How do YOU get comfortable at night?

[Celticqueen]

I am completely miserable at night and have got to figure out a way to get sleep before this baby comes. Please share any advice you might have and what you are doing to make your nights easier.

Here's what's going on:

My pelvis is in horrific pain when I switch positions or get out of bed, to the point of tears

The nerve deep in the butt and leg is in pain if I sleep too long on one side and continues to hurt for hours after I wake up

I've GOT to get some relief. Anyone else experiencing this and have found ways to cope with it? I'm waking up my poor husband all night long and it's irritating him, although he's understanding about it too. We both need sleep, and when I wake up crying so often, enough is enough!

Honestly, the idea of loading up on narcotics sounds so appealing most nights. Isn't that a horrible thought? Tylenol does nothing for me. Neither does having a pillow between the legs...

Tonight, I am going to try something I've never tried before while 8 and a half months pregnant and I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not...I'm either going to sleep in the recliner on my back with my head propped up OR put 4 pillows under my head so I'm basically sleeping in a sitting position. Completely desperately trying to find relief.

Thanks in advance for hopefully any pointers here! Seeing my midwife on Friday so I will ask her about this then too...

[chilichiki]

Completely miserable here too!!  I have had the horrid pelvis pain for months now, but it gets worse each day...and definitely worse when I have been laying/sitting for longer than a half hour.

Sleep is a foreign concept to me.  If I can get four hours in (never consecutive!) I consider myself lucky,

The other night my husband made up a bed for me on the couch.  He stacked about ten pillows at one end and I sort of propped myself up on them, so I was half sitting, half laying down.  I slept for about six hours and was sooooo happy!

Unfortunately, it hasn't worked since then.

I'd be interested to hear how others are managing sleep these days too!

[Celticqueen]

Well, last night was horrible again but I decided to not try anything different...DH still has to install our headboard (our bed has never had one) so once he installs it tonight, I'm going to try the upright position with lots of pillows. Curious if that will help

[Celticqueen]

Originally Posted by chilichiki 

The other night my husband made up a bed for me on the couch.  He stacked about ten pillows at one end and I sort of propped myself up on them, so I was half sitting, half laying down.  I slept for about six hours and was sooooo happy!

Yes, if I can get 4 hours of sleep at night, not consecutive, that's a great sleep for me and of course still exhausted throughout the day. Hoping to find some relief soon

[montessorimama1]

I once read about a woman who was trying to spin her baby and so she took the center pillow off her couch, put her belly in the gap (surrounded by pillows to make a soft nest for the belly) and slept face-down.  That might be an option for taking pressure off your hips and pelvis, while helping baby get into a good position.  If it's any consolation, you're not alone in the pain department.  I can't sleep more than 1.5 hours at a time, then I have to wake up, stretch my legs, go to the bathroom, and roll over on the other side to get some relief from the hip/pelvis pain.  My arms tend to fall asleep now, too.  Do you have time to nap during the day?  

[biophdmom]

i'm having the same hip/pelvic pain, especially when turning over in bed or any time I stand up from having been immobile for more than 5-10 minutes. Its fairly awful. I have slept propped up a few times but find it hard to be really comfortable. The past two nights the pillow between the knees has helped a bit and I can get a few hours before the hip pain starts, as opposed to 1-2 hours. We'll see how long that lasts though. Have you tried sleeping on the couch, on your side but reclined against the back of the couch? I've found it comfortable for naps...

[hannabee]

@celticqueen:  My husband's been sleeping on the couch for close to two weeks now; it really used to bother me when we'd end up sleeping in separate rooms, but now I'm just glad to sleep, and he is too!  As it is, I'm lucky if I get 3 consecutive hours at a time...I have a similar problem with being in a lot of pain while getting out of bed/rolling over.  It seems to help if I lay half-on my back (basically laying with one side propped on my body pillow, and my legs propped up), or half-on my stomach (I drape one arm and leg over my body pillow so that my belly has a little cavity to nest in). These positions take a lot of the pressure off my hips, because I'm not laying directly on the hip, and I seem to be in less pain in the morning.  It also helps that I have the whole bed to stretch out in  :)

I've found that I need to have a warm/hot shower before bed, and pretty much go to bed still wet; for some reason it's the only way my sheets and blankets don't bother me, plus I run a fan for some white noise...I also prop open the window as long as it's not too cold (last night was -20 degrees Celcius) and the fresh, chilly air seems to help. Other than that, I usually do my old insomnia tricks; for me most of the trouble is in getting comfortable and relaxed enough to fall asleep.  

