Getting <5 hours’ sleep at 37/38 weeks… if one more person tells me to ‘make the most of it…!’ 😡

[Justwanttosleep2]

No purpose of this thread other than to vent I’m afraid.

Since 34 weeks I’ve been sleeping less than normal but in the past couple of weeks it has really ramped up (or should that be down?). A combination of pregnancy insomnia, terrible PGP and a bladder the size of a thimble means I’m not getting off to sleep until around 1am and I’m waking around 5am or 6am.

And well meaning friends and family are messaging me telling me to ‘make the most of maternity leave!’ ‘Enjoy your lie ins, you won’t be getting any more for a while!’, it is driving me mad.

I actually feel that I will be getting better quality and possibly more sleep once baby is here, albeit spaced out through the day.

I’ve averaged 4.5 hours a night for the last few days. I’m utterly exhausted. 😔

Oh I totally get this! I just had my second, my first was a terrible sleeper for the longest time and now is pretty much perfect, but despite her sleeping well, towards the end of the pregnancy I was battling insomnia due to being anxious, finding it impossible to get comfortable or feel like I could physically support the bump laying down, using the pregnancy pillow didn’t help as it kept me on my side but it became far too hot to want to be wrapped up in it, and my bladder was waking me every 1.5 - 2 hrs.
People do say some really annoying things don’t they?!

I slept much much better once my babies were out. Ignore them. Even when you’re up in the night feeding a newborn at least there’s a point to it, unlike tossing and turning with heartburn and aches and impossible to get comfy.

Welcome to motherhood, OP, where people inflict their opinions and judgements on you from the get go. The best advice I can give is to ignore. I still am.

People are the worst when you're expecting a baby, telling you things you already know. A baby will wake up in the night and change your life...everyone I knew would tell me this every time I saw them.
They mean well but it's incredibly annoying. Pregnancy is miserable and that's okay.

I get less than that ha I got obstetric cholestasis so up all night itching, I know how u feel me to exhausted and just sat there sometimes falling asleep sat up 🤣 try and nap in day time does help and doctor put me on Amitriptyline that really helps with sleeping x

Tried to nap this morning but instead had awful reflux!

I am really struggling too OP. My main concern being how am I going to get through giving birth next week when since June I have had about 5 hours sleep and that is interrupted to go toilet or from gas and reflux. Breathlessness when awake doesn’t help either. I actually think the newborn phase will be a breeze this time. In fact I already have the black eye bags I had after DD. I have been so tempted to take piriton tablets as I cannot nap either.

02:00-05:50 last night. Couldn’t get to sleep due to reflux then woke up for the toilet.

So that’s two nights of 4.5 hours and one night of less than 4 hours. Is this seriously how I am going to carry on for the next two weeks?

I can’t go on like this. I might message my midwife and see if there’s anything I can take.

I have never slept more than when I was on maternity leave!

Are you still at work OP or have you started maternity leave?

With kindness, if you're on maternity leave already, then try to stress less about the lack of sleep - you can relax and rest in the day. Don't drive if you don't feel well. Do the bare minimum. This is just a phase like everything else.

It’s annoying when people say things like that, but depending on how your baby sleeps there’s some truth in it. Neither of my babies napped in the cot until over 6 months old so no napping during the day for me, and I’ve always counted 4-5 hours sleep a night as not a terrible night, especially now with two DC. If you get a good sleeper though it can be much harder to get sleep when pregnant. Not helpful of your friends to be commenting though especially at the horrible late stage of pregnancy.

I would hun ask them hun me on sleeping pills but don't take them unless I really need them x

Sounds very familiar. Can you treat yourself to a pregnancy massage, or something else to get a bit of respite? Definitely ask the Dr for reflux medication, it's a really miserable thing to have.

Also have a read around safe cosleeping, chest sleeping and contact naps. Once baby is here you'll have the best snoozes of your life together, I promise.

Just over 3.5 hours again tonight… such a joke! Can’t believe I had pictured me being all cosy and well rested and nesting etc. Instead I am too exhausted to move or even concentrate on anything such as a film or book. I’m just existing during the day until it’s time for ‘bed’ again.

OP I hear you - I went to 41 weeks with dc1 and sleep was dreadful for the last three weeks. It’s pretty normal I think and honestly for me worse when the baby is born! I had a 36 hour labour with just a few hours sleep, then two days in a hospital maternity ward where I was constantly woken by either my own baby or the other three adjacent babies.

And then I got home and ebf was a shitshow, milk didn’t come in for an extra day so I got almost zero sleep. The sleeplessness went on for months as dc had silent reflux and colic. It was utterly horrific!

Oh and what did dh do with his two weeks stay paternity leave to help? Took advantage of the “free holiday” and built a new shed!

So your well meaning friends are right really - rest in the daytime now because it is no easier if you’re planning to ebf - you’ll be “on call” all the time.

Pregnancy tired is a lot worse than newborn tired imo

oh op you are just like me! I was so sure I would be one of the lucky mums that finds it all easy. I wasn't.

You need to read way more baby forums and stop thinking this will be fun. Late pregnancy and a newborn the first time around feels like hell. The only thing that keeps you sane is knowing that the 75% of other new mums experience the same. Pain, exhaustion, pnd, isolation. Despair and feelings of inadequacy when you see the other baby mamas rocking it (apparently some people do). FOMO because you are too tired to enjoy most of it.

Funny enough for second baby all much better - had a hypno-birthing I game-plan, got myself out walking every day both before and after baby (even though it was winter and -4 some days). Despite baby being very vomity and a bad sleeper too, just laughed gaily and bought hair bobbles to keep hair mostly vomit-free and bought a sling to keep baby upright. It was blissful chaos. Still exhausted but coped.

I have an older toddler and a baby. Afternoon naps are the best. We all sleep at least 2 hrs and it has saved me. Pregnancy was shit for my sleep for all the same reasons as you + horrible hip and back pain.

You could try Omeprazole for the reflux you can get it from the GP. I’m going to request some today as Rennies/Gaviscon are wearing off in the night and the heartburn keeps waking me up.

I’ve found the nights I use a magnesium body butter (Sweet Bea brand) I sleep deeper/longer.

Also I’ve stopped drinking anything 2 hours before bed and now need 1/2 wees instead of 4/5.

I get in bed at 9pm and try to get as much sleep as I can until 7am.

Those breastfeeding hormones made me sleep SO well- and I have a little one who has always slept the whole night . Went from being the stumbling insomniac to a put together human the moment I had a newborn. Never has ‘ I told you so’ felt so good …

I’m afraid it does depend on the baby, 4-5 hours uninterrupted was the ultimate DREAM for me with my newborn who woke every 45 minutes overnight for months and months and only slept in the day if moving. The good news is at 2 they sleep through the night perfectly and have done since 1 so we got there in the end 😂

Midnight - 03:30 for me so far today, looks like that is all it’s going to be as well. This is just so frustrating.

Honestly ignore all the comments, no baby is the same as another and no pregnancy is the same as another! X

Just ignore stupid comments. I used to get such weird comments in my first pregnancy. Like enjoy getting your nails and hair done now as you won't get the time for it after. Guess what I still do and I don't look like stig of the dump. Plus I managed to sleep after my ds arrived! People like to be know it alls and act the martyr.

@blahblahblah24

Totally agree with this xx