Pregnancy Insomnia

According to American Pregnancy, insomnia is normal and affects 78% of women while pregnant. Well, misery loves company I guess, so it’s helpful to know that I’m not alone. See, while technically it’s 5:08 a.m. and the birds are singing outside the deck here, I’ve been up since 3:15, I have showered I have went through some mail, I have a To Do list already started (personal and the start of work since technically I’m going to use the last few hours of my vacation and not log in to start looking at the mountain of work I have in front of me). And before all of that I laid awake for an hour and fifteen minutes thinking about all sorts of things in life.

So whether this is pregnancy insomnia due to this 5 lbish little boy inside of me who I think may be growing bigger by the hour, or my inability to shut off my brain (especially on Sunday nights/Monday mornings – what’s with that?). It certainly is my reality.

I was reading through some of the suggestions, which made me laugh:

• Try new sleeping positions (LOL – like right side or left side? Or maybe the right side? WAIT! No let’s try the left side)
• Prepare yourself for bedtime by taking a warm bath or receiving a nice massage (Or, you know, get a 3 year old hyped up little girl ready, fight over getting teeth brushed, put her back in bed, put her back in bed again, one more hug, back in bed, pay some bills, see the hubby you miss, and set the alarm – not that you need it).
• Set up your room for a comfortable sleep setting by changing your thermostat to a comfortable temperature and playing some relaxing or natural sounds that can help make you sleepy (Huh? Hubby breathing, hubby snoring – allergies- hubby clearing his sinuses, child coughing, child sneezing, child crying – darn allergies again – These are not natural sounds?)
• Try relaxation techniques such as the ones you have learned in your childbirth class (LOL. From 4 years ago…)
• Exercising during the day (Uhhhh…. I run errands and pick up prescriptions over lunch. Does this count? What about chasing around a 3 year old after work?)
• If you have the opportunity to sleep during the day you should take it! (Laugh out loud funny this one!)

The one suggestion that has seemed actually helpful from About.com “When all else fails, don’t lay in bed. Get up, do something, even if it’s just changing locations. Set a time limit of 30 or 60 minutes that you’ll stay in bed trying to fall asleep or back to sleep. Fighting it can only be more frustrating. And sometimes you can be very productive in the middle of the night alone. Some say that this helps you prepare for the sleepless nights in parenting ahead.”

Although – I have to admit, the whole “well this just prepares you” argument drives me crazy. So sleepless nights now makes sleepless nights later easier? Losing out on sleep now makes it all better b/c I’ll just lose out on sleep later? No thanks. Not buying it. I do however love when articles admit that it is not easy to sleep with a watermelon. So true, so true.

I find myself fighting with my husband in his sleep over my body pillow. Because, really dude? You can’t steal the body pillow from the pregnant lady, even when you’re unconscious. Not only can you not steal it, you cannot steal portions of it from my knees or ankles. These hips have doubled in width it seems, and with that makes it more difficult and support needed for those knees on the two positions I can sleep in. And this belly – woah. I can’t lay on my side without something supporting it underneath. Seriously folks. This kid needs a nice comfy pillow or Mama needs 24 x 7 massage services. One or the other. R calls me pillow stingy, I call it survival.

Article after article just says, “Don’t be anxious.” Good advice, I get this. Practical? No. Although they seem to assume that we’re worried about the birth. Please people, that’s about the farthest thing from my mind. Now the house packing that needs to be done? The moving in that needs to be done? The house that needs to be finished before we can move in? The finances over maternity leave? The adjustment period Prayse will go through? The details of each of those scenarios? Now those are the things I need to work through – to begin accomplishing or making myself feel better about. Because for me, although the impending birth while yes, it’s not the most fun thing to do on a weekend/day/night/morning whatever. I feel like I can handle it (and as 6 weeks dwindles down I’m sure I’ll start to remember the realities of what this involves and become more nervous).

Until then, maybe I’ll blog more. Or pack. Or find ways to save more money, or… the possibilities are endless since I have more time on my hands!