Pregnancy Insomnia

[TobysMum16]

Is anyone else really struggling with their sleep?
I’m 27 weeks and have had a really bad week for sleep. Some mornings I wake up super early at around 4am. Other nights I struggle to drop off when I go to bed even though I can’t keep my eyes open when I’m downstairs. Some nights I seem to wake up at 2 hour intervals. Other nights I get a combination of all of the above!
Luckily my partner is really supportive and works from home so gets up with our little boy to give me a bit of extra rest in the morning.
I’ve read all the usual tips online: have a set bedtime, no phones before bed, no caffeine in the afternoon, lavender pillow spray on my maternity pillow etc. I’ve even just bought a magnesium supplement (lotion form) in case I’m deficient. I also listen to my Hypnobirthing audio book.
I just find it so hard to not get stressed though when I’m lying awake in bed listening to the rest of the house sleep. I just feel so much pressure to get a good night sleep in. I worry if I don’t I’ll let down my little boy because I am making myself ill and moody. I know it’s really normal (I read something like 80% people get sleep disturbances at some point during pregnancy) but I just find it such a struggle!
At the moment I’m fine during the day. I’m still getting around 6-7 hours of sleep a night and nap if I feel the need to. My main worry is if it gets any worse. Like last night I woke up at 2am. I seriously thought that was it and was starting to get a bit emotional on how I was going to manage my 2 year old. Luckily I did manage to fall asleep from about 3.30 - 7.30 which wasn’t too bad at all.
Can anyone else relate to this? Did anyone have this on and off toward the end of a pregnancy and was it consistent or did you manage to get in a few good nights of sleep before baby arrived? Does anyone else struggle emotionally with their sleep issues?

Almost 23 weeks here and last night was my ‘personal worst’ for insomnia. Woke at 2.30am, was still awake at 5.30.

I’m having it around 3 or 4 nights a week (didn’t suffer pre-pregnancy and it’s been happening since my first Tri) but last night was particularly bad. Sometime I read, sometimes I get up, but mainly I just try to rest. Baby was wriggling lots from 3-5 last night so I just enjoyed that.

No answers on how to make it better, but you’re not alone

It’s good to know I’m not the only one, although I’m sorry you’re suffering too.
I try and rest as much as I can too. It does help and I do seem to drift off eventually. It just feels so lonely at the time doesn’t it? I’m looking forward to baby being here. I’ll be up all the time then but at least you have the baby to cuddle.

I try not to think about the lonely aspect. Generally I like to distract myself by working out how I would spend a EuroMillions win!

I'm 26 weeks now and this has literally been my week! I had a good old cry yesterday cos I'm exhausted but can't seem to sleep. Think it's a combo of hormones, feeling warm, not getting comfortable lying on my side, and bumps kicks are way more hard-core now lol. Even the OH is being nice cos it would be like annoying a bear haha.

@Cherryrainbow I was almost in tears last night too. It’s awful isn’t it?
It’s supposed to get really hot next week. Totally not looking forward to that waking up hot enough already!

A heatwave on top of insomnia?! Argh hell no! Do you find some parts of the house cooler? I tried to sleep on the sofa as it's supposed to be colder downstairs in my house but it didn't help :(

Suffering from this right now! I have tossed and turned something ridiculous, and tried every possible pillow layout going but I find being in bed really uncomfortable. Not helped by my bump being active during the night, and the movements make it really hard for me to settle. I spend my nights like this, and worrying how I'm going to get through the coming day on barely any sleep. I honestly can't remember the last full night's sleep I had, and if anyone else tells me it's just my body's way of preparing me for when the baby's here I think I might scream. I'm so miserable and find it incredibly frustrating. I'm yawning my head off constantly and just begging sleep to come...

@thetravelphotographer just wanted to say hello at 2:30am so you know you're not alone!!

@thattravelphotographer

Thank you @MsChatterbox - hope you managed to get some Zzz's eventually.

Hello insomniacs, I’m here too 👋

I feel like I could do with a good cry, but can’t quite manage. Poor DH is going to have to put up with a very miserable wife today

I suspect this is me for the night now too. Yay pregnancy...

