Insomnia

Stephanie7693

I know this has been brought up a lot in other threads, but I feel like it deserves it's own! How are you ladies dealing with it? Have you found anything that helps? 
I haven't slept a decent amount in about 2 weeks and I just can't function anymore. My husband is picking up some benadryl and Tylenol pm on his way home. Going to give benadryl a try tonight. 

sbelle474

Benadryl works for me. I do get up to go to the bathroom but am able to fall back asleep easier.

Stephanie7693

I'm hoping the benadryl works tonight. I didn't fall asleep until almost 4am this morning, and I was in bed around midnight. I've only had one night where I actually slept between all my bathroom trips 

Car0liiine

I've tried everything. A couple of times I took diphenhydramine, sent DH to the guest room, listened to guided sleep meditations and managed to sleep for maybe a couple of hours. But I've been struggling to sleep at night for so long I can't really remember. I thought it was just a phase at first and I just needed to get back on schedule. I've accepted now that I had my last good night's sleep before baby long ago without realizing it. I am more fortunate than many of you however because I am for some reason able to sleep during the day and have nothing stopping me. So for example, last night I probably slept 2 hours if you add up all the little fragments together. But I took a "nap" from around 12:30 - 5:30. So I'm not going without sleep, just not sleeping well. Especially because over the last week or so I've gotten way more uncomfortable and an siren up every few minutes with hip pain, full bladder, or these damn awful pelvic cramps.

Stephanie7693

@Car0liiine... I know how you feel. I haven't slept through the night in months, but I've almost lost the ability to sleep completely these last weeks. Even if I get a chance to nap, I can't fall asleep. My kids have been pretty good about letting me rest though. My legs I think are half the reason I can't sleep at night. Possibly restless leg syndrome?  I used to be able to do some squats and walk it off before bed, but now my legs just ache at night and it's relentless. Plus all the other lovely pregnancy stuff, like my big belly that makes it hard to breathe just laying down sometimes. 4 more weeks. I just keep repeating that to myself, and try to be thankful at least I can lay down at night and not worry about a screaming baby just yet. Although the screaming baby is more appealing some nights

bearsandbeets7

I've started to realize that if I overdo it during the day I have a harder time sleeping at night. I've slept a little bit better the past few nights but it's gotten extremely hard to roll over and my hips will start to hurt. 

And, the super fun part where I wake up stuck on my back like a beached whale or a turtle that's on its back. I keep forgetting to have DH pick up some Benadryl so I'm just suffering through. 

I am lucky though and I nap pretty much every day when DD does. I need that nap to make it through the rest of the day. 

beenabee

I'm gonna have to try some Benadryl. Insomnia finally hit this weekend and I feel like a zombie today. 

slycat

I received a little device called a DOHM as a baby shower gift. It's a white noise machine for babies. I plugged it in and the first night I slept for 5 hours straight. That's a record!  I'm not sleeping like I did pre pregnancy but it's so much better. I never in a million years thought that white noise would help me sleep but it works. I tried benedryl and Tylenol and had zero success. DOHM gets two thumbs up!

AmandaG225

Last night my husband slept in bed with me for the first time in probably a couple of months. He usually just ends up falling asleep on the couch or in bed with our daughter when he puts her to bed. He doesn't mind and I am very willing to have the entire bed to myself. He gets better sleep that way than with me, I am constantly flipping and flopping around trying to get comfortable and then my constant trips to pee. Last night I slept terrible, I think it was just the heat put off by his body but I was soaking wet with sweat all night long! I didn't have the heart to say anything to him this morning but I don't know if I can do another night like that!

Stephanie7693

Benadryl didn't do much for me. I fell asleep faster, but woke up way more. Tonight it's on to Tylenol pm. I see my NP tomorrow, and maybe she will have some other ideas

texasmama2014

Has anyone found a comfortable position to sleep in??? I swear if I could just get comfortable...

Stephanie7693

@texasmama2014... I use my pregnancy pillow along with a couple regular ones and sleep mostly on my belly. I have a U shaped pregnancy pillow, so my belly just kinda hangs there lol. But it takes time to get there and get comfortable so I don't do it all the time.

nanner26

@texasmama2014 Do you have a body pillow or Snoogle? I lay on my side and hug the pillow with one leg on top and the other on the bottom. It seems to help relieve pressure on my back. 

kristynmac

@texasmama2014 I didn't want to spend money on a pregnancy pillow, instead I bought bamboo pillows for our bed. They are supposed to stay cool and help with neck pain, but I use them between my legs and they don't flatten out during the night. I also roll a lot so its easy to "grab and roll" keeping the pillow between my legs.

