The baby sleeps fine; I’m still exhausted

It’s three in the morning.
The baby is fast asleep, her breathing soft and steady. I pull the blanket up to her shoulders and watch for a moment. Everything looks peaceful, except for me. My body is tired, but my mind refuses to rest.
She finally sleeps through the night — so why am I still this exhausted?

It’s been six months since birth.
My body feels mostly healed, but my heart hasn’t quite caught up.
It’s not just the lack of sleep anymore; it’s the constant care mode that never really turns off.
Maybe this is what people mean by parenting fatigue, the quiet kind of weariness that comes with endless giving.
And maybe this is what postpartum recovery really looks like — slower, deeper, more invisible than I expected.

I’ve stopped trying to carve out “me time.”
Instead, I look for small moments of mom self-care hidden in the day.

🌺A glass of warm water instead of coffee in the morning.

🌺Ten minutes of sunshine while the baby naps.

🌺 At night, soft music and one small thing to be grateful for.

🌺 Five minutes of aimless stillness — during the baby’s nap time, I give myself permission to do absolutely nothing.

Tiny rituals, but they change how the day feels.

Over time, my body learned to tell the difference —
“This is care time. This is rest time.”
That’s where recovery begins, I think.
When the mind starts trusting the body again.

After I put the baby down, I dim the lights and make a cup of herbal tea.
Those twenty quiet minutes are the hinge of my day.
Sometimes I write, sometimes I just stare out the window.
In that stillness, I stop being the caretaker for a bit and become simply myself.

I used to think my baby’s rhythm set the tone for our days.
Now I know my rhythm shapes hers.
A child’s calm runs on a parent’s energy.
Her laughter depends on my ability to take a breath.

So I try to keep a small recovery routine, just for me:
turning down the lights an hour before bed,
rolling my shoulders,
writing down one good moment from the day.
Simple things that keep me from unraveling.

Tonight the baby sleeps fine.
I’m still tired —
but I’m learning how to care for the one who cares.
And that makes the exhaustion feel a little lighter.

👉 Also read: [Postpartum sleep rhythm recovery guide]