Trouble Sleeping at Night - Arcadia,CA

Try the memory foam mattress topper. I had no more problem from sleeping on my side after I got it. I was able to sleep thru the night w/o any pain. I got the 2-inch one w/ 3 lbs density and it was fine. I got it at overstock.com. I still use it now and I got them for the kid's beds as well.
Good luck and congrats.

Hi! So sorry for your pain.
It is very important you share all this with your doctor just to be on the safe side. If everything checks out then you can try other things.
I remember when I was in my tird trimester I had horrible heartburn. I could not lay down in any position at all because I could not breathe at all. I figured out that by propping myself up at night I could sleed sitting up. By placing more pillows under my feet I could sleep very comfortably.
good luck!

Ugh, I remember those days. Unfortunately, as you get bigger, it's not going to get a lot better. Not sure what kind of body pillow you have, but I used one that wrapped around the entire body -- it was nice because I could flip from side to side without having to lug it along with me, and it lets you lay, not FLAT on your back, but close enough to flat that it takes some pressure off your hips (you basically end up on your back, with a pillow under one side of your butt to elevate it, hence taking pressure of the important veins). I was still uncomfortable using this pillow, but it was worlds better than trying to sleep without it (which was pretty much impossible towards the end).
I'm not sure if this is the exact pillow I used, but it looks similar.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Total-Body-Wrap-Pill...

Good luck - just remember it won't last forever

I love a firm mattress but when I was pregnant we bought a pillow top mattress topper which helped me a lot, along with the 5, yes 5 pillows i used (head, back, between knees, between arms, between feet!) I think sleeping poorly is really common during pregnancy unfortunately.

Welcome to being pregnant! Sorry to tell you, but it only gets worse the further along you get. Your body is stretching and the baby is getting bigger. Try regular Tylenol and the pillow between your leggs. Good luck!

Hi M.,

As you can tell by all the comments beginning with "Ugh!" you're not alone. I have to say that the best thing I did for myself with my last pregnancy was to see my chiropractor regularly. At first it was every two weeks and then every week. I missed ONE appointment (erm... I was in labor... I couldn't drive, haha). I continued for a few months after Madelyn was born, too, because the hip joints will need time to get back into place after you deliver.

Definitely find a chiro who has a lot of experience with pregnant women. And check to see if he/she has experience with newborns, too. A lot of time "colic" is lingering pain from childbirth and being crammed en utero. Mad got two extremely gentle adjustments after she came home. Baby adjustments are done with two fingers while Mom or Dad holds him/her... nothing at all like those for adults.

Best wishes for this first leg of your journey through motherhood.

Hi M.. Sorry to hear your having troubles sleeping and feeling pain. I can sympathize. I had the same thing going on when I was pregnant, later I had pain and had to pee all the time too. I was up about every 2 hours. Later after my daughter was born I realized why our bodies do these terrible things to us. Its to prepare us for the newborn schedule. You will only sleep 2 hours at a time at first and you will be recovering from birthing your baby for a while especially if you have to have a c-section. All the things you're experiencing right now are like training. Training for the marathon of early motherhood. The good news is that anything you are and will be experiencing is just a phase, so try to enjoy the positives, feeling your baby move, hearing it's heartbeat, the precious moments when youre up at 3 in the morning and nobody else exists but you and your little munchkin. Its all a phase so enjoy each one for soon, you'll be on to the next one.

I know this'll sound funny, but I slept on my stomach during pregnancy. Just twisted a bit. Also, there's no problem with sleeping on your back if you feel ok with it. For some women it presses on a central vessel, but I never had that problem. Have you tried pre-natal yoga? That SAVED me during pregnancy. You stretch into all the places your body wants to expand. It makes a huge difference. AND you sleep better at night from it! I HIGHLY reccommend it! Also, chiropractors are wonderful for pregnancy.

I had the same issues. Babies r us has a grea pregnancy pillow called the snoogle. It definitely helped. I'd check it out, I was able to sleep with this pillow. Its a full body pregnancy pillow, that you can wrap around your body and be comfy. Good luck and congrats!

You might want to try getting a body pillow and putting it in between your legs. This will help keep your hips aligned and might relieve some of your back pain.

I hear ya. I remember waking up about as often with both of my pregnancies due to my hips aching from side sleeping. I can't say I ever found a way to eliminate the waking (and the trips to the bathroom didn't help!). Like someone else said, you sort of get used to it, which is helpful after Baby arrives! Best wishes to you for the rest of your pregnancy.

HI M.,
I so know what it's like to have those pains during pregnancy. The only way I could sleep was propped up on my back.
Yoga and walking may also help.
I hope you find a comfortable position.
S. G

I had two pregnancies with a water bed and zero problems. Then we got a good mattress and the third pregnancy was hell. If I have a fourth, I might, seriously, consider a temporary water bed; really. Or an aero-bed; the firmness is adjustable.
I had to add that I always use/used a body pillow too.
good luck

I had this as well and the only thing that I found to help was sleeping on the couch! I would lean back against the couch so that I'd be taking the pressure off my side and I still technically wouldn't be sleeping on my back. Yeah, it stunk sleeping on the couch for many nights but it was much better than the pain of sleeping in the bed.

