when DD wakes up I cannot get back to sleep for HOURS

[drivingmisscrazy]

she's 2 and I'd say an average sleeper - trouble is, when she wakes up (has a cough at the moment, for example), I settle her back, but then find it almost impossible to get back to sleep myself (she woke at 1.15am, I am still awake at 3!); DP long settled back to sleep. Can anyone give me any tips? We have dc2 due in December (fingers crossed) and it's going to be hard if I can't find a way of getting back to sleep when woken - I am ratty when sleep deprived, plus the main earner. I try to think relaxing thoughts, but just end up thinking about all sorts of things - my jaw tenses up, mainly because I am worrying about not being able to sleep. Help!

I eat well, don't drink much alcohol, drink no caffeine after 6, run and bike regularly...

Have you tried a relaxation CD? You could listen through earphones. I had a hypnotherapy CD when pg - never failed to send me off.

worth a go - I've never tried one of those (being all snooty and sceptical about such hocus-pocus ) - but if it's so great why are you awake??

I was sceptical about whether the actual hypnotherapy actually made labour any less painful, but the wave sounds, plinky-plunky music and the lady intoning into my ear really sent me off. I never heard the CD all the way through!

I'm awake because my DS is 7 months old and still wakes up every two and a half hours Am sitting next to his cot making sure he's really asleep before I put my head down ... quite often I'm just drifting off and then ... "WAAAAAAAHHHH!"

I'm awake as I put poor DS to bed in a nature care nappy instead of a huggies and he woke up soaked in wee. Cue my first change of entire cot bedding in the middle of the night (he's 14 weeks) and frantic searching for a clean sleeping bag.

Do you think you might find it easier to sleep when you're not pregnant? So it might just be a temporary problem?

I find it difficult to get back to sleep to usually but after 7 months I can even sleep through the crying I am so tired! Except right now when it has been 3 hours and she is still crying!

But in the early days when the adrenaline/anxiety about next wake up kept me awake I would use a combination of rescue remedy night time spray, lavender on pillow, an eye mask and listening to a talking book or nature sounds like waves through my earphones. If you have an iPhone or iPod there's a v good White noise app which you can set on timer, might help you and the new baby.

Also what helped was the mid wife saying to me 'you just have to sleep, even if you only get 5 minutes sleep that's five minutes more sleep than you did have'. Actually did help a bit.

My insomnia was at it's worst when pg though. I actually was proscribed sleeping tablets in the end, Zopiclone they were called. If things are really bad do go to your gp.

Are you like this when not pregnant? I had terrible insomnia when pregnant and now DS is 3.5 months and a terrible sleeper I find I am beginning to be able to snooze whenever he is quiet in his cot! Perhaps yours might improve once the baby is born?

I'm the same. I'm awake because although dd (7m) sleeps through she has a cold just now so has been awake.

The way I try and do it and it more often than not works is a try reverse psychology with myself - I think that I will just enjoy the quiet and will just relax because the house is never quiet during the day, never. If I find myself thinking too much I write down my worry in a book I have at the bedside and tell myself I can deal with that in the morning.

When I was pregnant with dd I struggled BIG time to get back to sleep after ds had woken BUT I think most of that was because I was obsessed with how I would cope when dc2 arrives - as it turned out she's slept 7-6/7 from a VERY young age (ds didn't sleep through until 3) so you might be lucky!

Yeah, been like this my whole life. 3 hours from woken until I can sleep again. Annoying!

I avoid caffeine after lunchtime usually. Had 2 vodka and diet cokes yesterday evening and could not get to sleep until after 1am and up at 6am! Maybe try cutting out the caffeine before much earlier in the day.

yes, always like this - was thinking last night and remembering being on a school trip when about 7 or 8 (or maybe brownie camp) and being the only person awake - might try the noise thingy though. Worth a go. Last night I was hungry too

thanks for all your messages - there's a lot of sleepless ladies out there - i hope you all got some kip in the end - I did although knackered today

this happens to me too - mainly because I'm telling myself 'go to sleep it's precious and you need sleep' so then I can't! Don't know what the answer is though, but you're def. not alone.