Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Pregnancy update: 35 weeks

The theme of the week is exhaustion. I've either been unable to fall asleep, or unable to get back to sleep once I wake up to pee, or both. I've never had these problems before this pregnancy and it's killing me. I'm really worried how I'm going to function if this persists. How will I be up to the task of labor if I'm this exhausted? What about when the baby is born? The saving grace of having a newborn is being able to fall asleep as soon as you're done nursing in the middle of the night (and some lucky people can sleep while they're nursing--not me, though).

I can't think of any reasonable explanations for my inability to sleep. My mind isn't racing like crazy, I'm totally wiped out, I go to bed as soon as I feel tired, I don't drink anything with caffeine. I've taken Unisom on and off and sometimes it seems to help, sometimes not. Maybe it's that I've stopped going to the gym during the past few weeks of renovations? My midwife gave me some valerian tincture and has suggested doing a sleep study. To be honest, I've put it off primarily because of the cost. Plus if I can't sleep in my own comfortable bed, how on earth will I be able to sleep somewhere else, attached to monitors?!

I had my home visit today, which made the upcoming birth seem more of a reality. I probably only have 1-2 more midwife visits left before the baby arrives, unless I go 41 weeks or later (which, with my history, would really surprise me). The baby is now LOT, after a long time of hanging out ROT. We still haven't heard back from the OB who had expressed interest in attending a home birth.

I've started getting things ready for the baby. I scored a free used crib, painted white, which at first will be used mainly when the baby is napping. I sewed a few sets of fitted crib sheets from unbleached linen and this cotton print. As soon as our bathroom is finished, my plan is to put Dio upstairs in Zari's room and set up the downstairs bedroom with the birth tub.

35 weeks with Dio
35 weeks pregnant with Zari

 In my Undercover Mama--I told you it was long and stretchy! And this is a size small...

11 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry you can't sleep! Have you tried essential oils? There is one by doTerra that's called Serenity. Love it. Good luck!
    Love your blog. Thanks for writing!

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  2. Hang in there! hope you get some rest.

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  3. I am so sorry. I used to listen to my Hypnobabies and that would usually help me sleep. When it didn't my mind would race like that, it drove me a little batty!

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  4. Yeah, I used to listen to the affirmation tapes or visualizations some days when I'd have trouble getting to sleep.

    Another option is acupuncture. Sometimes it can help "re-set" your sleep or help you through a period of insomnia.

    Hope you get some good sleep soon!

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  5. I've been struggling with this lately too, and also frustrated by the fact that I was doing everything "right" sleep hygiene-wise. Seems to have resolved somewhat now, and I attribute it to 1) the passage of time, which helps with so many problems! 2) adding more physical activity to my daily routine (mainly walking and swimming), 3) relaxation/self-hypnosis tapes, and 4) staying in bed until I fall back to sleep. I know the last is "wrong" but when I got up after 15-20 minutes like everyone says to do, that was it - I wasn't going to get back to sleep for hours.

    Good luck! I know how distressing and all-consuming that sleep disruption can become. Hopefully this is just a passing end-of-pregnancy phase, and you will be over it soon.

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  6. I had similar problems my last preg and found out my B12 was low. I ate more red meat and slept better.

    It should all go smoothly!!!

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  7. I had a lot of sleep problems in my last pregnancy, and the day before I went into labor, I got 10 hours straight, uninterrupted sleep that left me feeling so refreshed and energized. This was in the middle of a several days-long midwives induction, but I somehow think that night's sleep was part of my body's preparation. Hope you get at least one!

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  8. Have you tried taking a bath or shower before bed? I usually suggest moms do some pelvic rocking, take a bath or shower, and then go straight to bed.

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  9. Sorry that you aren't sleeping. I'm 29 weeks right now with my third child. Do you really need a sleep study? No one in third trimester gets any sleep do they?

    My husband went for one though but we don't pay for it here in Canada. He didn't see how he'd sleep hooked up to machines either but he did sleep enough to get some results. You have to not have caffeine or alcohol (not that you would) and not nap during the day before your test and you can bring in your own pillow and a book to read or something to do when you aren't sleeping.

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  10. Natalie--I use peppermint oil to help clear my nose out, especially right in the middle of winter when I tend to be a bit more mucousy/congested.

    Veronica--I almost always take a shower right before bed. It's my winter ritual.

    Callista--I actually wouldn't be surprised (and my midwife thinks the same thing) if I did have sleep apnea. Towards the end of each pregnancy, I've noticed that I wake up a lot with a start, accompanied by either a snort or a sharp intake of breath. The first 2 pregnancies it didn't happen much, just enough for me to remark on. This one it's been happening more and more. So if I did have apnea, I might really benefit from using a CPAP machine, if only for the last 4-6 weeks of this pregnancy. At this point I am so desperate for sleep that I might just do the study to see if that is the culprit (among the normal pregnancy discomforts that make sleeping less than ideal).

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  11. Rixa, I have suffered from sleep apnea in all my pregancies, to the point where it sent my blood pressure through the roof in the last one and I delivered at 35 weeks.

    My girlfriends have normal end of pregnancy sleep issues and they thought I was whinging, until they happened to be with me one night and told me what was happening.

    My sleep problems have been so bad that I've been exhausted before labour starts, and that makes life so much harder.

    Do the sleep study, get the CPAP and be amazed at how much better you feel!

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