Who says the Sleepless Nights Come AFTER the Birth?

[BearMama]

I know that going to the loo several times a night is supposed to prepare you for being up all night with baba but what about achy limbs and restless legs and racing thoughts?
Am I just unlucky?
I have tried sleeping with a pillow between my knees and using one of those long maternity pillows (like taking taking a draught excluder into bed) but I am waking every hour IF I get to sleep.

Am 30 wks - should I just shut up and be grateful I dont have to listen to a screaming baby as well.

I am looking forward to her birth - honestly!

i got much more sleep after the birth,although i was up every two and a half hours with ds the sleep in between was brilliant

I didn't suffer with this until number 3 (DD), but ended up sleeping sitting up on the sofa most nights, and getting up at 4, 5, and 6

I feel your yawns

Used to come down and go on the Internet or watch baby programmes on Sky....

Totally understand!

Was at BF workshop today as part of antenatal classes, midwife said that after BF in the night (and sometimes during) you have very deep sleep so hope that will be me!
At one point I even put the maternity pillow in a sideways U shape and tried to lie on my front with top bit above boobs and bottom bit under thighs IYSWIM - think I nodded off for about five minutes.

ditto for me i got preggy insomnia at about 16 weeks and it only went away around 37 weeks. the uncomfortable night sleep kicked in then and then along came DD i honestly got more sleep after the birth the trick is is to find the most comfortable position regardless of where it is and stay there!! (except for the frequent wee breaks) i slept sat up in bed with DVDs on in the background for 3 months DH wasnt too happy but i just thought sod him he hasnt got a little hitchhiker who likes to kick him in the bladder in the middle of the effin night
you will be fine
xx ei xx

LOL at the little hitchhiker MrsEi25

Oh, after the birth was bliss...even with a c-section scar and night feeds. I got loads more sleep - and better quality sleep too. DP was also thrilled that the lumpy pillow I used for legs and back was dumped. Turned out he'd hardly slept at end of pregnancy cos of my moaning about being uncomfy and frequent loo trips...but he found he could happily snooze through every night-time shriek dd made

Hi,

I have really bad insomnia. I had got it sorted out but then I caught a bad cold and it has me right back where I started. I didn't get to sleep till about 4.00am (partly baby kicking, partly fear of bad dreams)but luckly was able to sleep until 10.00am. The feeling of not being able to sleep leaves me panicky which exacebates the problem. I keep telling myself to relax because it is not good for the baby but it seems I always have a little panic before dropping off and nothing much has happened.
Good luck and good nights.

I am in the same boat at 32 weeks. Going to see if I can get something prescribed as it is really doing my head in but am doubtful they can give me anything & of course I don't want anything that will risk harm to the baby. Although I was in hospital at 27 weeks & they offered me sleeping tablets then so maybe there is something. Bit worried that I could wee myself though if I take a tablet that makes me sleep through!

I hate the insomnia! Driving me crazy to be bolt awake at 2,4 and then 5 in the morning and then SO sleepy by 3pm that I can barely stay awake at my desk.

Even fell asleep at work on the loo last week!!!

Great thread! Thought i was the only one! So uncomfortable sleeping on side for 'optimal foetal positioning', pillows everywhere making me hot, wee trips, awful dreams alternating with wide awake and bored! Am tempted to cut a hole in matress so that i can sleep on my front!

I'm now 27 weeks, finding it hard to get comfortable at night and it is taking time to get to sleep, but i don't seem to be having a full nights sleep. Although i haven't got insomina like some of you ladies i am stiring in the night with dead arms and legs, backach etc. Is leaving me very tired during the day, both mentally and physically. Dh complianed the other day at the lack of house work getting done as i only work p/t at the min, but just told him i just felt too exhausted to do anything!!

lol, thats an idea piggyp!!!!!

