The Lush Mommy Blog

When I first moved to Washington, D.C. I was 31-years-old, single and ready to conquer the world. Once I got my feet wet in the big city I went out almost every night. I would grab drinks with friends, attend some fabulous event or dine at a great new restaurant. I stayed up late and rolled into work at 9:00am—what a life! My mantra was “You can sleep when you’re dead.” But now, after 5 years of marriage, one dog, three kids, dozens of doctor visits, thousands of dirty diapers, vomiting episodes, fevers and midnight feedings, I just want someone to kill me so I can sleep!

These days sleep does not come easy. With the recent birth of our twins the birth of our first son seems like a faint memory. I do remember one time in the wee hours of the morning—it was my husband’s turn to feed our son—my husband awoke and said, “I’ll give you $100 if you take the baby.” It would have taken $1,000 to get me out of bed that morning. The lack of sleep that comes with newborns can make you so crazy you’re willing to do just about anything to get some shut-eye.

There are groups of people out there who make it their business to let you sleep—but it will cost you. I lovingly refer to them as the “Midnight Mafia.” You pay them for protection—protection from serious sleep depravation. The elite “Mafia” members come into your home in the dark of the night, take charge of your life and you pay them a lot to do it. They’re actually called "night nurses" and for a fee they will save your sanity. They take care of your baby or babies throughout the night so you can sleep. At $17 to $22 an hour they’re not cheap but when you’re dying for sleep you’ll pay anything to play dead for 8 hours.

Sleep is something many of us take for granted until we have children of course—at that point sleep becomes a luxury. But if the high price of sweet slumber means a happy family, then it may be time to pay the piper.