New mum Ciara Doherty admitted she is finding it difficult to cope with the lack of sleep since returning to her early morning gig.
The Ireland AM host, who welcomed her first child with husband Richard Stern in February, also opened up about her heartbreak at leaving her new baby girl to head back to work full time.
She told RSVP magazine: “It was incredibly difficult, I suspected it would be a wrench and it was.
“I was heartbroken the day before at the idea of not being with Renee 24/7 and the idea of not being able to give her all of myself, that’s not possible when you have a busy full-time job.
“I felt like I was in a happy, safe bubble when I was on maternity leave and then suddenly I was trying to juggle a full-time job and family life.
“Certainly the pace of life has really changed. I find myself thinking, “Oh my God it’s 8pm already, there’s simply not enough hours in the day and I’m up since 4.30am!”
“The days just fly trying to fit everything in. It is really difficult but there is so many mothers doing it and surviving. I suppose I am too, but it is very tough.”
Speaking of how she is coping with the sleep deprivation since adding in a newborn to her early call time, she added: “Oh God, it is punishing.
“It is a tough schedule and I don’t think unless you have worked shift work and early mornings you really understand just how punishing it can be.
“Getting more than five or six hours is just not possible. I try and catch up as best as I can during the afternoon.
“I used to take the weekends to catch up on sleep and recharge, but that’s gone now since Renee arrived.
“Going forward I’m not quite sure how I’ll manage that. It is difficult, I have to say.
“But when I’m getting up in the middle of the night to go to work, I know there are parents who are up with children too, so it’s just part and parcel of being a parent isn’t it?"
However, the doting mum added she wouldn’t change a thing and admitted she was surprised by how much she doesn’t miss her old life.
She said: “For all the challenges, obstacles and difficulties it is the best thing I’ve ever done.
“She is my favourite person in the world and I absolutely adore being a mother.
“I was always a little bit reluctant to give up my old life.
“I was happily married, in a job I really enjoyed, we were doing up our first family home, we had really good holidays, a good quality of life... I was a bit reluctant to give that up.
“I thought that if I had a child I wouldn’t be able to do all the things I’ve always loved.
“And what has really surprised me is how little I miss of that old life. I feel utterly compensated by having Renee.”