Piggyp, dont know if you read it but I tried to improvise so I could lie on my front - that's how desperate I was! Fed up of the hip pain that comes from constantly lying on side.
Was up every hour last night, oh treacherous bladder! Have tried that moving from side to side on the loo thing but it doesnt work.
You would think they would make some thing along the lines of mattress-with-a-hole-in-it by now.
I find the restless legs arent so bad if I dont eat after 9pm and stay off carbs after 6. This is WITHOUT being a smoker or alcohol or eating rich food.

DS is nearly 4 weeks old and I've got much better sleep than the last 4 weeks of pregancy, even though I never get more than about 2.5 hours at a time!

At least I can sleep on my back now, and almost on my front although I have to squirm my chest out of the way cos my bobs are no huge!

hey BearMama - have you tried sleeping sitting/propped up? Bit tricky getting the pillows right, and can take some practice as not a natural sleeping position but worth a try?

I have also had insomnia due to joint problems/overactive brain (not like me! snigger) and bladder since about week 6 and use combination of this and the absolute belief that there is the perfect comfy position out there somewhere - I just haven't found it yet! And it doesn't matter how much you complain about me be a fidget arse in bed DH, I don't care!!!

piggyp - you should exploit that gap in the market!

Hi Gabster - I havent tried this but will give it a go. Am chuffed because I managed to sleep from 2-4 then 6.30-8. Might have slept longer but postie woke me up!
He was delivering a pressie so forgave him.

Not sure that sleeping sitting up is a good idea as it sounds like the opposite of 'optimal foetal positioning'. We shouldn't even be slouching on sofas apparently!

I'm 30 weeks too (why arent you on our antenatal thread hmmm???)
I make my maternity pillow go like a V upside down on my normal pillows and curl up into it, or cuddle it and have one leg over it, I pushed it out of bed last night and woke up with such an ache in the leg that had been at the bottom

I dont see why sleepign sitting up slightly would be a problem, when I was at the hospital the otehr day m/w made me sit up a bit cos she said that way it didnt crush any vessels.

I am also in the same boat as you - I am 31 weeks now and sleeping at night has become a luxury. I suffer from really bizarre and sometimes scary dreams that wake me up. I have about 6 pillows propping me up at certain angles but if I do manage to drop off, I seem to push them out the way and then wake up aching with the lack of support.

It doesn't help that DH loves to cuddle during the night and I can't stand it as I don't have enough room to manoevere.

And then when you are uncomfy on one side, you have to literally haul your whole body over to other side which takes time and bloody patience!

I love piggyp's idea of a hole in the mattress! I miss sleeping on my tummy.

Only tip I can give is to use some drops of lavendar oil on your pillow at night as that should at least help calm you down a bit gals. It works for me!

Dear all,

I have been on this page before. I have terrible problems with sleep. I also have weird dreams and I can get frightened of falling asleep. Recently I returned to Ireland and it made the whole problem worse because I was homesick.
My consultant had prescribed a very low dose of valium, the lowest possible (2mgs). I have managed not to take any for weeks until today. After one night of no sleep at all and huge anxiety the next day as a result because of tiredness I took one last night. Bliss. I slept for 11 hours. I was worried about baby but s/he continued to kick regually and has today. The sleep cleared my mind and enabled me to take decisions about taking time off work until I have the baby and returning home with my partner. I am now much more relaxed.
I am no expert but I think the occasional prescription drug to help with sleep when prescribed by a doctor does no harm in extreme circumstances. (After all tranqullisers are prescribed during labour) It's a question of weighing up the benefits versus the risk. I definately benefited but I won't take it again for a while.
Hope you all get a good night's sleep.

Bearmama - let us know how you got on.

Pyggyp - see your point, but I got the idea from my Dr Miriam Stoppard "Pregnancy" book, so I'm sure its not a bad idea - and yes, I think the angle rather than sitting bolt up-right is the key. Plus of course we are not talking about sleeping like this all the time!

TBH I am now in week 40 and around week 35 found I could not sleep 'flat' for long in any case because of the old 'blocked nose' syndrome (on top of everything else!). All my frequent checkups have shown LO as in good position, but then I do sleep on my side too - its just good to have another possible position for 5am when both hips ache so much you can't face lying on either side any longer!!