Thursday, July 15, 2010

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul?

Probably.

Third trimester insomnia, I'm sure, is no mystery to most who've taken on a gestating roll.  I mean, how does one get comfortable with a giant watermelon protruding where their flat, six packed stomach once rested?

Lately, I've been trying everything.  From warm baths and massages (I have the greatest husband in the world) to popping Unisom and Benadryl.  What?  I'm desperate.  And I'm tired.  And I'm grumpy. 

But seeing as how I'm on the beached-whale water diet, I still have to wake up 40 times a night to go pee.  As the night wares on, and my zzz's are lacking, I can start to tell I'm getting dehydrated and that my medicine is starting to wear off.  The contractions kick in.

Holy mother, did they ever kick in last night.  Starting low in my back and crawling up my exhausted uterus like the long fingers of death.  And can I tell you, a 32 week baby on the bake does not like contractions like that.  She was kicking, flipping, and head butting my cervix in an attempt to escape the squeezing taking place in her one bedroom apartment.

So I'm going to be taking another 10-1 nap today.  I hate doing this.  I feel like maybe this is the reason I can't sleep at night, because I'm napping during the day.  But even if I tried to avoid resting my head as soon as The Price Is Right ends, I can't.  I find myself dozing in a sitting up position (nearly impossible for me) and wake up to find myself in bed. 

I expect not to be 100% rested at this stage: let's be realistic.  But I can't make this my daily routine.  Pretty soon (4 1/2 weeks, to be exact) I'll have the kids home with me again, and there's no way they're going to let me nap from 10 to 1.  Not to mention that eventually, I'll have a squawking miniature who will need to eat, and who, like her brother and sister, will need attention during my current hours of mid-day slumber. 

What did you do to get to sleep during those last, long weeks?

On the plus side, I at least will be used to her current schedule of wake time which is 11 pm to midnight, 3:45ish to 4:30ish, and 7 a.m.  She's pretty regular already.  I hope she doesn't mix things up once gravity kicks in.

Kelly (yaaaaaaawn) Down

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

One word ALCOHOL. it cures anything ;) Kidding don't do that. Have you tried using a body pillow? I actually used my boppy breastfeeding pillow and tucked it under my belly and legs.
You're almost there!!

Anonymous said...

Benedryl CAUSES contractions...stinker. Try calling the doctor and having them call something in for you to sleep. I was the recipient of a mild sleep aid for ALL of my pregnancies.
Remember...pregnancy is natural...but so is passing a kidney stone, and you wouldn't do THAT without some medication.

The Montoya Life said...

After one week of bed rest my doctors started giving me Ambien, why?? Being on bed rest you are using up no energy and you can't sleep because you have been doing NOTHING all day your body is not tired! Call your doc they will help you! I should note that it took my body about a week to adjust to it, I guess after taking it I would say some crazy stuff, but would then fall asleep. That stopped after a week, not sure if your wanting some crazy dreams but hey at least I slept! Oh and sleeping during the day is the best thing you can do for your little baby, your allowing all your nutrients to go to her the more you stay down and rest the bigger she will get!

genderist said...

I say go ahead and take that 10-1 nap during the day, even though you know you won't get it later. Your body needs the rest now - especially if you're dozing off at that time anyway. Chug some water (or at least sip it - I couldn't chug anything while I was pregnant) and catch some zzz's.

The last month and a half of my pregnancy I soaked in the tub for at least 30-40 minutes every night. I bought a bath pillow at the dollar store and figured out a way I could actually lay on my side. It was the only place my back didn't hurt.

I also made it a mental game -- Yes, I had to get up to pee a thousand times. I also bought a crossword puzzle book. If I woke up, I'd do a puzzle or two before laying back down. I told myself that my body needed rest, even if I couldn't sleep. It was good for my body to just lay there with my eyes closed. I turned it into a mental game that although sleep was wonderful, rest was a good runner-up. Then it made me less frustrated that I wasn't sleeping, which made a big difference.

I also got a cd of guided imagery to listen to at night, too. Sometimes I'd fall asleep listening to it. At the least I figured it was helping me be less mad about being awake. :)

My big problem the last tri of my pregnancy was heart burn and throwing up all the time. I'm so glad you're not having to do that, too.

I also took benadryl at the end of mine, too. The problem with benadryl is sometimes it makes you feel hungover in the morning.

You May Also Like

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...