Snaps816

I love my pregnancy pillow, but the bigger I get, the harder it is to fit me, DH and the pillow into the bed!! I have one of those U-shaped pillows, which has been nice because you don't have to take it with you when you roll over, but now we are running out of room! One side of the pregnancy pillow now just flops down onto the floor when I'm not using it. 

Abfisher

I work 12 hour night shifts, so I don't really know what it's like to sleep thru the night anyway lol. Sleep sucked before pregnancy and continues to suck most of the time. I work behavioral health and I have to give my patients the sleep lecture all of the time; I have to listen to my own advice when I get frustrated on the difficulty sleeping. I have realized that the more you focus on the sleep your not getting, the worse it seems, and the more difficult it will be to sleep. It helps to take the pressure off of yourself by not focusing on the hours and not perseverating on the fact that you're not sleeping. If I am tossing and turning, I'll get out of the bed and do something else. I just remind myself that eventually I will get a few hours of sleep, even if it's not today. But the worst thing you can do is TRY to sleep. Let it happen on it's own. Eventually after days of only getting a few hours of sleep and continued working, I will crash. And it's so wonderful when that does happen. I hate taking benadryl; I get a hangover feeling from it and the half-life is just too long. Don't use phones, televisions, iPads, etc when laying awake in bed. I like using lavendar oils and reading to relax me. Warm baths are great also. My maternity pillow is all floppy and overused now, so I have had to improvise with other pillows by putting one behind my back and one between my legs. All of this tiredness is just preparation for when the baby comes   

Abfisher

Also, Tylenol PM, benadryl, and Zzzquil are the same thing. Diphenhydramine is the main ingredient. So if one doesn't work, then the other won't. Some docs will rx ambien for sleep if anyone is that desperate.

vmd2003

I have just discovered over the past couple of weeks something that really does help my insomnia. I read a magazine article recently that people who tend to wake up between 1-4 a.m. or so might be doing so because of hypoglycemia. Snacking during this period of sleeplessness helps. I didn't think much of it at the time bye cause I am not really feeling hungry when I am there lying awake trying to get back to sleep. Then I took a business trip about 3 weeks ago (to another time zone) and awoke way earlier than my alarm. I tried going back to sleep but no results so I got up and checked some work email. I smacked on a protein bar and boom - about 15 min later I was feeling blissfully drowsy and decided to try going back to sleep.  I slept all the way to my alarm. I've implemented this approach since then with success. In fact, last night I woke up at 3 am to go to the bathroom for the second time, and had trouble falling back asleep. I tried for about 30-40 min when it struck me that I should probably give up and get up to get a snack. I ate about 4 peanut butter crackers and a half glass of milk, went back to bed, and was asleep within 10 min. So that's what works for me -- hoping it will be of help to someone else!

bearsandbeets7

I had 2 good nights of sleep but now the insomnia is back with a vengeance. 

MamaKSquared

I have no problem falling asleep at night, but once or twice a week, I'll wake up usually between 2 & 4 with a restless mind and hungry belly. I'll typically make myself a bowl of cereal. Sometimes I can fall right back asleep and sometimes I will lay there just thinking about what needs to be done that day (this was occasionally an issue with me pre-pregnancy). My midwife told me about a supplement called Calms Forte that is safe to take during pregnancy. I started taking it and it seems to help a little. 

emmeline714

I feel sleep deprived nothing seems to work for me anymore, the night i was getting some sleep i had a nightmare so i had to get up and then i could not sleep

Edsilva14

texasmama2014 - also having a rough time to get a comfy way to sleep. I sleep on my left side but so restless. plus the bathroom breaks. I use a pillow right behind my back to give my back some support and that helps... its like a long pillow shaped as a hot dog type

pelorunningmama

I'm having an awful time. I'm up every 2 hours to pee it seems and then every little noise wakes me up. I also am most comfortable laying on my back with just a slight angle (hard to describe), but I'm trying to keep myself on my side.

Last night one of our dogs also decided to throw up in various rooms, so that was fun and lasted about an hour and a half. Every time I thought she was better she would get sick again. I felt bad for her, but was pretty mad at the time. 

I may end up taking a benadryl tonight because it has been at least 8 or 9 days since I've had a sound night of sleep. Good luck to everyone else struggling. 

