Baby is asleep, but I'm wide awake!

[MermaidTail7]

First time mum here. My EBF 12 week old DD is now starting to go pretty decent stretches through the night without waking for a feed.. Usually 9pm through to 3am.. Because of general new parent tiredness and DD DP's working hours we are in bed pretty early (before 10pm)..

I am going to bed tired, and falling asleep, however I am finding that I am waking up about 2-3 hours after falling asleep even though DD is still fast asleep. I then find it really hard to get back to sleep, and can often be awake for 2+ hours in the middle of the night...

Has anyone else experienced this at all.. And more importantly, has anyone managed to combat it?

No useful advice but have had exactly the same thing since DS2 was born. He's just started making it to 3/4am before needing a feed, but once we're up for that one I can't get back to sleep so am regularly starting my day at 3 I think it gets to the point where your body is just so used to waking and staying awake that it gets hard to crack. Anyway, just wanted to say you're not alone, and also hoping someone else will be along with some useful tips!

Yes, I did, it's frustrating isn't it. You have a bad night's sleep and can't even blame the baby! No solutions though I'm afraid. Have you suffered insomnia or disturbed sleepin the past? I just try the usual tips for those.

Yes I do this, my favourite trick is to listen to a documentary on iplayer on the iPad with the screen facedown so the light doesn’t keep me awake. It has to be one of the less interesting documentaries so I don’t listen to it.

Thanks ladies.. I did used to suffer with insomnia before I was pregnant. It wasn't an issue while I was expecting and I hoped being a parent had banished it through sheer exhaustion, but apparently not.. I had hypnotherapy for it a few years ago which did improve things... I like the idea of listening to a boring documentary though... I might give that a try.