Insomnia and decreased nursing? Help.

[wishin'&hopin']

DS is 21 months.  He nurses 3 times a day (sometimes 4) and this is a decrease of about 3-4 sessions since he was 18 months old (we've cut out everything but am, pre and post nap and bedtime (with don't offer, don't refuse)--unless he's sick, then all bets are off).  Since AF resumed at 18 months PP I've had increasing bouts of insomnia (it's currently almost 1am and I tried to go to bed at 9pm).  Often I have night sweats/hot flashes, like I had immediately PP (I'm 33 and don't believe I am perimenopausal, AF every 28 days since it resumed).  

Is this normal?  How can I make it stop?  (And if anyone has ideas for getting DS to sleep past 6am...LOL)  

I have no plans to wean DS anytime soon altho' I am working on getting him to fall asleep for naps without nursing (just so others can put him down for a nap occasionally).  

Melatonin hasn't been helping...and anything I do take needs to be safe when I nurse DS in the morning.  

Help, I'm going to be a mess tomorrow, and I'm sick of being a mess...

[3girls1boy]

The only relation I can think of is that often, the first PP periods occur without ovulation.  It's possible that your body is trying to kick start back into ovulating, and the end of nighttime nursing is often what gets women ovulating again.  This could leave you with a weird hormonal imbalance/surges, that might be affecting your sleep.

I hope it gets better soon, 'cause it doesn't sound like any fun.

[wishin'&hopin']

Interesting...that would also explain the new development of nipple pain during nursing that I am thinking is related to ovulation.