Before I conceived, I was a nine-hours-a-night girl. I never had insomnia. Never tossed and turned. Sleeping was one of my fortes. I even put it down on my resume under special skills, right next to my ability to say the alphabet backward really fast. But take that nine-hour girl and reduce her sleep time to about half and watch her mentally wither away.
I was exhausted almost every day during my last trimester. My body was so weary after a day of schlepping itself around that it was in desperate need of forty winks. What with that incredible heartburn, Braxton Hicks, and a bladder the size of a kumquat, it made it difficult to fall off to slumberland. In addition, my baby seemed to have kick-boxing lessons through the night. And once the lesson was over, she’d hiccup for hours like a drunken sailor. Add up all these factors, and I was up half the night…if I was lucky.
I can offer a bit of advice to help you go off to la-la land. First off, surround yourself with pillows. They actually make a pregnancy pillow that’s long enough to encircle your entire body. You can get these in stores, in catalogues, or on the internet. If you don’t want to make the investment, use several different pillows from around the house. Be sure to swipe your husband’s pillow as well. Misery really does like company. Place these pillows anywhere you need support. I would suggest putting one pillow under your belly, one between your legs and a couple behind your back. Although this will give you relief from some of your aches and pains, it will give your husband very little room left on the mattress (which may actually be one more way to ease the resentment you feel from having to carry the baby all by yourself).
If you want a pill to cure your ills, ask your doctor about taking a mild antihistamine. There are several available over the counter. Yes, I know that an antihistamine is for a stuffy nose, but one of the side effects of an antihistamine is drowsiness and a good dose of drowsiness is just what the doctor ordered. Ask your doctor how often you can take them. Some will say every night, if needed; others will say not to take them at all. Some doctors are quite rigid about medication even in normal pregnancies.
If you do find yourself awake during the wee hours of the night, here are things you might do to pass the time:
-
Catch up with a relative in a different time zone. Sure, you never had much to say to your Aunt Phoebe on the other coast. She may be dull and humorless, but at least she’s awake.
-
Go on the internet and chat with other pregnant women. I guarantee you’ll find plenty of moms-to-be who are up, too.
-
Get extra cable channels. The best thing about being pregnant now versus when your mother was isn’t the epidural, it’s the round-the-clock television with more than 500 different channels. When you’re up all night, the shows don’t have to be good, they just have to be on. So sit back and enjoy bass fishing or re-live great moments in golf.
© 2003, Joanne Kimes with Sanford A. Tisherman, M.D.
from Pregnancy Sucks: What to Do When Your Miracle Makes You Miserable, published by Adams Media Corporation. All rights reserved.