Mine's been on and off all the way through, sorry to say it's worse now I'm nearing the end. The main thing I'd say is try not to worry about it as that can feed the sleeplessness. I'm lucky that I'm wfh - the worst thing that can happen is that I'm a bit useless at work, will stick something in the oven from the freezer for dinner, and then have an early night, but a bad night or few nights won't really harm anything.

Another bad night for me too. Slept on and off 10 - 3. Got up for a bit then snoozed a little between 4 and 5.
Can usually drop off for a hour or so once little boy has got up with husband at 6.30ish. No such luck this morning as 4 doors down got a skip delivered at 6.30! . I was quite pleased with myself that I’d held it together the last two nights and had not let myself get stressed. The skip really pushed me over the edge though and had a little cry to hubby.
Do you get so tired that you eventually have a full nights sleep? I’m hoping so!

Yeah, it might take a few days but I do tend to - on Wednesday night I had 8 hours only waking up once - I felt amazing on Thursday!! Only 4 and a half hours last night... ah well, at least I don't really have to think today :)

I'm like this too! I'm 30 weeks and back at work full time 😩 it's so hard not having a proper sleep

Baby woke me up at 4.45 with an almighty kick! Had a little wriggle about for 20 mins then must have slept, unlike me

Hope you all manage a nap today

Same here. Up since three tonight and twenty eight weeks. Mad dreams when actually asleep. Like you op I worry about being a grumpy mummy to my dd5 in the day. I also look terrible!

Hi Ladies.... the insomnia is killing me slowly 😴😴🙄🙄
I’m 30 weeks, pregnant with my third & final baby and I’m swollen and exhausted. Lack of good solid regular sleep is painful for me at the moment. I had insomnia with my other two but it was only during the first trimester and the last 2-3 weeks of pregnancy. Covid lockdown hasn’t been easy either because chasing, teaching, entertaining and food prepping & cooking for my lovely 5 & 3 year olds non stop doesn’t permit breaks to rest. Urgh... just need more sleep... solid sleep too.

I hope you’re all snoozing and babes are sleeping too. Going to go fold fold my basket of clean clothes (mundane work) in hopes I’ll be able to nod off some soon before my girls wake at 6.

😴😴 Sleepless in Sevenoaks 🙄🙄

I swear I could've wrote every post on here!! Fellow insomniac here.... so tired I could cry! 6.25am, been away since about 4.30am, lying here in the hope I get another hour but more chances of pigs flying. Currently 21 weeks, it's been like this since very easy in the 1st trimester. I used to sleep all night every night so this is a real battle for me!

Sorry you're all suffering too but nice to know I'm not alone! X

It's awful isn't it. I'm 24 weeks and im so up and down. I can have a whole good week (by good I mean 4 toilet trips and very broken sleep but always falling back to sleep) Then a week of bad which is basically up all night, probably get 3/4 hours on a bad night. I've managed to calm myself at night tho because even if I have a terrible night I actually always end up fine once I'm up with my boy so I've decided it's fine, I'm obviously getting enough sleep. For a pregnant person. I also comfort myself with the fact this happened in my first pregnancy and when the baby came I actually ended up having more sleep than when pregnant.

I’m still struggling. I had a good couple of nights last week (multiple wake ups but stayed in bed and felt things were getting better), but last two nights have been hard again. I wake at 3/4 am and cannot gets back to sleep. I’ve taken to coming downstairs, eating toast and tea and doing some puzzles. When it gets to around 5am I try going back to sleep. (Usually have a little cry about how exhausted I feel). Once my little boy gets up with hubby at 6 I’m able to finally settle for a couple of hours and consistently sleep well then.
I guess all in all I’m not actually loosing that much sleep. Its just horrible at 5am being so tired and not being able to sleep.
My parents are coming to visit this week (no judgement please) and really hoping that helps. I had a couple of weeks of sleep problems just before Xmas and them visiting helped massively. I think sometimes with the tiredness and sleep I build it up in my head to be a massive problem but having some additional support for a while can help break up some of the thoughts and get me back on track.