Yes, they generally say to sleep on your left side, when pregnant.

If not, try sleeping sitting up in a comfy chair. When I was farther along in my pregnancies, sometimes this is the only way I would be comfortable, to then sleep. Because my gigantic tummy, was so uncomfortable.

Or, if you have or can get a "wool/lambswool" type of rug... sometimes they sell them at Costco, but its expensive... this can alleviate some body soreness/pains/bedsores in people who are bedridden, for instance. Because "wool" breathes and is either cool or warm, and adjusts to the body. It is recommended in some hospitals for this reason, as it prevents bedsores for example, in people who are confined to bed.

Or, try asking your OB/GYN....

Or, use a "body pillow" to put between your legs, when you are on your side, to help support your body/tummy. This is also what I utilized, and helped.
Oh, sorry, I just saw that the body pillow is not helpful for you.

I know, its not comfortable, just some things that I tried, or have heard of.

As a side note, per your saying you feel like you are being "squeezed hard": sometimes "Braxton Hicks" contractions... will feel like your tummy is rock hard... and it gets uncomfortable/tight feeling. But this is a normal part of pregnancy, I forget from what month it starts. Perhaps ask your Doctor.
ALSO, with my first pregnancy, my daughter was more active at night... and in conjunction with Braxton Hicks contractions, it was so uncomfortable to sleep.

All the best,
Susan

Hi M.,
Unfortunately this is totally normal and one of the things that most people don't talk about. I had the same problem the last few months - I slept with the body pillow and lots of other pillows and my hips hurt a lot and I had to flip over every couple of hours to the other side. You can check with your doctor if a chiropractor or acupuncture might help but I'm not sure what else you can do. It all depends on your body and where the baby is. Try to rest as much as you can. If you work try to rest and nap on the weekends to make up for the sleep you're missing.

Good luck.

Are you seeing a chiropractor? Almost all of my clients go to Dr. Berlin's Wellness Center -- the focus of their practice is Prenatal & Postpartum Wellness care and they do massage, acupuncture, reflexology and chiropractic work. He has helped my clients be much more comfortable in their last few months and they all LOVE him :)

Dr. Elliot Berlin
Berlin Wellness
6221 Wilshire Blvd., #518
Los Angeles, CA 90048
http://www.doctorberlin.com/
###-###-####

Happy Birthing :)

All the best,

T. H., CD(DONA)
B*E*S*T Doula Service
http://www.bestdoulas.com

maybe you should try a prenatal yoga class..help stretch u out..do u go for walks in the day? i walked a 3 mile trail in Elysian Park every day when i was pregnant and i was 40 at the time..it really helped w/ a lot of things..left side is the side you're supposed to sleep on..helps w/ circulation..the 5th month wasn't tough to sleep for me..it was more the last month..good luck..try more exercise in the day..don't over do it but just get your blood circulating

Pregnancy is uncomfortable and your body is preparing you for the serious lack of sleep that will come when your baby arrives. I was so uncomfortable in my ribs, but then when the baby dropped and I felt a little relief in the rib cage, I developed so much pressure in my pelvic area I got hemorrhoids. With pregnancy when one obstacle subsides another presents itself. Prepare yourself to be miserable. If its not one thing it will be another and It only gets increasingly worse as you get bigger. How else would we ever look forward to labor and delivery and wish for the rigors of caring for a new born to pregnancy?

Congrats M.!
I'm 6.5 months along, with our 3rd child. I have the same issue, exactly! The only thing I can do is keep flipping from side to side. You've already tried new mattress & body pillow, only other suggestion is make sure your getting enough calcium/magnesium for those joints & back, helps a little, but you have just a few more months to go & you'll get your body back!

Hi M.,

I would highly recommend seeing a chiropractor who has experience adjusting pregnant women. During both of my pregnancies, I had sharp pain in my hips. So I went to get adjusted every 2 weeks until I gave birth. It did wonders. NOt only did the pain go away, the birthing process was easier as you are just more attuned to your body. If you can travel to Universal City, I recommend Dr.Mike with Universal City Medical and Wellness Group. The number is ###-###-####. They have tables where you can lay on your tummy and there's a whole for your tummy to go into. It's heave to lay like that! They adjust you and you'll be feeling great! I promise.

I had trouble sleeping too. I slept on the couch. But....I have a super comfy couch. Good luck.

I would try sleeping propped up on a bunch of pillows, at a 45 degree angle or so. I'm 8 months pregnant and it's been working for me. The doctor explained you just don't want to be flat on your back as you can cut off the blood supply to your brain and then of course to the baby. Since I'm a back sleeper this really helped and you don't have as much pressure on your back/side/hips. Good luck.

Try sleeping sitting up... I would use my step-son's bean bag in bed to sleep upright. I was doing it because my snoring was awful newr the end of my pregnancy. Hope this helps. You need all the sleep you can get now... after your baby comes it will be a few months before you get a full night.

UGGGG! I know your pain. My first pregnancy I had such hip issues while laying down. I think the best thing that worked was to use a body pillow. Place it under your tummy for support and between your legs. I also bought the foam egg crate stuff and doubled it over and put it under the fitted sheet. Lots of padding! I am 16 weeks prego right now. I hope my hip pain doesn't return! Best of luck!