07 Apr
End of Pregnancy Sleep
Sleep. I do a lot of it lately, and when I’m not doing it I want more. Then I climb into bed and the discomfort begins. I spend my nights trying not to count the bathroom trips and waiting for the sun to appear. The bathroom trip when I see the sunshine outside is my favorite one, because it means I will only climb back into bed one more time that sleeping period. I’ve started enjoying my naps even more than ever because they are so short that I don’t find myself climbing in and out of bed due to my potty breaks.
Somewhere around the third trimester I started sleeping with two pillows on either side of me, as I need the support to keep me from rolling over too far and putting pressure on my stomach. Within the last few weeks I found my hips aching throughout the night, as my body and belly get heavier and heavier, and so I took the advice of Mrs. Shortcake and started sleeping on a blow up mattress. I didn’t want to use a blow up mattress at first because I didn’t want to be hauling myself up off the ground 5 times a night, but my genius husband solved that problem by suggesting we put the mattress on top of our bed. Genius! Now I call it “the castle” and wake up without sore hips each morning. (I also stopped making the bed as it doesn’t make sense with this setup and I obviously didn’t even try to pretend for this photo.)
The only drawback to the castle? That Husband and I stopped sleeping together as it takes up a lot of space. I miss him, but it’s not like we actually touched at night anyway (I am NOT a cuddler), and with all of the extra weight I put on I’m always hot and he doesn’t like sleeping with the ceiling fan on high like I do. Also ,I apparently started snoring. I really hope that is a pregnancy symptom that will disappear when my internal organs are allotted their proper amount of space once again.
But, even with all of the sore hips and the grunting as I turn from side to side and the “oooofing” as I make my way into the castle over and over again through the night and the husband sleeping on the futon in the office, I know that nights of averaging 9 hours of sleep are quickly drawing to a close so I try to count my blessings. Soon, I’ll my body and my bladder back. (Except my chest, that will belong to baby.)
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Lol. That low-up mattress idea is genius! One mom I know said that she got way better/more sleep after the baby came then before because of these reasons!
1Ok…THAT is genious. I SOOOOO wish I had heard of that because I was totally in the same hip-aching, getting up every 25 minutes to pee boat at the end of my pregnancy.
Your post also reminds me of just how incredibly weird it felt for my organs to all be going back into place the few days after giving birth. No one ever prepared me for it, so I figured I would mention it here. I am a classically trained singer, so my diaphram felt WAY undersupported and I totally felt like I wasn’t getting enough breath. Believe it or not, the breathing contraptions they give to women who have had c-sections actually really helped me re-strenghthen up my diaphram!
2I’m sorry about your comment issues….I hope this one alerts you properly!
3that mattress looks cush! I’m not a big air mattress fan, but I’m sure things change when I’m 9 months pregnant.
4is TH sleeping ok on the futon? I think our futon is more comfortable than my old bed at home!
haha! that’s a mega pillowtop!
5I like that you call it “the castle” make me chuckle
6I worried about getting up off the ground too, when I read about Alex’s air mattress on the ground. TH is genius putting it on the bed!
7test comment!
When I changed something in my email notification I just had a slight delay before it came up to speed again.
8When did your hips start to bother you when you sleep? I ask because since I hit the 20 week mark, my hips have been aching! And to no relief despite pillows. (Darn sleeping on the side!!! I loved my belly sleeping and back sleeping too! Those days are long gone for now) Our air mattress- it would involve me sleeping in a separate room than my hubby (it’s queen-sized), and that would just break my heart.
Around the same time my hips started aching, I began having incredible headaches… though this may be more so related to graduate school research paper project wrap-ups… or pregnancy hormone fluctuations? Needless to say, I started acupuncture. Which baby seems to like taking that time to wiggle the most.
I can’t win.
I might try and get one of those big ole S shaped pregnancy body pillows. Anyone have any luck with that??? I only have the straight kind. And I love it, but I need another one for my hips, back… feet… I need a nest of pillows!!!
9I’m worried now! I already have hip problems, so I am kind of dreading any extra pressure/pain! Maybe I’ll start sleeping on an air mattress now… before I get pregnant! lol.
10Snoring is a very common occurrence during the late trimester! I was never a snorer, but when I was expecting, I snored for the last eight weeks of it.
11Those last few weeks the difficulty sleeping is so hard,, in many ways it’s easier once the baby arrives because you’d rather get up for him/her than the loo any day!
Are you sleeping with a pillow between your legs too? That helps.
Jenna Reply:
April 8th, 2010 at 1:13 am
I don’t know how I could NOT be sleeping with a pillow between my legs at this point. Super annoying to rearrange each time I get up to go to the bathroom, but great for the back/hips/belly.
I’ve already stopped sleeping well. What does the air mattress provide for you? I have a memory foam topper that definitely helps, but hasn’t eliminated the problem completely.
And yes, thank goodness for naps!
Mrs. Shortcake Reply:
April 9th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I started using the air mattress at the beginning of my 2nd trimester.
For me, I found that the air mattress was just the right amount of support - not to firm (hurts the back), not too soft (hurts the back, doesn’t support your belly). Our regular bed also tends to dip in the middle when both my husband and I are in it - it was killer on my back.
We need a new bed, for sure, but until then, an air mattress saved my life - I even wrote a cheesey poem about it!
http://www.ourlittlehaus.com/motherhood/2010/1/26/last-night-a-pump-up-mattress-saved-my-life.html
Woot! Woot! I’m so glad this worked for you! My air mattress is still on the floor - I think our double bed would be too small for it to ride on top. I envy your high perch, though! Harvey had adopted my side of the “big” bed as his own - and if I go to cuddle with Mr. Shortcake, he looks all offended, as if to say, “woman! Your bed is on the floor, not here!”
14