Friday, February 22, 2013

The Stuff Nobody Tells You. See Also: Sleepless Nights Before Baby

There are a few things that I was told would likely happen while I was pregnant. Things like you may feel nauseated for weeks on end, you'll want to eat things that were never appetizing before. There will be the inevitable backaches, and you'll probably want to burn most of your maternity wardrobe by the time the baby arrives. But one of the things that people failed to mention to me was how soon insomnia can begin.

Don't get me wrong, I am still practically falling into bed each night with hopes of at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, but between the bathroom trips and the early wake up calls, I find it hard to get more than five hours of sleep at a time. Doesn't this insomnia thing usually happen later in pregnancy?!

I guess you can call it 'training for when the baby comes,' but I didn't think it would start this early. Just last week, I was up and out of bed before B almost every day. Once I am awake and scanning through Facebook on my phone, there is little to no hope of me falling back to sleep. So, my days are beginning earlier and earlier.

There is something peaceful about those early mornings. I find myself so much more motivated and productive when I am up and ready for the day by 6:30AM.

Still, some mornings I spend my early hours shopping online (hello, drawer full o' baby clothes!), or browsing my Instagram feed. We all know how much of a time suck that can be.

I am wondering if purchasing a Snoogle will aid this problem, or perhaps it just means that I need to be more active during my days? Pretty soon I will be turning into one of those women that is snacking and watching Lifetime movies at four in the morning. 

I don't think I'm quite ready for that reality yet.

Anyone else go through this? Any tips to share??

12 comments:

Shannon Dew said...

I'm sleeping like crap too, have from day 1. I hear great things about the pregnancy pillows and I'm really starting to consider buying one.

Shelli said...

I bought a $10 body pillow from Target and I still to this day sleep spooning that thing. It also helped me to put a pillow at my back. I hope you get to sleeping better soon! Kendall would not let me sleep on my right side and I got up to use the bathroom all night long. Training for late night feedings - but all worth it! :)

Audra said...

No matter how comfortable you feel (The Snoogle and similar products can help), nothing can fix the insomnia. I wake up multiple times a night, for no reason. I will say that once your little one gets here, it is helpful. If my daughter so much as sniffled I was on high alert. But, once the glorious day comes when you are both no longer pregnant AND your baby is sleeping through the night, I'm telling you, it is the most magical sleep EVER.

Shannon said...

I stopped sleeping well the night I found out I was pregnant and haven't slept well in close to two years. I was constantly waking up during pregnancy, then of course the sleep deprived newborn stage. Now my body has just grown accustumed to waking up at EVERY. LITTLE. SOUND. I figure I'll sleep when he goes off to college.

Ashley said...

People always used to tell me "Sleep now, you won't get any when the baby comes!" But that was SOOO far from the truth it wasn't funny. I got less sleep while I was pregnant than I did once my babies were born. Between the pain in my hips, peeing, pain in my upper belly, heartburn, itching, nauseau, etc. I was up ALL night. The cheap regular body pillows worked just fine for me, just make sure you don't buy one with any sort of screened print (they stick to your legs) or a really fuzzy cover (too hot!). Unfortunately I don't really think there's a cure for it though :(

Tara said...

I was always a great sleeper but as soon as I found out I was pregnant, the insomnia started (and got progressively worse with each trimester). At first I think it was just nerves, but as the discomfort level increased, my ability to fall asleep decreased. Sticking pillows under my belly helped a little bit. Good luck!

Jennifer said...

This is so true. By the time the 3rd trimester rolls around, I am like get this kid out so I can sleep.

Ramblings of a Suburban Mom

Not So Newlyweds said...

Oh insomnia! You were not my friend for so long. I'd wake up between 2 and 3 every night and was up for at least an hour. It's getting better now, thank goodness! I just hope that it doesn't come back (I won't hold my breath). I hope things get better for you too!!

Eve said...

Pam! Yes, oh my goodness. I totally was up at 4am yesterday and 6am today. This is so strange for me. Usually I can't get me out of bed in the morning! I do try and force myself to sleep on my left side hugging a body pillow and a pillow shoved under my hip/back, but doesn't seem to help with my waking up during the night and waking up early in the morning. And usually I wake up on my back with the pillows shoved aside. I slept so much during the 1st trimester I wasn't expecting this the 2nd.

Emily said...

i haven't had much trouble at all when it comes to falling asleep (i'm 24 weeks and still doing okay without a body pillow) unfortunately, i find that i can't sleep in past 8 or 9 on the weekends, even if i've gone to bed late! this morning? i was up a little after 7! i'm with you...i can be super productive in the morning, so i guess that's the silver lining!

Amanda @ everyday b and b said...

I purchased a maternity pillow http://www.amazon.com/Leachco-Belly-Contoured-Pillow-Ivory/dp/B0002E7DIQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1361718466&sr=8-3&keywords=maternity+pillow

and it changed my life. It was a little expensive but being able to have it form around me and my ever growing belly was perfect because I could roll over and not have to switch the pillow around. By the time the last 6 weeks rolled around I would literally come home from work and just go lay in bed in the pillow. I definitely recommend it as it does help to alleviate a lot of the tension in your back and hips. Good luck to you! I had may sleepless nights and pregnancy insomnia but once that sweet baby is here you realize sleep isn't nearly as good as having that baby look up at you with those loving eyes! :)

Sarah said...

I was sleeping like crap once i hit the 10w mark. Finally at about, 15 weeks i bought a sleep number pillow and its been amazing! Im able to fall back asleep and get a great sleep between 5am and 10am, or even 11am. (the perks of being a stay at home wife!) I'm able to fall asleep before 11pm too! I tried the body pillow things, but i ended up kicking them off the bed majority of the nights. Theres just no room, and they made me so hot!