Exhausted mom’s baby cam moment goes viral for perfectly summing up new parent fatigue

Parenting exhaustion is real, and Claire Morgan (@reform.pilatesbyclaire on TikTok) has the baby monitor footage to prove it. The mom of two, from New South Wales, Australia, recently shared a hilarious and relatable clip from when her firstborn, Hunter, was just four weeks old.

In the viral TikTok, which has racked up over 26.1 million views and 3.1 million likes, Morgan can be seen gently cradling and attempting to lay down what she thought was her sleeping baby. The catch? Hunter was already sound asleep in his crib the whole time—Morgan was carefully placing thin air back to bed.

“I was in such a tired state that I carefully returned a sleeping baby to the cot, when the actual baby was already half asleep,” Morgan explained in the comments. “You can see me gently transferring it over and tucking it back in.”

Morgan, who shared the video in September 2022, said she discovered the moment when she reviewed her baby monitor’s analytics. “We only knew about it because my monitor tells me how many caretaker visits there are per night,” she shared. “As a new mom, I was a bit obsessed with all the sleep analytics, so when I saw an extra one, I scrolled back to check. We were in hysterics laughing for a long time.”

While Morgan can now laugh at the memory, she admits the early days of parenting were incredibly tough. “I didn’t know that level of tiredness existed,” she told Newsweek. Like many new moms, she struggled to rest during the newborn phase, worried about falling asleep during nighttime feeds.

Related: Mom checks on baby at 3 a.m.—and is stunned to see who’s on the changing table

“I was scared to death of falling asleep with him feeding in the night, which evidently backfired and made me more tired when I was supposed to be resting,” Morgan admitted. Luckily, with the support of her husband, she was able to adjust after the first six weeks and find a routine that worked for her.

Morgan is now mom to two little ones—Hunter and Sonny, who’s just seven weeks old—and says things have been easier the second time around. “I have a really supportive husband who helped me sleep as much as possible,” she added.

The comments section of Morgan’s TikTok post has been flooded with messages of solidarity from fellow moms, many of whom shared their own parenting mishaps.

One user (@chloemarie2121) commented: “I once held my daughter all night because the twin was asleep in her bassinet. There was no twin.”

Another wrote: “You need rest, mama. Ask for help.”

And one more added: “Motherhood is not for the weak.”

Morgan was touched by the overwhelming support and kindness from others. “I am so warmed by these comments, and whilst I am OK, I understand that others aren’t,” she shared. “It’s given me some faith in the internet community looking out for others.”

Related: Viral TikTok sheds light on the struggles of being the first mom in your friend group

For anyone struggling with the exhaustion of new parenthood, Morgan has one piece of advice: don’t hesitate to ask for help. “If you are a struggling mom, you need to ask for help,” she said.

And as Morgan’s now-iconic video proves, even in the most exhausting moments, there’s always room for a little humor—and a lot of community.