5 Weeks Pregnant and Can't Sleep

I had HORRIBLE insomnia with my daughter. I was so tired that I couldn't function and would just cry. I finally called my doctor. He said it was totally common in early pregnancy and told me that I could take Benadryl to knock me out and that it would in no way harm the baby. Worked like a charm.

Yep. I had the same issue throughout my pregnancy (seemed almost from the moment of the 2 lines on the stick!)
Early morning waking, if you don't have to pee, is often due to stress or "physical depression" (you don't have to feel sad), hormones, and changing serotonin levels. Now, with all the changes in your body, 3 other children, one on the way, and a full time job, if it was me...I would be surprised if I could sleep at all!
Do you "think" a lot when you wake early? If you have the "nonstop mind" problem, have a journal and flashlight by the bed, and write, write, write. Get everything out of your head onto paper (even if it makes no sense)..."to-do" lists, concerns, feelings, whatever. It really can work!
If you are taking prenatal vits, see if you can take them in the morning (if you are taking them at night) as long as they don't make you nauseaus. The B vitamins in there can affect your sleep and make you a little energized. If you can drink milk, have a glass of milk before bed or take a calcium/magnesium supplement...it's safe and can help your sleep cycle. Try to do some stretching before bed, or if you do yoga, a few relaxing poses. A warm shower and then a cool bedroom can also help. All of these things are ways to trigger your body to "adjust" the sleep hormones naturally.
Turn your clock around so you can't see the time (and just set your alarm). Clock-watching can actually cause insomnia in the early morning hours.
Hang in there and best wishes to you and your wonderful family!

With shifting of hormones and everything going on I belive you need rest this is hard for my husband to understand he thinks i'm lazy but i'm absolutley knocked out tired i'm a sahm of 2 kids a 5 yr and a 21 m old.I have my job at home with them and to rest during the day.I have always had trouble sleeping anyway it is is worse during my pregnancies and is even worse at the end.I would try taking a warm shower and if your husband helps out with the kidds by all means let him I have had to do this it may not be my way but at least I can head to bed early on some nites and rest while he has them.I wish I could get him to understand that i'm carrying my weight baby weight that is constantly growing and using energy plus the weight of our daughter and groceries some days.Maybe he'll get it.Best of Luck to you this weekend aim for time for yourself.

Hi S. - especially because this is baby #4 your body needs to be replenished with minerals and vitamins.

What I did when I was pregnant as well as anytime I can't sleep or am having trouble sleeping WELL - I take a supplement called CALM. It is purely magnesium which is a mineral VITAL for your body to function properly.

Go to WHOLE FOODS and check it out.

You can also go on line to read about how VITAL magnesium is for your body and that you are pregnant - that ups the importance of getting this mineral while your baby is growing!
http://www.thenaturalremedyonline.com/Natural_Calm_s/2.ht...

All the best,
Ciarrailee

Ciarrailee@@gmail.com

Bless you! I had insomnia with both my pregnancies. My midwife recommended taking the classic herbal remedy of Valerian Root, Passionflower & Hops. You can find any number of sleep aids with this combination at Whole Foods (Deep Sleep is good).

When my insomnia got worse, the midwife recommended extra vitamin B and half a unisom.

The VPH is fantastic and I still take it when I have problems now.

i would blame EVERYthing on the pregnancy when it was me - it could be a million things from hormones, to stress, to diet, to being too busy to calm down at night...with three already i imagine your waking life is pretty crazy. i have just gotten over two rounds of being sick in three weeks, and i'm still getting up every couple hours for apparently no reason. i think our bodies can "adjust" and get used to about anything. since your main problem is waking up obscenely early and not being able to get back to sleep, maybe try staying up a bit later? not sure but it might help? i know adults (not ME lol) who don't go to bed till like midnight on weeknights. crazy! but some of us just don't require as much sleep. plus as we get older i think we need different amounts. sorry i can't help more...good luck and congrats!

That is definitely an early sign of pregnancy for me. Usually it's my first clue that I'm pg! I hope you can get some sleep soon...even if it's a nap or 2 during the day.

When I was first pregnant all I did was sleep. I think I was in bed by 8pm most nights. But every pregnancy is different. Are you stressed? I cant sleep when Im really stressed out about something.

Take up yoga. Go to the library and check out a video on pregnancy yoga. I did yoga all the way up to the night before I popped with my second one and slept well the entire time. With my first pregnancy I couldn't sleep past 6 months - but that was before I started doing yoga! Yoga yoga yoga! I swear by it even now!

Wow, what a spread! Congratulations...Yes, the insomnia sucks...of course, check with your Dr. first (because everyone is different)...but I was told Unisom was safe and that is what I took when I was pregnant. Funny, I woke up between 1-3 too...must be some sick joke of God! LOL... Anyway, if you take a unisom about 9pm it should work the better part of the night (at least till 5am).

I agree with the yoga and meditation idea but with your clan, it may not be as feasible as you'd like. Best of luck to you!

Oh my. I have a nine month old and a 2 year old and I did not sleep during either pregnancy. I think for some people it gets better during the second trimester, I can't say that was the situation for me with either. I'm sorry you are going through this, it's tough. I felt like white noise helped a little..... I did not know my husband snored until I was pregnant - even the slightest noise from him would wake me up - and worse yet - keep me from going back to sleep. The amount of late night TV I watched was embarrassing - especially the soap channel, I got all caught up on General Hospital. We ended up in separate beds during both pregnancies, which was hard at the time, but in retrospect, not that big of a deal.
However, on the bright side, the newborn phase was a breeze because I felt like I was getting more sleep, and most of all, better sleep, than I had in months..... don't know if that makes you feel better or worse.........
Hang in there. I wish I could tell you a magic answer, but instead I'll tell you you are not alone.......

During my first trimester I was lucky enough to only have two symptoms - sore boobs and insomnia. That was the only time in my life I've ever had trouble sleeping and it was exactly like what you're describing. It did go away around the end of the first trimester (only to be replaced by getting up to pee!), and I did not feel like I was anxious or stressed about anything, although pregnancy certainly affords that opportunity. I think it was just hormones. Here's an article that may be helpful. Good luck and congratulations!

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/insomnia...

I also recently found out I'm pregnant (with #5, not exactly planned) and I, too, haven't been sleeping well. I've never had a problem sleeping in my life-- except in late pregnancy, as you mentioned, when it's hard to get comfortable. My problem is falling asleep and staying asleep. Although nothing is wrong I just can't get comfortable. I toss and turn. When I finally fall asleep I'm prone to waking up in the middle of the night to toss and turn again.

I've never had this with my other pregnancies, so I thought it was pretty weird myself. No answers here, just a "Me too!"