The New York Times has proclaimed that sleeping pills are the new "mother's little helper." Do you agree?
Do you lie awake in bed, running through your to-do list? Schedule pediatrician's appointment... parent-teacher conference next Tuesday... need to get milk and diapers... work deadline coming up... is it my turn to drive carpool tomorrow?
Related: Medicating your kids for peace and quiet, is it ever OK?
Most moms have been there, sleepless and stressed in the middle of the night. According to The New York Times, more mothers are turning to prescription sleeping pills in order to get some shut-eye. The Times reports:
One of the cruel jokes of motherhood is that the sleeplessness of pregnancy, followed by the sleeplessness generated by an infant (a period in which a staggering — truly — 84 percent of women experience insomnia), is not followed by a makeup period of rest. It is merely the setup for what can become a permanent modus operandi. ...
Meg Wolitzer, 52, a novelist who half-jokingly named her blog “Written on Ambien,” said: “Waking up in the middle of the night is the problem of every woman I know. The minute I had children I was like the mother listening in the woods for the bear. I don’t know if men are less vigilant, but my husband doesn’t wake up in the middle of the night. He could sleep in a dunking booth.”
Sound familiar? Read the story, and let us know your thoughts in our poll and in the comments.