Pregnant, Exhausted and Sleepless?
There were times during the day that I could barely keep my eyes open and hardly keep from nodding off. Growing a baby truly sucks the energy out of you. I would find myself falling asleep on the couch at 8 p.m. or looking forward to my 2-year-old son’s daily nap so I could curl up with him and rest. As exhausted as I was, I could not figure out why I had such trouble sleeping at night.
I am a stomach sleeper. I love the feel of my soft, cool pillow on my cheek as I lay face-down with the cushion of my bed underneath me. But once I became pregnant, I had to find a new way to sleep comfortably. As my belly began to grow, I could not sleep on my stomach and was told by my doctor that I should not sleep on my back. So in my sleep, I was supposed to remember to sleep on one side of my body or the other.
My husband was a big help. Once I finally got comfortable enough to actually fall asleep, he would nudge me awake whispering in a sleepy voice, “Honey, you’re not supposed to be sleeping on your back.” I remember gritting my teeth and wanting to kick him back over to his side of the bed.
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Susan-- You sure have a way of reminding me exactly what I went through during my pregnancy. I could've written this article myself. :-)
I had a great pregnancy [with the exception of third trimester heartburn]. But sleeping started off as something I could do anywhere and it didn't matter how I slept to something that became a struggle.
Since I am a side sleeper, sleeping on my back was never an issue. But during my third trimester EVERYTHING HURT. My legs hurt, my back hurt, I couldn't fall asleep without tossing and turning for hours- it was a real pain.
I bought a special pillow-- nothing. It's still sitting in my closet.
The sad thing is that even after delivery I can't say that I have had a full night's worth of sleep like the old days.