I wasn’t prepared for the hormone-induced anxiety that accompanied my first pregnancy. Bedtime became torturous. If the room was too hot or dark, I felt claustrophobic and was overcome with panic. Before getting into bed one particularly bad February night, I put the closet light on, turned the TV to a steady stream of Friends repeats, and opened the window to welcome the minus-7 air into our Michigan home. “What is this multimedia circus?” Dave asked. I told him he should go sleep in another room. What hormonally balanced person could possibly sleep under these conditions? He refused to go.
Accidental mental health advocate and unrelenting Jewish mother Debbie Feit writes essays for the New York Times, SheKnows, and Kveller and writes texts to her children that go unanswered. Find Debbie at debbiefeit.com and on Twitter and Instagram @debbiefeit.