How do you deal with work after pregnancy insomnia?

[Leleophants]

Do you get support to leave earlier/later or work from home? Or do you take a sick day?
When do you decide to just call it a day without regrets? (With sleep you can manage fine!)

Just deal with it I'm afraid, Ive been waking at 2am for the day, just try and sleep earlier in the evening if possible and survive on sugar! It's nothing compared to returning to work with a non sleeping child.

As above, I just push through. This morning I woke at 3:30 which felt like a lie in(!) and have had no joy sleeping since. I will go up to bed around 8 tonight, maybe earlier depending on how late I get home, so I can try and get some extra rest. I also try and sit quietly for 10 minutes over lunchtime but that doesn’t always work in a busy secondary school 🙈. I also snack throughout the day on energy foods and drink plenty of water. If I’m desperate (full teaching day, duties and after school clubs etc) I’ll have a can of Coke Zero.

The part of pregnancy they don’t warn you about!

Yep just push through, I’ve been waking anywhere between 12-3am for a couple of hours, if I can sleep in the first place! Work a full time and a part time job 😭 on my knees by 7.30pm

I'm 15 weeks today and the insomnia started this week. Last night I was asleep by 10.30/11 woke at 2 and didn't fall asleep until about 5. I work full time in a daycare with 2 year olds. Hopefully I'll be chatting to the Dr today to see if there's anything that can be done

I’m awake nearly all night every night now at nearly 34 weeks.just can’t sleep and uncomfortable . I’m working 3 days a week and have 17month old and 14 year old. I have to leave by 7.15 to take kids to my parents or in-laws first and then get to work for 8.30-4.30 but don’t get in till about 6 of a night as the commute is awful as loads of new housing developments going up all the way home so it’s gridlocked every possible way I can go home. Same as everyone else just pushing through. I sit there tired and nearly falling asleep but I’m there at least lol I finish next Thursday so only 4 more working days!! Woo

I'm 32 weeks and struggling. My acid reflux has just ramped up so now I have to try and sleep propped up on pillows which I find really uncomfortable. I'm getting a few hours broken sleep a night. I'm going on annual leave from 38 weeks, only 5 weeks 3 days to go!

I pushed through until 36+1, then I finished work (taking 2 weeks holiday before mat leave).
It is hard but good practice for when baby arrives!
Now 38+6 and its getting a bit better again.

My works core hours are 10.30 to 3.30 so I only need to be in the office at those times (need to make up the hours over the month though) so can leave early/late as I need to but also have called in sick when it's really got too much. Lack of sleep causes me to feel depressed and anxious so I take the time to sleep as pushing all the time would cause me further long term absence later down the line.

Sugar.

Also by putting my headphones in and opening up a complicated looking spreadsheet. Hopefully people assume I'm concentrating hard at it, not just zoning out.

I just pushed through. It's good preparation for going back to work when your baby isn't sleeping through...

Ahhh wait til your baby arrives. Then you’ll understand what a lack of sleep really feels like! 🙈 you think it’s bad now..

Honestly, once you’ve had a baby you learn to suck it up & cope. I often go to work running on 2/3 hours sleep due to my toddler. During the winter, when she had cold after cold after cold, it was horrendous. I was beyond exhausted some days. But you develop a resilience to it. You drink caffeine, you eat some cake and get through the day.

Pregnancy is tough & exhausting. If you are struggling, consider taking maternity a bit earlier maybe. And I think the odd sick day from it all being a bit much is OK. Those who don’t have kids already, enjoy those evenings & weekends where you can put your feet up & do nothing! I’d kill to be able to do that this pregnancy but my toddler has other ideas. I wish I’d fully appreciated my childfree pregnancy a bit more

Everyone saying 'wait till the baby is here' in a really patronising way is clearly not helping the op. Pregnancy insomnia is really tough. My baby was sleeping through when I returned to work full time and this stage was much harder.

If you can't work because you're unwell, including having insomnia, then use sick leave. You have your maternity leave to get into a routine plus a partner (presumably) that will be doing half the night wakings when you're both working. He can't exactly help out now and it's all on the OP.

Don't let people saying this is your life for the next 5 years now scare you.

I’m approaching 26 weeks and think sleep problems might be kicking in. Lack of sleep is ANOTHER trigger of my anxiety so struggling to relax when can’t sleep, it’s really hard because it’s so frustrating!!! X

My concern is more that it's not good for the baby and my mental health currently. Also with a baby I'd be up because of the baby!

I just constantly worry if baby is ok, anyone else the same? X

The baby will be fine. Babies are born in war zones and terrible conditions world wide. That's not to make you feel bad, just to put it in perspective.

Worrying about your mental health is justified. Be kind to yourself and rest, rest, rest

@Cuppa12345- saying things like that really help me to put things into perspective. On a bad day I just think of Mums around the world who struggle with access to food and clean water. That’s a whole other level of worry....
Its weird how wanting and loving your little bubba so much makes you worry, I suppose it’s natural to a certain extent x

Yes, you might worry for them (and I did too, and started giving money to charities who helped mums facing terrible conditions) but it does help you realise that babies are pretty well protected in utero, even if tired from insomnia or stressed from work etc.

Just deal with it

@Cuppa12345- what a brilliant idea, lovely thing to do!
I guess babies HAVE to be protected that well as we ALL have some stress during the 9months. I think I’ve been so conscious at avoiding situations which could cause any stress and anxiety it’s actually made it worse 😬. I’m just so happy and excited to have him I want to keep
him safe xx

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X

If you're going back to work after baby arrives, you'll be going in after being up 3 times in the night anyway. Coffee and a sausage sandwich on the way in if you can helped my morale both with pregnancy insomnia and going back to work FT when baby was 6 months.

I’ve had really bad insomnia over the last couple of weeks. I’ll regularly lie awake from around 2-5.30/6am! I didn’t realise it was a pregnancy thing until I spotted this thread.

@Leleophants personally I don't think you push on! Well at first maybe to a certain extent, however I pushed on with pgp/spd and am now currently signed off work (25weeks preg) work as a nurse in a and e , got to the point where I was in agony and not sleeping at night, I thought push through not too much longer to go, but then after a breakdown and speaking to doctors, friends , family , midwife and colleagues I thought what am I doing? Yes I felt like I was letting my team down , but my own team (family,baby) are more important, it looks like I will be signed off until I give birth (or forced to start may leave at 36 week) but I was going to finish at this point anyway, I literally spent most of my time littering around the house , resting, doc app, hospital app and midwife app (that's literally my life right now) but I feel like I am fully rested and I'm to the pint where I can't imagine working at this point.
Please think of yourself and your baby first and don't let people /work guilt you into pushing yourself too hard x

Ahhh wait til your baby arrives. Then you’ll understand what a lack of sleep really feels like! 🙈 you think it’s bad now..

I'm sorry I really hate comments like this, they're patronising and many of my new mum friends have said (the one with baby's who sleep!) that their pregnancy tiredness was actually worse!