All Through The Night!

With everyone telling you to get as much sleep as you can before the baby comes, trying to ‘will’ yourself into the land of nod can cause more stress and less rest…

- Midwife Tina Otte

Any woman who’s been pregnant will tell you that one of the first signs of pregnancy is overwhelming fatigue. The kind of fatigue that has you falling asleep with your face in your porridge! This “natural” lethargy occurs due to the rise in the hormone progesterone, which is important in maintaining your pregnancy but is also why you feel so tired. As your body begins to “grow another human”, your metabolic processes change, and burning all that fuel drains your energy reserves. So you’d think you’d have no problem sleeping at night…

FIRST TRIMESTER SLEEP BUSTERS

These could be emotional and physical. Although there are major changes going on in your body – outwardly, there’s not much to see. As your uterus begins to expand, it presses against your bladder, which is trying to keep its place within the pelvis. Until the uterus has moved up and out of the pelvis, you’re going to make frequent trips to the loo during the day – and especially at night. Other changes – like tender breasts, leg cramps, and nausea and vomiting – also prevent you from getting your much-needed shut-eye.

Emotionally, coming to terms with an unplanned pregnancy and worrying about relationships and financial constraints have a huge part to play also.

SECOND TRIMESTER SLEEP BUSTERS