Getting so little sleep due to discomfort, not slept a full night in 8 months. How the heck am I going to cope with labour then a newborn?!!

[MassiveBumperlicious]

Am seriously starting to panic now. Have had such little sleep this pregnancy, between sickness, bouts of insomnia and now just bloody discomfort. Am tossing and turning all night and regularly can't get back to sleep as my hips and legs ache or the baby is moving around so much, or just have insomnia.

It's been so bad that I have been on reduced hours at work as I wasn't coping very well with the lack of sleep. Am now 35 weeks and can't see an end in sight. Am so knackered that I am worried about how I am going to cope with labour and a newborn. Feel like I need some good rest behind me to prepare.

Have just finished work today, which is great but DH is a PT SAHD so he and DD (3) will be around most of the time, then in the next few weeks he is hoping to get some more work to supplement our income, so I just can't foresee when I am going to get a break.

Not really sure what I am after really. Tips on how to sleep comfortably? Reassurance that I will cope with labour and a new baby despite 8 months of lack sleep already. I'm dreading it! I'm not the type to do well on lack of sleep anyway. Every now and then I get borderline hysterical!

Help me!

You WILL cope.

I felt exactly the same as you, was utterly, utterly exhausted by the end of my pregnancy.

I had a marvellous ELCS followed by a 48 hour stay in hospital and I honestly felt like a new woman, despite the c-s recovery.

I was really pleased to have 48 hours in hospital to just lie down! DD2 is massively chilled and slept loads - I have been told most newborns do this (DD1 didn't) so hopefully you should be able to get some rest in. Can you spin out your stay in hospital at all? I really felt it helped me to feel rested - despite the fact that DD2 cluster fed til 4AM the second night in hospital I think just lying down for a couple of days really rejuvenated me!!

You will be fine though, seriously. DD2 is 7 weeks and I have so much more energy and zest for life than I did in the third trimester.

Staying in hospital might just send me over the edge! With DD I stayed in one night and didn't sleep a wink while DD slept for 6 hours straight - what a waste! I was so coursing with adrenaline, and the women on the ward were snoring. So not sure that is the solution.

Thanks for the reply though.

It's terrible isn't it?
I thought I would go mad through lack of sleep-both before and after.

Have you got one of those full length pillows. They're great. Have it close to your body and throw your leg over it. Good for breastfeeding too.

I remember my sister giving me a footmassage when I was about 38 weeks and could hardly breathe. I fell asleep and it was wonderful.

Try that.

I was the same last time around. The beauty of having a newborn is that while you rarely get the opportunity to sleep, when it comes along you sleep, well, like a baby

How are you planning to feed? For me BFing really helped me relax and allowed minimal disturbance at night - quick latch-on, dozy feed, lovely oxytocin rush - then asleep again.

In terms of comfortable sleep, loads of pillows and minimal bedclothes is all I can suggest. I'm 34+4 and also having a time of it trying to get comfy, so I do sympathise.

It's likely the insomnia will pass once baby is here though :)

You will cope - you might not be totally full of beans and running around being super mum, but no normal mum of a new born (especially if there are siblings around) is.
I have really achy hips and what helps me a bit is putting a duvet folded in three on top of my side of the matress and sleeping on that. And having a pillow between my legs. It just makes it all a bit softer so i dont wake up quite to often with my hips in horrible pain. And you can take the occassional paracetamol if the pain is too much - it takes the edge off it for me so i can sleep.
Good luck, and i hope you manage to get in a few afternoon naps between now and the birth.

I have been exactly the same, terrible discomfort at night since 20 weeks has prevented me from getting more than 2 hours sleep at a time, and I have general insomnia that keeps me up. I'm 40+3 now and I must admit that since I started my maternity leave at 38 weeks I have been sleeping a lot better. Being able to nap during the day is really helpful as well, I know it must be much more difficult when you already have a child to care for.

I don't really have any tips because nothing has helped my insomnia or pains at night but you do have my sympathy and I do think we will cope!

Thanks for the messages. They have given me hope :)

I have one of those dream genii things but to be honest anything more than a rolled up pillow case under my bump makes me feel a bit sick. Is that weird? Though I have now folded in two the stupidly expensive feather mattress topper I bought in the early weeks of insomnia and am now sleeping on that. That would have helped last night were it not for a 3 am trip to the loo after which as soon as I was drifting off the baby would thump me in the ribs

My GP gave me some co-codamol a while a go and every now and again I take that, which helps a little. It just gets to about 4am and I am constantly tossing and turning, which is obviously no mean feat! Might try the v pillow tonight though. I have a pillow between my legs but it doesn't seem to help much and I end up getting rid of it in the night. The problem is if I sleep on my side the outside of my legs ache, on my back my back aches plus I start getting paranoia about the whole 'cutting off blood' supply thing.

