In pregnancy it seems that sleep is in very short supply. In the first trimester I remember lying awake into the small hours, wondering what on earth we were doing? Was a baby a good idea? What were we supposed to do once it arrived? I ended up scrolling through Netmums trying to find people who had symptoms and thoughts that matched my own, someone somewhere must have the solution to the sleep problem! If I did fall asleep, I quickly woke as my bladder tried to cope with the excessive amounts of water that I was suddenly drinking. So there I was awake again, staring resentfully at my partner who was snoring peacefully and trying to repress the urge to poke him hard in the ribs!
Things didn't improve in the second trimester. I felt exhausted throughout the day, not just a bit sleepy but bone tired, so tired that I wondered if work would mind if I crept under my desk for a quick power nap. By 9pm each night I was sound asleep, but by 2am I was wide awake again and back on Netmums looking for the answer.
I quickly realised that there was really no point fighting this and things weren't going to get easier as I got bigger, so I decided to accept that being awake at stupid o'clock was just a natural part of pregnancy. I made up my mind that this was my body training me for the night feeds. Acceptance was a great thing. I downloaded the entire Game Of Thrones books onto my kindle and at 2am each morning, lost myself in a magical world far far away. I also listened to podcasts to help me drift off (The Infinite Monkey Cage was an absolute favourite!). I built a new bedtime routine, with a hot drink a relaxing bath and an early bed time, so that I could bank as much sleep as possible.
This continued into the third trimester, only now I was propped up on a mountain of pillows. Pregnancy pillows are amazing, if you don't have one get one. They're great for supporting you on your side, propping you up in a seated position and also for night time feeds - sadly we couldn't fit one into The Baboo Box.
I was also introduced to sleep masks, I had never tried one before, but on the recommendation of my sister I gave it a whirl and it was a revelation. Sleep masks block out all the light, it seems that just a hint of light can result in difficulty getting to sleep. In fact the sleep mask was so good that we have included an Anatomical ‘Cruisin' for a Snoozin’ one in the Second Trimester Box.
A warm drink before bed was also a winner for me and we have included 5 sachets of ‘Night Owl Tea’ by Hot Tea Mama. This caffeine-free maternity tea is a blend of calming herbs to help ease you off to sleep. Again you can find it in the Second Trimester Box.
It seems that every person is different and every pregnancy is different. This was just my experience of broken sleep, please share your own stories below.