Melissa Willets
posted in Pregnancy
Fact: Pregnancy sleep sucks. Not just during your third trimester, when you can’t even roll over without a major production, but for all 9 months. The entire time I’ve been expecting a baby in the past, I never expected to sleep. Because here are the realities of trying to get a good night’s rest when you’re growing a person…
You sleep under a sheet, while your husband sleeps with two extra blankets. And the window’s wide open, even in the winter. But you’re still boiling, because of this next pregnancy sleep reality.
You are plagued by night sweats. During pregnancy, I wake up every night drenched in sweat, almost as if someone transported me to a sauna without my knowing, then put me back in bed, woke me up, and left, laughing at my resulting discomfort.
You cuddle up with… Tums. If you’re in your first trimester, your other bed mates are Saltines, antacid, ginger ale, and seltzer. Not exactly sexy, but totally necessary.
You fall asleep in an instant, then wake up 42 times in the middle of the night. Is this nature’s way of preparing you to be woken up by a hungry, crying newborn? No matter the reason, it’s annoying. You wake up in the morning feeling exhausted, even if you went to bed at 8:30 the night before.
You require 50 pillows to get comfortable. At least. Fourteen for your back, a few for your head and neck, one for between your knees, and assorted others, strategically placed to ease the discomfort from your shoulders, back, hips, pelvis, knees, and feet.
Your dreams are something out of a nightmare, or fantasy. From toilets overflowing, to sexy imaginings about a cute old boyfriend, pregnancy dreams are far more vivid than normal dreams. It’s almost like you are watching a movie while you “sleep.”
In the end, pregnancy sleep is pretty much an oxymoron. Sleeping while pregnant is more like trying to doze off, then having some wacky dream, waking up, realizing how uncomfortable you are, and then rearranging your entire body and the bed. Repeat. All. Night. Long. Help!
Photos: Melissa Willets
What is your pregnancy sleep reality like?