Please help this TIRED Mama. - Page 3

[marinak1977]

so sorry that you're exhausted mama. I have no good ideas, but when I'm too anxious to sleep (I sometimes have terrible insomnia that is anxiety induced) a warm bath really helps to relax me

[Luke's mama]

Hey mama, sorry for your anxiety! I know what you mean, although for me it was when ds was a newborn. Have you tried taking a calcium/magnesium supplement before bed, or valerian? Both are supposed to induce sleep, and my husband says valerian helps him fall asleep or chill out when he is getting too wound up. I have also had success with yoga stretches and reading myself to a very sleepy state in bed or even on the sofa and then going to bed. melatonin is another natural supplement that is supposed to help you fall asleep.

your son has hit so many milestones so quickly that I wonder if his advanced pace is correlated to his sleeplessness?

[makuahine]

I haven't read all the replies yet, but I have a similar problem. DD wakes often and I have a hard time falling asleep when I know I'm going to be waking up again so soon. It's a horrible feeling! One thing that really helps me is making sure I get exercise during the day, even if I'm exhausted and don't want to. On the days I go for a run I am able to fall asleep much faster. Good luck!

[not_telling]

I thought of one more thing I tried that helped me go to sleep - a hot water bottle. When I was doing acupuncture when I was trying to conceive, teh most relaxing, put-me-to-sleep sessions were when my acupuncturist had a special kind of heat lamp aimed at my tummy. With that in mind, I tried putting a hot water bottle on my tummy (a little heating pad would work well and you wouldn't need to hold it in place) and concentrating on my breathing. It was very relaxing. The only issue I had was where to put the hot water bottle when I was done with it (since DS's crib is pushed up against my side of the bed, and I wasn't about to get up out of bed to put it away since I was already drifting in and out of sleep).

Also, I mentioned trying to make the room darker...this included covering my clock radio (I have the kind with BIG numbers since I'm so near-sighted) with a cloth diaper and making a concerted effort NOT to check the time.

[Jayray]

Also, for you, I would also think about an herbal tincture. I just saw one the other day that was safe for nursing moms and it specifically mentioned quieting the brain chatter. I think the main herb may have been skullcap. I've never tried it before, though.

Also, Hypnobabies makes a sleep track that is good. I listened to it when I had some postpartum insomnia and it was somewhat helpful. Again, it's something to focus on other than the crazy thoughts running through your mind. I don't know if that would wake up your babe, though.