Postpartum insomnia - feel like I’m losing my mind!

[Rosiebun]

Does anybody have any experience of postpartum insomnia? Please tell me it gets better?

I have an almost 8 week old baby who sleeps relatively well during the night, waking twice at around 1 and then again at around 4, then she's usually up for the day at 6 or 7.

The problem is, I absolutely just cannot sleep. Even when she is sound asleep next to me, I just can't switch my brain off. I've tried meditation, no screentime for 2 hours before bed, relaxing bath, taking melatonin (I'm from the UK where melatonin isn't readily available but I brought some back from America). My partner has slept downstairs with her a few nights to try and help me catch up on sleep, but still it takes me hours to drop off and then if I wake up, that's it I can't get back to sleep. It's really affecting my mental health and I feel so anxious now in the lead up to bedtime about what the night is going to be like.
I have had struggles with anxiety and sleep in the past and was taking mirtazapine, but I found it made me feel like a complete zombie. I have a GP appointment next week to discuss some alternative medication, but given how I felt previously on the mirtazapine I'm really worried I either won't be able to wake up in the night to tend to her, or if I do I'll fall asleep feeding her or something, which terrifies me.

Does anyone have any experience with postpartum insomnia or taking sleep medications with a baby?

Yep ! Anxiety of the baby kept me wide awake . I used phernergan a common otc anti histimine to help me feel drowsy ( and then ultimately I went on citalopram for my anxiety which did help ( though awful to get started on !) My babies are very much grown up now but I remember my sleep horrors through that period so well

How long did you take the citalopram for and did you find it relatively easy to come off?

@Rosiebun I am currently in the depths of this too and it is making me feel very depressed. I have tried phenegran and it worked the night before last but last night was less effective. Wish I had some positive words but I just wanted to let you know you are not alone!

Hello, I am currently going through this myself and I am so scared it won’t go away. How are you getting on now? What did the go prescribe? My go prescribed Promethezine which I’m taking now but I don’t want to be. I can wake up to baby crying on thewe
meds which is why I’m taking them but I’m scared that I will develop a fear of trying to sleep without the meds.

Hi @Mahar1234 im sorry to hear you’re going through it too, it really is awful. I was diagnosed with PPD so they put me back on mirtazapine which is an antidepressant but it makes you drowsy and it has improved my sleep. But like you, I am worried if I come off it that my sleep problems will return :(

I had to cut caffeine out completely to help with this and I cannot have it now 10 years later! Felt like my brain chemistry completely changed

Yes had it after my last baby. Started in the first week when I didn’t sleep at all for 8 days and nights. It was like the ability to fall asleep switched itself off. For two years I cycled nytol and phenerghan. I could always wake up even if I was groggy though. I now take melatonin but I need 9mg at least. It’s not ideal but better than not sleeping.

@Pyjamatimenow i was advised not to take melatonin as it can be addictive, but I’m glad it works for you. Did you get it prescribed? I had some I bought in America as I didn’t think you could get it in the UK.

@Rosiebun i don’t think it’s ideal by any means bur neither is walking under a bus because you’re so knackered. I buy mine from piping rock.

@Pyjamatimenow oh no, I completely agree. You have to do what works for you. Thank you, that’s good to know if I ever need to buy any.

@Rosiebun are you able to wake up or hear baby crying whilst taking Mirtazapene? How many mg are you on? I feel like I’m heading this way.

@Mahar1234 i am now, I’m on 30mg and apparently the higher the dosage of mirtazapine, the less sedating it is. So when I was on 15mg I was extremely groggy and found it hard to get up, I had to rely on my partner so if you have help then definitely lean on your partner for support. It only lasted a few days, I took 15mg for one week and then upped to 30 which I’ve been taking for around 2 weeks now. It takes me around 20/30 mins to fall asleep and I can get up fine with her and usually can fall back asleep, whereas before it would take me hours to drop off and once I woke up I wouldn’t go back to sleep. I hope you find something that can help you ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

I had this. It was awful!! The cognitive sleep shuffle method really really helped.

I'm by no means postpartum (my son is 11) but this method really helps to send me off. I often wake in the night and then can't get back to sleep but this method really does get me to sleep. Thought it was worth a try. Xx
share.google/H6AEGMuQT0d6Q9wCV

I'm currently going through this and have been on and off since my daughter was around 4.5 months, she's now 8 months old and I was sleeping "good" for the last month then she got two teeth at once and woke constantly for nearly 2 weeks so my sleep has gone out the window again. She slept for 12 hours last night while I lay awake, it's actual torture. I went to my GP about a month ago and they prescribed 15mg mirtazapine but I'm too scared to take it as we co-sleep and I just don't think it's possible as I can't not wake up if she needs me. I could go in our spare room for a few nights and let my husband take over but I'm still so scared as it sounds like it makes you feel awful. I've never needed to take any tablets for sleep/mental health pre baby so I'm finding this really hard. How are you getting on now OP? Any other advice much appreciated!

@Daisy453 im so sorry to hear you’re going through it too. It really is torture! I still have the odd rough night but the mirtazapine really did help me, but it does knock you out in the beginning. I’d recommend sleeping in a spare room for 2/3 nights and then after that I think you should be ok but I completely understand that worry of not waking. Once I pushed past those first few days things did change for me x

Thank you so much for responding and that's really reassuring that things have improved. I took a quarter of a promethazine tablet last night and slept not too badly with her but if it continues I'll take the mirtazapine, I don't think it's good for me or the bub for me to be exhausted everyday as I'm not being the fun mum I'd like to be. I'm worried about coming off the mirtazapine if I take it but suppose I'll just deal with that at the time.

@Daisy453 promethazine didn’t do anything for me sadly but fingers crossed it works for you! Yeah I am also worried about coming off it but similarly to you I wasn’t being the mum I wanted to be when I wasn’t sleeping and I think it was actually on the verge of making me depressed, so I thought I’ll just have to see how it goes when I am ready to come off. Good luck to you, I know it’s so hard

Sorry for all the questions but do you find any negative side effects from the mirtazapine? I'm worried about the weight gain also but at the moment I could probably do with gaining a view pounds! X

@Daisy453 don’t worry :) yeah i had heard a lot about weight gain too, I’ll be honest it did increase my appetite for a few weeks, i was literally ravenous but then again i was barely eating before. It seems to have levelled out now and ive not noticed any weight gain!