was an absolute miracle. Sleep! Sleep for all of us! From that day on, he has slept with his machine on. With my second child Bray, there was a sound machine in her room before she came home from the hospital.

I’m not sure of the dynamics of the baby brain, but the white noise allows your mind to turn off so you can get a great night’s sleep - I don’t think I can sleep without one now. I certainly don’t want to test a night without it when it comes to the kids. This model has a long battery life in case the power goes out. Nothing is left to chance when it comes to “The Machine”

I love they are getting their much needed sleep. We know it takes uninterrupted peaceful sleep to grow those sweet little bodies. As for me, no more Zombie Mama! Thanks to a jet, a book and the mysteries of sound, it’s just Mama.

Content Contributors: Amber Cochran Gilbert, Kerri Whitbread, Lyn Sengupta