Poor DH spends most of his nights on the sofa, bless him.

Anyway, I will take comfort in your posts and hope for the best :)

I had a DreamGenii and it was crap at stopping hip ache. Sod that, this time I'm getting one of those huge person-sized pillows that I can rest my whole self against.

I was exhausted by the end of pregnancy with DS, has awful SPD and hadn't slept properly for months.
I found BFing really helped because I would literally just conk out again immediately after a feed rather than lying awake fidgeting.

It's a different kind of tiredness I seem to remember, and at least you are comfy when you sit down/lie down.

You will cope and it will all be fine :)

Massive really do sympathise. I have been struggling to sleep for almost identical reasons in this pregnancy, too. Also have another DC. Also have co-codamol for when things get bad..

The outside-achy-leg thing really really made me sit up and take notice, because I have that too, and most medical folks have just looked at me a bit mystified when I've mentioned it. However, a really good physio diagnosed me with something called piriformis syndrome - which is when a particular muscle in your bum (I know, sounds unlikely) gets irritated and squashes your sciatic nerve, causing this night-time leg pain. Also affects me in the day/ In my case it is caused partly by an office job which involves long periods sitting. What kind of work did you do?

It's a complete long-shot, but is there any chance that could be what's causing the problems with your legs and exacerbating the sleeping issue? if so, what is really helping me is sitting on bags of frozen peas for, say, periods of about half an hour, every 2 or 3 hours. And then trying to avoid sitting down as much as possible at other times. And not leaning forward e.g., to unload the dishwasher, etc, as this further strains the muscles.

God, that is probably all irrelevant, but thought I would mention it just in case it struck any chords with you. Hope things ease for you, and like others have said, I'm sure we will cope but no harm in trying absolutely anything and everything to get more sleep before the new babe arrives....

Do you have co-codamol just for sleep issues, not pain? I've got prescription codeine for when my pain is really bad (various health issues) but hadn't thought to use it to help me sleep.

I'm glad to see this thread as I was starting to panic. 23 weeks and haven't slept properly for a while now - getting sooooo tired! Pregnancy insomnia is awful - just when you want to feel rested!

A full body pillow is a must for me. I can either use it under my bump & between my knees, or I can half lie on it which takes some pressure off my hips.

Specialist myofascial massage can help referred pain in the legs from tight muscles and muscle knots in the bum and lower back btw. I have it done regularly and couldn't do without it!

there is a great thread on here about pregnancy been so much worse than life with a newborn! Made me feel tons better as I have literally never felt worse.

Have one DS, almost 2 and this pregnancy just seems to have lasted forever. But all the things that are so uncomfortable for me now I know will be over very very soon. I remember last time the heartburn going instantly, the sickness going, I was still uncomfortable in bed but that was down to csection, but even then I slept much much better and that was with bfeeding every 3hours.

I just think that pregnancy saps every bit of energy you have and you are physically pushed to your limits so at least once your baby arrives you begin your recovery. I do remember very vividly last time thinking that having a newborn was so much easier than being pregnant and I am hanging on to that thought. Although my toddler may well put a spanner in the works with that! Also worth remembering that each stage is just that, a stage! they don't feed every 2-3hours for the rest of their lives, before you know it they're sleeping through.

Wish I had more good advice on how to get better sleep but Im lucky if I get 2 hours at the moment unbroken sleep and I have more pillows than I know what to do with!
GOOD LUCK MB

Would you have time to go swimming?

I've got hideous hip ache, back pain etc that is normal third trimester territory and the sensation of being weightless is pure bliss.

You might be able to go on your own as well, giving you some time to yourself. Try floating on your back and zoning out or maybe a bit of front crawl if you can summon the energy, it'll knacker you out and may help you to get to sleep more easily.

A fan might be useful as well. I find sleeping in my nest of pillows really stuffy and love the white noise and cool breeze.

Agree that at this stage it feels like you'll never get any unbroken sleep again though!

I am 39 weeks+1 and I couldn't have coped these last few weeks without my very long pillow, lots of cusions around my back and booting my DH into the spare bed. I know it sounds awful but I just couldn't sleep with him in the bed and he has commented that it has been much better for him not having to get up for work at 5.30am totally knackered from me tossing andturning and constant trips to the loo.

Im still not getting a lot of sleep but just managing to cope looking after my energetic 3 year old. You will be fine, it is amazing how your body automatically adjusts to the new arrival

Thanks all for the tips and sympathy, sorry to those suffering the same.

I am going to try swimming now I am on maternity leave. Have done absolutely no exercise as it's all I could do to get into work this pregnancy!

Can't find out much about the myofacial massage in this area but have left a message with my osteopath who also does sports massage, so will see if she can sort it out (and try not to cry at the price).

