"Make sure you sleep lots before the baby arrives" - GAH!

[KentExpecting]

I'm 38+6 today and I just wanted to warn the world that I am very likely to hit the next person who tells me to enjoy my maternity leave and get lots of sleep before the little one arrives over the head with the heaviest item I can find and am still able to lift given the state I am in.

Seriously, people - it doesn't matter how many pillows I amass around me, at best I get an hour at a time on my side. Then my hip / back on that side hurts too much and I need to turn to the other side, where I might get another hour's sleep if I'm lucky. Sleeping on my back, even in a semi-upright or upright position, is too painful to even consider. This sucks!

Whinge over!

I didnt know what sleep depravation really means after dc was born.

Enjoy your maternity leave.

It's a pointless thing to say- it's not as though you can "bank" sleep so sleeping now makes no difference to how sleep deprived you will feel after baby- and it's well known sleeping is very very hard in late pregnancy .

I know of a number of people who have said they got more sleep when baby was here. They went from being too uncomfortable to sleep at all (as in awake 24/7) to at least being able to sleep when baby did

I got far more sleep after my first baby was born than before. I had crippling SPD and was in constant severe pain for weeks beforehand. Afterwards I co-slept with DD, because that was clearly the only way she was going to settle, and the pain went, and I got hours at a time.

I got more sleep than I had in a good few months, when ds was a about a week old.

With the getting up to pee and being really sore and uncomfortable.

If this is your first dc, you can have the joy of naps during the day hopefully. Also for the first week or so dh and I took night time in shifts.

Haha there is no amount of rest you can take now that will compensate for the bone crushing exhaustion you will be enduring oveerthe coming years.

But don't get mad get even and smile sweetly explain to them that you just know your baby will be a great sleeper as you have read all the sleep training books and are not standing for sleepless nights. There is only one thing more irritating thanwell meant b mighmisplaced advice and that is smug naive pregnant people. You can just relax and enjoy their frustration.
For my 2 pennies worth I would sack off the sleep and go out with a small handbag, eat at nice restaurants and enjoy uninterrupted conversations with my friends because that is what I miss.
Enjoy the rest of your maternity leave!

I know, its a totally pointless thing to say. But people said it to me and once I had a baby, and then a toddler I wish I could rewind those last days and just stay in bed for the WHOLE DAY.

I'm now pregnant with DC2 and I'm so tired some days I feel i may slip into a coma at any time. But with a toddler there's nowhere to hide.....!

Hope you can at least laze on a sofa even if you can't sleep :)

When I finally go on maternity leave, DS will still be going to nursery three days a week as I don't want to mess with the routine (or lose his childcare place).

I fully plan to spend at least one of those days in bed.

I agree though, that you can't 'save' sleep to be used later but boy, do enjoy the lie ins and extra time in bed now because you won't get to enjoy it again for a while.

I wish I could spent time in bed or on the sofa - even just lounging around! But my back / hip pain has reached the stage where it's only bearable if I'm sitting very upright on a hard-ish surface or standing / moving around. I'm wandering through the house like a zombie...

Mumsnet, we need a zombie-style smiley.

Ouch. Can you go swimming? Floating about might be a be more comfortable?

GoooRooo - Now that sounds like a good idea. I shall investigate options.

I also found I got way more sleep after baby was born than before! Was so uncomfortable pregnant and weeing every hour. Was much better just getting up a couple of times a night to feed.

I got more sleep after DD2 arrived than before. I had agonising SPD and she is a fab wee sleeper.

Just chiming in with the others that I got more sleep after dd1 too. During pregnancy Id been waking up 4+ times a night to wee. Then she arrived and the bladder kicking ended and she slept at least 4 hours a time at night. So definitely more sleep than previously.

as others, I was sleeping better when DS was born - he was a very good sleeper, and I could get comfortable and no longer needed to pee every 5 minutes.

I feel your pain!
39 weeks today and looking forward to the pain of csection recovery and breastfeeding all night again as I know from experience it's not as bad or as frustrating as what I'm feeling now.