Engaging sleep mode - the power of new arrivals

10/28/2009 9:43 AM EDT

To be honest staying awake during these kind of events can take some doing. And I have spotted more than one journalist's head begin to nod on occasion.

However, what made this particular briefing session more memorable was the admission of the company's product specialist after the launch event that he was a bit sleepy himself. His reason for not being not on top form that day was because his wife had only recently given birth.

To be fair the new arrival did not seem to impair his father's presentation skills which indeed seemed far better than many I have seen over the past 20 years but the new dad did admit to being a bit tired following the recent happy event.

He certainly had my sympathies but the real question I didn't dare dream to ask him was which 'newcomer' did he feel had resulted in him having the most sleepless nights? The baby or the development of the new PMIC?

At least babies typically only take about nine-months to arrive. Launching a new product, as was the case in this instance, often takes several years to come to fruition.

Of course it could be argued that with babies the real sleepless nights only occur after the birth. Although I think many product managers and designers would claim that is also the case following a major product launch.

Is there anyone else out there who has been involved in a product birth and the arrival of a new baby in the same month? If so I'd love to hear your thoughts as to which 'event' you found the easiest to deal with. And if you are a female product manager or design engineer perhaps you can explain which experience you would be willing to repeat and why.