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December 2022 Moms
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Nervous of sleep deprivation postpartum

alexa_rosiealexa_rosie member
edited September 2022 in December 2022 Moms
Did not sleep well last night which made me feel extremely awful in the morning. I’m the type of person who needs a lot of sleep. I’m really nervous of how I’d deal with limited sleep during those first weeks and staying functional. There is no way to escape it. I just hope there is some kind of maternity mechanism that can keep some sanity during those sleepless night. Any thoughts appreciated! 
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Re: Nervous of sleep deprivation postpartum

  • equinedoctormamaequinedoctormama member
    No helpful ideas… just know you’re not alone. That thought has been heavy on my mind today too. 
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  • 00kim0000kim00 member
    I'm a FTM, so haven't experienced it myself yet, but from my understanding, there is no magic mechanism. You are NOT going to be functional or sane. Expect to be a zombie just trying to make it through the first couple of weeks. You may go a couple of weeks without showering or possibly even eating if you haven't stocked up on freezer meals or having someone take care of you. Don't expect to leave the house except for doctors appointments, and expect to hurt, feel grumpy and sad, cry, feel gross, and generally be in survival mode. Build your support network NOW, and accept people's offers to help. Not to scare you, but maybe if you expect it to be really hard, it'll be easier to deal with in the moment. And it gets better.
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  • ellief_0926ellief_0926 member
    Very nervous of this too!  Sleep is so critical to my mood!  The only thing that’s reassuring is I’m already sleeping like crap with heartburn and being really uncomfortable!  One of my friends who recently had a baby said she was just happy to not be pregnant anymore and felt like she got better sleep when the baby arrived, even if in shorter intervals.  I’m hoping this is the case for me! 
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  • sprout1234sprout1234 member
    I’m also someone who needs a lot of sleep. That being said I suffered from insomnia the year before I got pregnant. I’m also struggling a bit now during pregnancy. I will say, while it is not fun…. It’s amazing what the body and mind can do when it needs to adapt. 

    Try not to stress as that will only make things worse. You can do this :)! 
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  • knottiec1bd6c5399b4642aknottiec1bd6c5399b4642a member
    I'm the same way about needing my 8 hours (maybe 7 since parenthood), and this is my second pregnancy. The sleep deprivation sucks; there's no sugar coating it. Like others said, getting help is really important if you can. It will be hard, but you'll get through it. 

    I know sleep training is a controversial topic among parents, but we used the book "The Sleep Easy Solution" to sleep train my daughter at 4 months, with night weaning starting at 6 months. The method worked beautifully for us, and my daughter is a good sleeper to this day. With this second pregnancy, I'm telling myself that I just have to get through the first 4 months, and then sleep will get easier. 
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  • omnommeromnommer member
    edited September 2022
    All the thoughts people have given above are great. It is going to be tough. That being said, you might be able to make some plans to help yourself out. 

    I’m not sure your situation at home but if you have a partner and they are able to take some time off (even just a week or two), here’s what my husband and I did last time:

    I would go up to bed at like 9. He’d stay in the living room with the baby in the pack n play until 3 or so. If he got tired he’d snooze on the couch and get up when she needed him. He’d bring her up to breastfeed, but he would handle burping, diapers and any other baby care. After 3, he’d put her into the bassinet next to my side of the bed and I’d be “on duty” for the baby care. When I “got up” around 7-8, I’d bring the baby with me to another room so he could sleep in another few hours. That set up got us both the most sleep we could possibly get for those first few weeks. 

    Even though I still breastfed during those night hours, I didn’t have to get up. Baby would come straight to bed and I would breastfeed laying down. I think I was able to get 8 hours sleep each night this way. 
    BabyFetus Ticker
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  • admiralnillaadmiralnilla member
    Hey, im a FTM as well. Biggest thing I've also heard is to get a lot of general easy prepared meals for fridge and freezer to easily throw in the microwave, oven and crockpot. Before mom decided to fly in, I was going to hire a cleaning service 🙃 😅 to help out with stuff around the house if my SO couldn't get time off.
    Please make that network. Someone can watch LO while you can take a quick shower. I did that for my BFF and she loved it. See if some might want to organize a meal train for you. Churches are also wonderful for that.
    I keep reminding myself that they are only this little bit for so long. Blink and their going to school.❤🤰🏽✌🏽🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂
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  • bustabucketbustabucket member
    All the things everyone’s already said, and my FSA covers PP doula services, so looking to hire a night doula for one night a week for the first few weeks!
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