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HOBSON725
10-06-2001, 10:25 AM
Does anyone else experience insomnia while pregnant? I am about 29 weeks pregnant and lately(well, maybe just for 2 nights), I have not been sleeping more than 5 hours a night. Any help?

docreeler
10-09-2001, 02:13 PM
Yes, yes, yes!

People in the first and third trimesters often have trouble sleeping. In both trimesters, one might have to make frequent trips to the bathroom. I've read that if one avoids drinking anything for a couple of hours before bedtime (making sure that you have already had your daily minimum of liquids), this should help. (Personally, I find that when I try this, my mouth becomes too parched for me to sleep, so I continue to drink right before bedtime, and I am awakening every couple of hours -- this is the primary cause of my inability to sleep well.) Lots of pillows in strategic places (supporting back and belly, and between legs when one is on one's side) help to reduce backache during the last trimester. (This has helped me a lot.) If you find excitement or worry is keeping you awake, you might wish to spend the time just before you go to bed in prayer, meditation, or reading a light leisure book.

I hope some of these suggestions help. And if they don't, just think of this as practice for when the baby is born. (That's what I do, anyway.)

Pleasant dreams,
Lynn

Dancer
01-17-2002, 08:23 AM
Believe it or not, I've not sleep the night through since the DAY I tested positive! I'm now 28w! I get about 4-6 hours a night. I got 3 the night before last and 5 last night. I go to sleep right away but wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. I've tried everything, including sleeping pills (by the URGING of my DR.) and nothing really helps. I guess I'll just be really ready to get by on no sleep by the time the baby comes.

Lots of Luck to you!

bunnycup
01-19-2002, 03:00 PM
I'm 20 weeks pregnant and although I can sleep, I'm actually afraid to fall asleep because I have such vivid nightmares! I wake up with my heart pounding, gasping for breath, frightened out of my mind. I know this can't be good for me or baby so I put off falling asleep for as long as I possibly can. If I nap during the day, my dreams aren't nearly as vivid. I'm going to be exhausted way before my baby is born! :) Anyone else with this problem?

klfrazier
08-24-2002, 10:51 PM
I'm at 21 weeks, and I've not slept very well since The test turned positive. I admit that most of my problem is the simple bathroom problem. I have to make at least two trips to the bathroom every night, and that just ruins my sleep. I also am a tummy/back sleeper, so the other part of the problem is that I'm just not comfy anymore.

The good news is that I figured out that if I could stay calm and relaxed - and not get upset about being awake - then I still felt rested in the morning. A 30 min. nap during my lunch hour also keeps me from feeling exhausted.

I hope things get better for you!

laura_winckler
08-26-2002, 12:51 PM
As you can see, this is really common. I hardly slept at all at night during the third trimester of my first pregnancy, so I tended to nap during the day (I was a teacher and it was the summer). Fortunately, I'm sleeping better this time around, maybe because I have to chase my 2 year old around all day no matter how much sleep I got the night before! I second all of the above suggestions, but I just find that if anything wakes me up in the night, then I'm just up for a couple of hours before I can go back to sleep. I'm at 39 weeks, so I think at this point I just have to ride it out and then not sleep when the baby gets here, too!

On that note, I'm going to take a nap right now while my DS is sleeping! :-)

Laura

SAHM to Eric (9/5/00) and Robin (coming soon!)

RSF
09-01-2002, 09:33 AM
I sympathize! I had this problem until recently. If you are taking pre-natal vitamins, try taking them first thing in the morning instead of later on in the day. Also, a good pre-natal yoga class and lots of walking can really help you learn to breathe and relax yourself to sleep.

Hope this helps!

starrynight
09-04-2002, 02:07 PM
I had it all through my pregnancy with my dd, but not with my son and my mom had it through her pregnancy with my brother but not me. It must be the way the hormones affect us all. I also get insomnia when it is getting close to my period so it must be hormonal. I know it stinks but your not alone hon.

mama2be
09-10-2002, 08:40 PM
I have it too...I wake up about 4am and can't go back to sleep either. I am several weeks out of my first trimester and because of that my Dr wrote me a script for AMBIEN a sleep aid. He felt it would be fine at this point. I have not "cashed it in" yet I still need to go to the pharmacy but have the script. It is not till midnight when I say "tomorrow I will go to the pharmacy" :)

Gagesmom
09-13-2002, 11:44 PM
The thing that sucks the most about this is that, when we should be getting AS MUCH SLEEP AS WE CAN before the baby comes and keeps us awake for a year or two (or three), we instead lay awake...thinking. Or whatever. I started having trouble sleeping with this, my 2nd pregnancy, before I even knew I was pregnant-so I KNOW it's not all in my head. I have a problem with Restless Leg Syndrom, and I rarely fall asleep before 1:30 or 2 a.m. anymore. Thank goodness my 2 year old sleeps late in the mornings, and I can usually nap with him in the afternoon (stay-at-home-mom). Sorry, no help from this end, but a lot of empathy.