I just got a Snoogle pregnancy pillow and it has helped a lot. I was doing the same kind of thing before and now I sleep for longer stretches and wake up more comfortable and rested. It’s a bit pricey (~$60) but worth it.

Happy New Year to you! You certainly have a very exciting year ahead!

I had really bad insomnia for a while. Yoga and acupuncture really helped. Also cutting back on computer/phone time towards bed time helped. Over the counter sleep aids did nothing for me.

Insomnia seems to be pretty common among me & my friends too. Try popping a benedryl. Works every time! Be patient though, my insomnia did go away after a while. The benedryl helped my body “reset” & put my mind at ease. So much of my insomnia is tied to anxiety.

Unfortunately, it is part of pregnancy. Here I am at 37 weeks, still waking up at least once a night (or more) for nightly trips to the potty. Two things. First, a little bit further into your second trimester you may experience a little boost in energy…I know I did. Second, make certain you are guzzling water like a camel!! Dehydration can make you feel even more sleepy and since you have a flexible schedule, you may want to consider scheduling in naps. They will greatly improve your mood! Hang in there.

Happy New Yeat Caitlin! I am so looking forward to this year. I have set my goals with plans to achieve them. I’m not really a resolution person, I like well planned goals. Breakfast looks amazing. Good luck with the sleep problems. My kids are 13 and almost 11…I still don’t sleep well at night. I’ve studied about zinc, magnesium and phosphatidylserine. I need to give these a try. I’m not sure if they are safe if you’re pregnant though. I’m curious to know what your midwife says.

Pregnancy insomnia is no joke, I’ve had it the entire time. Sadly I have no helpful hints, I relied heavily on my naps and warned people to steer clear the rest of the time.

I hear you about the exhaustion! Although I am not pregnant, I’ve been having ridiculous insomnia the past week. What works for me is turning on the sound machine app on my phone, and listening to the ‘rain’ or ‘waves.’ I wish I was one of those people who could just read a book, but whenever I try that, I just become engrossed in the book (and then I never fall asleep)!

Hi! I don’t have any mummy tips having never been pregnant, but insomnia is something I do know. Mine is steroid induced and typically means I wake up randomly during the night and struggle to sleep. At its worse I literally sleep in 20 minute chunks and then wonder how I’m still alive come morning.

My biggest tip is to figure out what is keeping you awake. My usual issue is a racing mind which jumps from one thing to another and doesn’t let me switch off. My best solution is relaxing music. I get something on in my headphones and force myself to count the bass line (I focus on that to push out the racing thoughts). You could also try those white noise apps, which I have heard good things about.

If you’re worrying about things, or remembering things to do the next day, keep a notepad by the bed and write things down. That gets them out of your head and you can promise yourself to deal with them tomorrow, and so relax more. I often find myself thinking about what I’m going to eat, who I want to speak to, who I want to email (racing minds are ridiculous) so I write it down and tell myself to shut up.

My other two tips are: any light wakes you up more. If you have to get up in the night to pee, try to do it without putting lights on. Don’t put your phone etc on, as the light from the screen will start waking you up too. Lastly, while its usually best to get right back into bed and shut your eyes, if you’ve been awake awhile and it doesn’t look like the end is in sight get up, go sit and have a glass of water (in the dark?) let yourself be a bit frustrated, then calm down and go back to bed with whatever strategy you choose.

Oh! And try not to accept you may have some awake time for a little while. Being frustrated about it makes it worse: aim for calm. I haven’t slept through a night in months, but the disruption now is usually less than ten minutes once or twice a night which isn’t too hard to deal with.

I’m 10 weeks pregnant and experiencing the same thing! Which is weird, because I used to take FOREVER to fall asleep, but then be out like a light for the rest of the night. Now, I fall asleep instantly, but wake up like clockwork at 4am and toss and turn the rest of the night. So annoying. I haven’t found a solution yet, but know that you’re not alone!

seriously, CHEERS to a happy and healthy 2012!!! SO stoked for a good new year 🙂

I totally relate to the crying out of tiredness thing, I had insomnia for 8 years! This is probably preaching to the choir, but one of the few things that seemed to help at all was acupuncture! Best wishes for some rest, I know that lack of sleep makes everything in life challenging!

