sleep aid safe for BFing?

kyks17Wed237779 · February 2013

I'm having major insomnia, it's taking me 2-3 hours to fall asleep every night, and I only have about a 6 hour stretch in which to sleep. The only caffeine I have is 2 cups of coffee in the morning around 10am, and I'm going to sleep around 1am so I don't think the caffeine is the problem.

Is there some kind of sleep aid I could take that is BF friendly, like melatonin or unisom or something? I haven't taken any in the past but this is my 2nd week of getting practically zero sleep and I'm going back to work soon. Thanks

MaggieF516 · February 2013

I have insomnia as well and with a baby that is up half of the night, it isn't a good combo!! Both my pedi and primary care doctor said that taking Benadryl or Tylenol PM (same active ingredient of diphenhydramine) for sleep is ok. I do think there is information out there though that says it can decrease your supply. There are days when I've noticed a decrease in what I pump after taking it, but days where I notice no decrease. My PCP also prescribed me Ambien which is apparently safe. I haven't been able to take it all but one time though as my little guy still wakes up constantly during the night. Good luck!

heatherjesse · February 2013

diphenhydramine is safe (found in Benadryl and Unisom as well as all generic over the counter sleep aids). Skip the whatever PM meds if you don't need the added ingredient like tylenol. Melatonin is safe but excreted in breastmilk as it is a naturally occurring hormone, so baby's sleep will be affected as well. Ambien is also "safe" as it is not really excreted in huge amounts in breastmilk; however, the use of sedative-hypnotic medications when you expect to be awake is a very bad idea. If baby does not reliably sleep for the 8 hour stretch that you need to be sleeping while on that medication, you should think a lot about taking it. People do not have control over their behavior while awake under the influence of those medications.

There is a really great app for questions about medications and breastfeeding called LactMed. It's free and has awesome information.

BriDaily · February 2013

Have you been to a chiropractor? Gotten a good PP massage? Go pamper your body! It went through loads of hard work during labor and deserves some special treatment! Plus, everything is trying to move back to "normal" and needs a little help. You probably just need a little pampering to get a good night's sleep

kyks17Wed237779 · February 2013

I go to the chiropractor every 2 weeks, so unfortunately that isn't a help here. I can't seem to turn my mind off at night, it's just racing as I'm laying in bed. Thanks for the med info, I might try 1 unisom to see if it helps, but not take it every night. Just need to get some kind of sleep before much longer :- Ridiculously tired, but can't sleep! Ugh.

kaybee10 · February 2013

If you really are having that much trouble sleeping, you may want to consider cutting out caffine completely atleast until you get back on a good sleeping pattern. I know that may seem hard for anyone who is addicted to that nice wakeup cup of coffee, but the caffine in your system isnt helping. You need to clear it out for a while. I haven't sleep well since having my lo either and shes almost 9 months. I didn't sleep well when pregnant, then up all night with a newborn and now that she sleeps I cant sleep lol. But it is getting better, trying to relax a racing mind is hard though!

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