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By Liz O'Connell
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An overly tired new mother shared how postpartum delusion left her confusing her newborn with her pet in a viral video.
Val, who is known on TikTok as @vallmariee0, felt the delusion set in as she tried catching up on sleep one night. Barely awake and lying in bed, she thought she was patting her baby to sleep. However, her husband filmed her, and what Val discovered was not what she thought.
The August 23 TikTok video Val posted showed her snuggling with her fur baby, the cat, as they slept under the covers together. With her eyes closed, Val calmly patted her feline. She told Newsweek via TikTok that it took her about an hour to notice she mixed up her babies.
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"I thought I was patting my baby because we were co-sleeping at the time," Val said. "But I knew my husband had him!"
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Newsweek previously reported that younger generations are generally more accepting of children sharing a bed with parents, or co-sleeping. A few positive results of co-sleeping include enhanced bonding, easier breastfeeding and better sleep for some families. But, parents should also be aware of the safety risks, potential impact on independence, interrupted sleep and possible effect on parental relationships.
Val's husband stayed up with the baby, standing over and watching as their newborn also slept at the end of the bed. He wanted to film the precious mix-up to show Val later.
Meanwhile, the cat seemed to have no objections. He stayed in bed without moving a muscle, relaxing and happily accepting his mother's confusion because, after all, he was the couple's first baby.
With over 6.2 million views and more than 1.5 million views on TikTok as of Tuesday, people quickly became obsessed, claiming the cat received attention he likely missed since the baby came home.
"Your cat is like, 'Yes, finally she's spending time with me again,'" wrote one user.
Another added: "The cat was like, 'My plan worked.'"
A third person commented: "Baby is asleep, cat is happy, I think you're doing just fine."
A study published by the National Library of Medicine found that 47 percent of new mothers reported experiencing postpartum fatigue symptoms, which can include a decreased capacity for physical and mental activity after childbirth; a persistent lack of energy; and impairments in concentration and attention that are not easily relieved by rest or sleep.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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