@montessorimama: the couch thing sounds like a really good idea; I'll have to try it!

[futuremamaheather]

That is freekin' brilliant. I'm totally taking a nap in that position today.
 

Originally Posted by montessorimama1 

I once read about a woman who was trying to spin her baby and so she took the center pillow off her couch, put her belly in the gap (surrounded by pillows to make a soft nest for the belly) and slept face-down.  That might be an option for taking pressure off your hips and pelvis, while helping baby get into a good position.  

I've found that sometimes two queen sized pillows stacked under my upper leg (so if I'm laying on my left side, I straighten my left leg and bend my right leg which is supported by the pillows) helps me get the right angle to allow me to sleep for a couple of hours... as long as my bladder will let me. I also have pillows arranged in a sort of "V" or "U" shape, to support my head, shoulders and arms (one arm goes under the front pillow, one on top).

@celticqueen & hannabee: My poor husband has been sleeping in another room too - between all the pillows, the constant turning over, and the crazy trips to the bathroom, he was getting less sleep than me, poor guy!! It bothers me, and it bothers me that we may still be sleeping in separate rooms for a while when the baby's getting settled in, but on the other hand, we're all getting some sleep. *shrug* He does not do well at all with sleep deprivation, so we'll do what we need to to make sure he can function.

[Psmythe]

I had my mom help me out... she brought over her sewing machine and we cut two of my old bed pillows in half so I have 4 little mini pillows.  I find I have much better sleep if I can get a thin one under the belly, and one just under the small of my back.  It keeps me on my side without as much pressure.  The other two float around my legs, knees, ankles, wherever I need them.  It has helped a lot, but I have to turn over every so often and that is excruciating!  I've gotten some good naps in sitting more or less upright, but any longer than an hour or so and I get nerve pain in my butt.  I've been consoling myself that I'll be well prepared to wake up and nurse once he's out!

[montessorimama1]

This might sound awful but I wish my husband were sleeping in a different room... I'm basically falling off the bed most of the time, and I can't just roll over when I want to sleep on my other side; I have to shift my hips so they occupy the same space they were in before I turned, because we don't have enough space in the bed for me to roll over.  And pillows... forget it, there's no room.  :(

[futuremamaheather]

That was me, before he moved. I was miserable, and cried one night after flipping over like that one too many times trying to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. I moved to our air mattress for the rest of the night, after that, he sleeps in the guest room, but comes in for snuggles before we both fall asleep. It's an ok compromise for us.
 

Originally Posted by montessorimama1 

This might sound awful but I wish my husband were sleeping in a different room... I'm basically falling off the bed most of the time, and I can't just roll over when I want to sleep on my other side; I have to shift my hips so they occupy the same space they were in before I turned, because we don't have enough space in the bed for me to roll over.  And pillows... forget it, there's no room.  :(

[juneboymum]

I sleep with a body pillow from Target ($10) between my legs and hugged against my chest.  I have to roll over several times a night and can do it pretty smoothly with the pillow in place. I don't know why, but hugging the pillow to my chest helps.  Usually around 4 AM my hips can't take it anymore and then I prop up with 3 pillow behind my head and sleep half sitting up for a couple hours.  It's such a relief to be off my hips!  After a couple hours this bugs me so then I go back on my left or right side until I can't stay in bed any longer.

[MommyMatsumoto]

I'm not so much having trouble with hip pain (although I do get it occasionally) - my main problem is heartburn.  However, I would suggest taking a CalMag supplement (it has to be calcium citrate) before bed.  I take Citracal and it works wonders for me!  When I don't take it, I toss and turn and have trouble getting to sleep.  It really just helps me sleep soundly so that my pregnancy ailments don't irritate me.  I hope you all find something that works and you can get relief!

Oh, and definitely get adjusted!  My husband is a chiropractor and I get adjusted 2-3 times a week these days.  I think that really helps me not to have any hip pain.

[MidwifeErika]

laying down is one of the only positions I am comfortable in at this point due to pinched nerves. I have to be pretty flat and on my side though, if I am towards my back at all then I cannot breathe and feel as if I am about to pass out.