I was the same way with sleep while pregnant. Usually I would fall asleep just fine but then wake at 2 or 3 a.m. and could not fall back to sleep. All I can say is that it got much better as the pregnancy progressed. Then it returned about a month before my due date. Try to take naps if you can during the day. There were days that I would come home from work at 5 pm, nap for an hour, then go about the rest of the night. It really helped with fatigue. Good luck!

I feel your pain! And the LAST thing I wanted to hear if I ever mentioned difficulty sleeping when I was pregnant was “oh, it’s nature’s way of preparing you for sleepless nights when the baby is born.” Grrr.
However, I really do feel that my boppy pregnancy body pillow worked wonders, especially since Iw as a back sleeper, and after about 20 weeks you are supposed to sleep on your side. http://www.amazon.com/Boppy-Prenatal-Total-Body-Pillow/dp/B003UTUEOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325526404&sr=8-1 The $50 price tag is hefty, but I figure if you divide that up by the number of nights you have left in your pregnancy, it is pennies per day for better sleep!

I have also heard that lavender helps, so I use a lavender body lotion on my hands before going to sleep.

Sweet dreams!

I’m not pregnant so I can’t account for pregnancy hormones but I have suffered from abnormal sleep patterns for stretches of time. A few things have really helped and been my saving grace. The first and surprisingly most effective is that corny relaxing music that’s designed to help you fall asleep. You can find tons of that stuff on youtube. The second is hot milk or tea and the third and final resort is to read. I feel like your brain just gets really tuckered out when you read while tired and you will eventually just go to sleep.
Good luck!

I’m 11 1/2 weeks pregnant and I have had a couple sleepless nights as well. I know you don’t like the idea of over the counter stuff, but my midwife recommended half a Unisom to aid with both sleep and nausea. Its 100% perfectly safe. I was a tiny bit skeptical at first, but she reminded me that sleep deprivation and the stress that comes along with it isn’t good for you or your baby either.

Other than that, I would reccomend getting a relaxing bedtime routine going: a hot bath, some hot Sleepy Time or chamomile tea, reading in bed, then lights out. I have also had success counting backwards by 100 if its racing thoughts keeping me awake.

Also, once you can sleep, I know I tend to get more and more anxious about it. Sometimes it actually helps to just get up and get out of bed. Eat a little snack with warm milk, or drink a hot drink. Unwind more and then return to bed. Once your bed is a stressful stress it can be hard to get back to sleep in that spot. Perhaps try snoozing for a bit on the couch.

Good luck little mama.

Awe I’m sorry about your sleeping issues! My mom had the same thing while she was pregnant and still wakes up SO early. I think it has to be hormonal. I hope that you find something that works for you. When I can’t sleep I pop on a show I’ve seen a million times like 30 Rock or something and I’m usually out within an episode or 2 🙂 I think the key is to get into a routine and stick to it. Maybe only a 30 min nap if you need one but other than that try for going to bed and waking up at the same time.

I didn’t read the other commenters so I apologize if this is a repeat. Could you be hungry or thirsty? Right when I transitioned into second trimester I started waking up in the middle of the night and tossing around for about an hour. One night I got bored and so I went to eat some toast or something and get a drink of water. I fell back asleep instantly! When you wake up, try getting out of bed and getting a drink or eating something small and see if that helps. Hunger hits at weird times when you are pregnant, so maybe it’s waking you up!

That sounds really frustrating! Have you tried any relaxing tea blends from teavana? The lavender dreams one has candied lavender in it.

caitlin – it looks like you’ve been given some good advice here, but i have to tell you in case you don’t know about it – ‘5HTP’ is a life saver for me when i can’t sleep. the trick for me is i have to relax when i take it. if i allow my mind to race/worry that i won’t fall asleep, it doesn’t work as well. i’m assuming it’s savfe to take while pregnant, but obviously check on that!
xoxo