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Pregnancy

If you had insomnia with your first....

5 replies

SunnyDays1987 · 14/02/2016 15:13

Did you get it again with your second? Debating TTC but I had insomnia from the night before I found I was pregnant with DS until after I gave birth. I looked like a zombie. I'm scared if I happened again I would be a terrible Mum to my DS and life would be seriously hard!

OP posts:
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SunnyDays1987 · 14/02/2016 15:13

*if it happened again

OP posts:
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BaggyPantz · 14/02/2016 17:50

Hey sunny, how old is your DS? My DS is 4.5 and I'm approx 11 weeks. I was utterly zombified from the TWW until about a week ago. Such terrible trouble getting to and staying asleep.

My experience with insomnia is that quite often it's a self-fulfilling prophecy - if you're worried you're not going to get any sleep, you're probably not going to get any sleep.

DS is in school and I work everyday, so it hasn't been easy, even with OH around to help with some of the school runs.

The way I managed to get through it was to get ready for bed at the same time as DS. Have dinner with him, have a bath with him, get in PJs at the same time, then force myself NOT to do anything after his bedtime. It's hard, I know because that's usually when you have time for housework. I just did the very basics after work and the bigger stuff at the weekend.

When it got really bad, I would snuggle up with DS and let him watch an hour of TV whilst I shut my eyes. Again, not ideal but it gave him a bit of unwinding time after school, and gave me a bit more energy in the evening.

If I couldn't get to sleep at night, I would just go downstairs and put something easy to watch on the laptop (because it has a blue light filter), knowing that even though I wasn't sleeping, I was still letting my brain and body relax. This allowed me not to stress over insomnia, and quite often I would end up drifting off eventually.

We deliberately waited for DS to be a bit older before TTC #2, and it's paying off already. He's gained so much independence since starting school and able to do more and more by himself. This really helped when I was struggling with lack of sleep.

I hope you can find a way that works for you OP. I really empathise with those with insomnia. Whether it's short or long term Thanks

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GoingLoopyQuickly · 14/02/2016 23:28

I had it really badly with DS. I am now 16/17 weeks with DC2 and recognised it coming back from as early as 7 weeks (DS is now 2years). I had a very short course of acupuncture whicj I am not sure made a difference but I know that I don't get it every night and when I do, it is for shorter times. Eg? It will take me two/three hours to get back to sleep instead or not at all.

I have noticed that a bavk massage helps me sleep better, not going to sleep to early and trying not to think about stuff. It hasn't been a great help that DS has chosen recently to drop his naps, but it does mean we can snuggle to watch a film after lunch for some down time - on my non working days!

Don't let it put you off ttc. You might not get it back. There will be something else to bug you. But it is ultimately only for a short period of time and the rewards far outweigh the discomfort. Just think about the memories you have shared so far with your DC1.

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BettyBi0 · 14/02/2016 23:38

Sorry but yes, rubbish insomnia both times. You'll get through it though

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NotSoFancyPancy · 14/02/2016 23:39

Dc3 is s few weeks old and insomnia got progressively worse with each pregnancy. Was existing on 2 hours sleep a night this time and daytime naps while older kids were watching telly. I stopped work at 30 weeks as did not feel I could safely do commute and responsible job.
Even feeding every 1 to 2 hours at night now means I am much more rested lol!

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