I believe, in one way or another, every post of mine up until now has said something along the lines of, “Sleep while you still can!”. Now, having gone through the process of interrupted sleep while pregnant and navigated very disrupted sleep postpartum, I wanted to dive in a bit deeper on the topic and see if I can spare some moms-to-be a few extra Zzz’s.
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable for new parents, however, sleep troubles can start long before the baby is even here. When considering fluctuating hormones, changing/ shifting body systems, and spiked stress levels, dis-ordered sleeping can rear it’s ugly head during pregnancy! We’re talkin’ nighttime wakings, insomnia, poor sleep quality/ shallow sleeping, and excessive daytime fatigue throughout allll three trimesters.
All of that sounds just terrible in and of itself, but let’s think beyond our own sleepless fog and consider that inadequate sleep may also increase the risk of preterm birth, postpartum depression, excess pregnancy weight gain, and potential increased BMI and blood pressure in your newborn! (Study link here)
So having already dished out a pre- pregnancy workout and nutrition guideline… let’s also stack on some healthy sleep habits to catch and correct this potential downward spiraling tiredness! If you can implement a steady sleep routine BEFORE getting pregnant, you will have the tools to get yourself back to sleep when discomforts hit.
It is recommended that pregnant women sleep on their left side, (Study link here).
If you are a back or belly sleeper, start shifting and prepping your body to your left side now, before baby starts growing and pressing on organs! While lying on that left side, wedge a pillow behind your back to keep you propped on that side throughout the night. If your hips start to ache while side sleeping, place a pillow between your bent knees. (By the end of my pregnancy, I slept in a sea of pillows!)
While your hormones change, uterus expands, and a good portion of your energy goes toward growing your beautiful bundle, your entire digestive system does slow down. You can start to prep for this by shifting your daily dietary intake to more frequent small meals throughout the day. (Recommended outside of pregnancy as well!), this allows your energy to be steady without taxing your digestive system with larger meals. It took me a while to find this balance. When I ate too much at one time while pregnant, I promptly laid down at the table!!
Try to eat your final small meal of the day 3 hours before bedtime. This will allow your digestive tract to calm before trying to calm the rest of your body to sleep.
While there is no real trick for the frequent urination, you do need to hit some hydration goals throughout pregnancy and postpartum. A whopping 3 liters is (study link here) recommended every single day. Grab a water bottle that measures 1 liter and fill it up 3x’s a day. I tried to consume this earlier in the day/ afternoon to try and skimp on one less trip to the bathroom at night! And even still, I did use the ‘lean forward and push once more’ trick to lower it down to one peepee per night.
Do cut the caffeine! While most of us do rely on this stimulant to wake us up, it can be harmful for developing babies (study link here) as well as contributing to a restless night. As an avid coffee drinker myself, I did a full-on weaning process while trying to conceive. I went from a whopping 2-3 large cups a day and scaled back each day, until I got it down to one small cup of coffee in the morning. If it’s time for you to start trying for baby, be kind to your system and avoid that inevitable migraine by taking time to scale back on your accumulative (chocolate and tea count too!) caffeine intake per day.
I love a good tv series before sleeping (I know… controversial…) but it is best to keep that out of your bed. Let’s find a happy medium and shift the habit to the couch, pair it with an herbal tea (check all ingredients to be pregnancy safe!) and then use your bedroom/ bed purely for sleeping. Blue light inches from your face— in a dark room— just before sleeping, has proven to make you less tired, decreased sleep quality and duration (study link here) .
If you do plan on co-sleeping or room sharing with your baby, start to set the mood of your bedroom that caters to that! I remember the first time I turned on the sound machine for my son… it was distracting and not allowing me to fall asleep. Ease into it while you have the time! Babies like cool (68-72 degrees F Study link here), dark, and steady sounding rooms. So, turn down that thermostat, install the blackout curtains and slowly increase the volume of background white noise (this blends outdoor disturbances like traffic or wildlife).
Restless or cramping legs are super common throughout pregnancy. If you are not currently in the habit of exercising and stretching, start to educate yourself on pregnancy safe, light exercises and stretching techniques. I had outrageous restless legs during my first trimester. In the moment that I want to simultaneously kick something while yelling, I knew what was safe for me to do to alleviate the discomfort. I spent a lot of time on the staircase stretching my calves, doing isometric lunges and performing self massage in the direction of my heart. I loved having peppermint cream bedside to put on my calves and quads if the muscle cramps were waking me up. It gave a bit of a menthol-y/ tingling feeling which distracted me from the aches. All of this stems from changes in the body’s ability to process calcium! So, you can also be sure to include calcium rich foods into your diet.
And of course… mental health! While pregnancy can be exciting, intimate and special, it also has a lot of unknowns, potential worry and maybe even fear = stress. It’s super common to contemplate childbirth, baby’s health, finances etc. I kept reminding myself “time and place”. While there is a healthy amount of concern involved, where you take time to pick apart and plan, help yourself to compartmentalize and choose a time to do this— right before sleeping is NOT ideal. If the thoughts came up before sleeping, I visualized jars. Like this, you don’t dismiss your very real concerns, but you open a jar, place the concern inside to rest for the night, and reopen the jar at a better time. My imaginary jars were color coordinated and labeled… but that’s a whole other thing 😛 I had my finance jar, my baby name jar, my “will my body ever be the same” jar, my “wait how many times did baby kick?” jar, and of course my birth plan jar.
Do some self reflecting and rely on the techniques you use to calm yourself down. This comes in so many different forms and looks different for everyone. I like organizing and exercising but know that Yoga, journaling, reading, cleaning, meditating, breathing exercises, reiki, taking long baths… all have their place!
And when in doubt, see a doctor! While sleeping troubles can be managed at home, sometimes a medical expert is just needed to guide care or assess your personal situations. Staying healthy is especially important during pregnancy, and good health starts with a good night’s sleep.