Snaps816

Careful taking Tylenol PM as a sleep aid -- you're getting a dose of acetaminophen that you don't really need, and if you're taking any other products that contain acetaminophen, you could end up with too much. Or something else you're taking could interact badly with it. Acetaminophen actually lands a lot of people in the hospital each year for minor-seeming overdoses. Just a friendly PSA from a person who is super paranoid about pills. 

jacmkelley

Sleep? What's that?

jacmkelley

LWC1112 said:

I'm having an awful time. I'm up every 2 hours to pee it seems and then every little noise wakes me up. I also am most comfortable laying on my back with just a slight angle (hard to describe), but I'm trying to keep myself on my side.

Last night one of our dogs also decided to throw up in various rooms, so that was fun and lasted about an hour and a half. Every time I thought she was better she would get sick again. I felt bad for her, but was pretty mad at the time. 

I may end up taking a benadryl tonight because it has been at least 8 or 9 days since I've had a sound night of sleep. Good luck to everyone else struggling. 

That's how I'm most comfortable!!! And I have to be on my side a tad and with a little bit of an incline because if not I feel like the baby is in a weird place and it makes it hard to feel comfortable. Im using like 12 pillows and there is a method to the madness lol

pelorunningmama

@jacmkelley me too! My husband thinks I'm ridiculous, but I absolutely need ALL the pillows. My ab muscles suck these days so no support there and I need to keep myself wedged up. The pregnancy pillows have never worked for me because I feel like they trap me in bed, so I just surround myself with pillows.

Stephanie7693

My husband hates all the pillows too! I have my pregnancy pillow, among the two to 3 others I use. I think that is what he's most excited about as far as this pregnancy being over lol. That and the fact that I always have the house set to freezing bc I can't sleep if I'm warm at all

Stephanie7693

Since the benadryl and Tylenol pm were fails, I'm going to try unisom tonight. I really want to avoid the ambien if I can. It sounds scary. As much as I try not to take anything while pregnant, I need some sleep! 

pelorunningmama

Took half a unisom tonight. Fingers crossed for some sleep magic!

beenabee

Wide awake once again...might go see if I can find some Benadryl. So over pregnancy insomnia. 

Stephanie7693

I'm awake still too. Eating sunflower seeds and watching TV to pass the time lol

Duffgurl

I can't recall the last time I slept well I just can't get comfortable and I'm constantly shifting. I tend to be up till about 3:30am fall asleep then wake in another 2-3 hrs. 

I tend to watch movies, read, surf the net and enjoy some pie

Me & my insomnia pie lol 

ballofmeat

I'm up too. It's currently 330 am and I've been awake since 2am. The most I can sleep at one time seems to be 4 hours. I'm hoping this insomnia doesn't last forever. Even Benadryl doesn't seem to help anymore. 

ballofmeat

Plus also...I fell asleep around 9pm only the be right back awake to the sound of someone lighting fireworks in the neighborhood. Seriously people, 4th of July is over!!! 

bearsandbeets7

Here I am again. I'm fed up with insomnia. 

bearsandbeets7

Double posting but I feel like I'm going to have a middle of the night meltdown. Most days I nap when DD does but I didn't yesterday in hopes that maybe I would sleep better tonight. Nope. Fell asleep around 1am and woke up at 4. It's like freaking clockwork. Also the heartburn has come back with a vengeance. I feel like I could breathe fire right now. 

ballofmeat

@Lynnlove28 I've been signing the praises this last week of the heartburn medication my midwife finally put me on. Mine is completely gone! And I was getting heartburn from freaking water! The medication she put me on is called pantoprazole. 

Abfisher

I have a hole in my bed where I have been laying down lol.. I have gotten so heavy and big. Baby's weight is about 6 lbs, 10 oz as of two days ago and measuring 1-2 weeks ahead. I may only have a couple more weeks to go! The most I am sleeping at a time is 30 minutes now. I am averaging about 2-4 hours for each day. Hopefully I'll be primed for when the baby comes. At least the sleep will be more comfortable then. 

Stephanie7693

@Abfisher... I know I've put a dent in all my pillows too! I hardly sleep before 4am, but am able to get a few good hours after that, only getting up to pee. I should be adjusted to sleeplessness too by the time baby arrives. Maybe it's a blessing at this point? How many weeks are you?

bearsandbeets7

Benadryl did the trick for me last night! I was hoping it would because most medications like that knock me out. I just hope it's not something I have to take regularly. I'm not going to take any tonight so I'll see how I do.