Re: the co-codamol, earlier in my pg I was signed off for not being able to sleep properly and just being exhausted so the dr gave me a load of co-codamol and just said to take it and try and get some sleep. That said, it's not massively helpful now. I did have sleeping tablets earlier in the pregnancy, but expect they will be reluctant to give them to me this late on now.

Was up again at 3am last night and ended up coming down to get some cereal as I was hungry. So frustrated now, I dread going to bed, actually I just dread waking up!

Sorry to bump my thread again but I am just at my wit's end!

I'm basically now up between 3.30 and about 6 at the moment. Eventually managed to get back to sleep last night but DH had to go to work and woke me up at 8 and my body just literally ached from top to toe, could barely move. Am sooooo tired and it's bloody frustrating as I actually have things I want to do like go to the allotment, baking, shopping, but I'm not sure I can muster up the energy, plus it's making me a v crap mum to poor DD.

The baby appears to not like me laying on my left side, it kicks like anything, it really hurts, but if I lay on my right my legs start to ache. I can't find any position that is comfortable. Help! How can I get some relief?

I'm so sorry for you, have you tried proping up your mattress so your sleeping sitting up a bit, that helped me. I also picked lavender and stuffed it all around my bed.

Hope you get some sleep.

I have lavender oil on my pillow, and am sleeping on a doubled over mattress topper (so very thick and downy).

Every time I solve one of my sleep problems another one rises. I've had insomnia, cricked neck, SPD, piriformis syndrome, nausea, tossing and turning. I probably could actually sleep now if it wasn't for the baby trying to kick it's way out. It's feet are really tucked down one side, exactly where I am laying.

I have spend a small fortune one trying to sleep, bought 3 new pillows, a feather mattress topper, osteopath appointments. Had sleeping tablets, co-codamol. Am at the end of the line now :(

I had sleeping tablets about half way through, but I suppose they wouldn't let me have them this late would they?

Insomnia is awful isn't it? I woke at 3am yesterday and lay staring into the darkness for an hour before trying to read a book for a bit. I was too tired to concentrate on the book but too awake to sleep. Frustrating.

I know what you mean about a pillow under your bump making you feel sick - I have the same problem. I have to position it exactly right or I feel like I may throw up.

At least you have stopped work now. You will just have to tell your DH that you are knackered and he is to let you rest and if he sees you asleep during the day that he isn't to wake you.

I really need my sleep as well so I do understand how awful it is when you are sleep deprived. Try and wind down before bed by having a bath, a hot drink, lavendar on your pillow, low lighting etc.

If you wake during the night, don't panic as the worst thing you can do when you have insomnia is get anxious about when you are going to get back to sleep. Either try and read a book or put headphones in and listen to relaxing music (or a hypnotherapy c.d).

Will you be able to have some lie ins now you are off work? That makes things easier - not having to get up for an alarm.

I had severe SPD in my last pregnancy (crutches them wheelchair). I found Paul McKennas 'I can make you sleep' book and CD really helped, as did the hypnobirthing CD I had. I used to listen to one of them everytime I woke up (had ipod by bed) and I would quite often just drift off.

I would really minimise the paracetamol I took, but in hindsight I would have just taken the full allowed dose each night.

I'm still having trouble with my back and hips when walking, but for me I had an instant and massive pain reduction on lying down within hours of having DD.

Take care

Katy

Thanks, I'm not very good with the hypno CDs though I have tried several. I find them more distracting and I'm just not very good at relaxing to them. I do listen Harry Potter on my iPod, that's my comfort listening.

bumperlicious how's it going? I notice you said you did in fact have piriformis - can I ask how you get rid of it, or have you still got it. I thought the frozen peas were my answer, but lately it's been getting much worse and I am getting so tired. And only 33 weeks. Can't bear thought of this for another (possibly) 9 weeks!

Narmada, yes the osteopath I saw said that it probably was. It was an osteopath I saw, though she also specialises in therapeutic massage so she just did really deep tissue massage.

She also recommended this stretch and leaning against the wall with a tennis ball massaging the glutes.

Certainly seems to have helped, though I seem to solve one of my problems with sleep only then to be plagued by a another

i had a pregnancy pillow from the Grobag people- can't remember what it was called but it was good. beanbag type thing and lots of room to squish the beans around so you could just have a very thin bit under your bump if you wanted, and say a thicker bit between your knees. i had to swap from side to side throughout the night as my hips ached, just had a very thin pillow on my right side (and made dh sleep downstairs so I could toss and turn without disturbing him, and had plenty of room for me).

but after the birth there is such a physical relief from not being pregnant any more, you will sleep better (when the babe lets you that is). You will really have to make the most of the sleepy newborn phase.

good luck and try not to get too stressed about sleep.

thanks for the info bumperlicious, unfortunately I've been down the massage, stretching and tennis ball route already to no avail...... but glad yours went, sorry it was replaced by other probs tho.