Waking Up A lot?

[NicciLovesSundays]

I am signed up to receive emails from mumsnet about the various stages on pregnancy. Im currently on week 29 and the email included the following:

"You may be waking up a lot because the pressure on your bladder from the baby's head makes you need to pee, or you simply can't get comfortable.
It's nature's way of preparing you for the broken nights ahead with a newborn."

Does anyone actually believe this to be true? Afterall nothing could prepare you for sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep is lack of sleep, end of story in my book. My midwife said something similar at an antenatal class recently too....

I have slept badly from about 7 weeks. I usually get to sleep for an hour or 2, wake up wide awake for a few hours then get back to sleep for a couple. Some nights I struggle to get to sleep until about 3 or 4. I don't know why but it is not bladder problems for me.

I'm 26 weeks.

I’m 24 weeks and wake at least once every hour and half.
It has always been said it’s so you are ready for the sleepless nights

Does anyone who has had a baby actually feel ready for the sleepless nights though or do they just feel knackered by the time baby arrives?

@NicciLovesSundays I'm not sure anything prepares you or that previous lack of sleep helps! If you are a person that "needs 7-8 hours sleep a night to function" as some people think they do then I guess it does prepare for the fact you need to function without that. However, in my view sleep deprivation in pregnancy is v different from sleep deprivation when a baby is born. The former is just flippin' annoying and a total inconvenience and you are stuck awake and can't get back to sleep for seemingly no valid reason. The latter - you have a beautiful bundle totally dependent on you to keep it going on life - that reason makes it totally bearable plus Adrenalin kicks in to keep you going. Don't get me wrong, it gets tough and don't feel bad to ask for help but it's all doable and far more rewarding when you see them lying there content.

@NicciLovesSundays my son is now 5 months old and nothing prepares you for the lack of sleep but for the first couple of weeks you get by on the adrenaline of it all. I find that you soon get used to the lack of sleep too! My son decided to sleep through the night for a couple of weeks, which was a dream, and now loves to wake up every 2-3 hours again so my body had a shock readjusting to that! I would definitely try and snooze when the baby snoozes, especially in the newborn stage. I wish I’d done this and told the visitors to buzz off 😴😴.

@NicciLovesSundays I read somewhere that waking up is also because our heart rate/blood pressure fall at night and frequent waking helps it stay at a reasonable level for the health of the baby. I'm not saying it's true because I can't find where I read it!

In my first trimester I would wake due to hunger, in the second it was because I was so thirsty, and now I'm in the third I need to pee!

From around 20-25 weeks I couldn’t sleep more than an hour. I’m 30 now and wake up regularly but I’m back asleep within minutes!

Sorry but no, nothing prepares you for the sleep deprivation of a baby!
With pregnancy it’s frustrating and tiring and uncomfortable but at least it’s just you and you can maybe make a cuppa or read a book or have a nap in the day to try and recoup some lost sleep.
Babies don’t let you do any of that!
It’s bloody brilliant being a new parent but my god the sleep deprivation is BRUTAL. But it gets better. Just when you think you might die from exhaustion you’ll get a good night just to revive you before it starts again!
For me the sleep is the hardest bit, everything else I can take in the stride.

nothing prepares you for the sleep deprivation of a baby!
Thats why everytime i hear this im getting frustrated - im sure there are a host of reasons why we might wake up all night during pregnancy but i really cant believe it has anything to do with preparing us...

Hello, I'm usually a good sleeper and have 8 or 9 hours without waking. I'm 18 weeks 4 days and have been sleeping badly for a fair few weeks now - feeling wide awake, unable to get to sleep, waking every hour. I asked my midwife and she said it's normal, so much is going on in the body and it actually stems back as far as when we were cave- women, waking every hour or so to check everything is alright and sleeping lightly to protect our baby - like an innate maternal instinct. I thought that was quite interesting xx

Hey! I’m currently on my 14th week struggling with interrupted sleep. Initially it was peeing a lot but now I feel it’s become a habit, also I find myself loudly snorting at times..

You’re right. Saying it’s “nature’s way of preparing us” is patronising and unfounded.

The reasons for waking up is because you’re uncomfortable, not because your body is undergoing some kind of magical preparation for sleep deprivation.

I suppose it sounds nicer than get used to it because you won’t be sleeping for the next year or two.