HELP! 4 month dd sleeps well, but I don't!

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[Post New]07/28/2008 13:21
Anonymous
We got really lucky with our first little one - she is a really good sleeper. At 4 months she's down around 7pm, and sleeps until around 7am, usually waking 1-2 times for her pacifier. She no longer eats at night.

I should be well rested, right? But I can't sleep!! I've tried going to bed anywhere between 9-11pm and it usually takes me at least an hour to fall asleep. I wake up several times during the night (often unrelated to the baby) and can't fall back asleep, often for hours. Usually around 5am I feel as though I'm starting to sleep "well" but of course DD is up at 7 am and I'm exhausted. She's doing great and I can't blame it on her. What's wrong with me?

For the record, I do not consider myself an anxious person. When I'm lying there and can't sleep, I'm not worrying about something. Usually I have a dumb song from the radio stuck in my head, or I'm thinking about what to buy at the grocery store. Mostly I'm just stressed out that I'm not asleep! A few people have suggested using Lamaze breathing, but I didn't really learn that too well. Before the baby, I was always a light sleep and awoke to the slightest noise, but I usually fell right back to sleep. Help!

Any suggestions?
[Post New]07/28/2008 13:40
jsmarkarian
Member Offline
Oh, poor you, I can relate to this all too well. When my baby was little and I had a chance to nap I hardly could do it because my mind was always racing with all sorts of thoughts. I am also not an anxious person, but having a baby somehow put my body and mind on alert to such an extent that I couldn't turn it off even when there was absolutely no reason to be alert.
I have no suggestions besides the usual remedies of taking a hot bath before bed and such. Exercise also seemed to help me a bit. For me, this problem was resolved as time when on, but it did take me about a year to have my mind "settle down". Good luck to you!
[Post New]07/28/2008 13:58
Anonymous
I am going to risk being ridiculed and post an abbreviated version of a long story: i never slept well my entire life, and my first dc didn't sleep well, either. long story short, i finally figured out that my dc was having some kind of reaction to fluoride, and when i eliminated it, he slept through the night like a charm after four years of waking several times per night. Now i have fluoride out of my diet, too, and i am sleeping well for the first time ever. I use non-fluoride toothpast at night and regular in the morning (the non-fluoride toothpast just doesn't do the job in the morning) and stay away from bottled juices made from concentrates and water, canned soups, etc.. Make of that what you will, but it works for us. (dc #2 has no trouble sleeping, with or without fluoride.)



Anonymous wrote:We got really lucky with our first little one - she is a really good sleeper. At 4 months she's down around 7pm, and sleeps until around 7am, usually waking 1-2 times for her pacifier. She no longer eats at night.

I should be well rested, right? But I can't sleep!! I've tried going to bed anywhere between 9-11pm and it usually takes me at least an hour to fall asleep. I wake up several times during the night (often unrelated to the baby) and can't fall back asleep, often for hours. Usually around 5am I feel as though I'm starting to sleep "well" but of course DD is up at 7 am and I'm exhausted. She's doing great and I can't blame it on her. What's wrong with me?

For the record, I do not consider myself an anxious person. When I'm lying there and can't sleep, I'm not worrying about something. Usually I have a dumb song from the radio stuck in my head, or I'm thinking about what to buy at the grocery store. Mostly I'm just stressed out that I'm not asleep! A few people have suggested using Lamaze breathing, but I didn't really learn that too well. Before the baby, I was always a light sleep and awoke to the slightest noise, but I usually fell right back to sleep. Help!

Any suggestions?
[Post New]07/28/2008 15:18
Anonymous
I had similar issues as you, although for me it was some anxiety and thoughts racing through my head prevening me from settling down to sleep. The problem was my thyroid. It is not uncommon for your thyroid to be over-active after delivering. Your OB or regular doc can check your TSH level w/ a simple blood test.
[Post New]07/28/2008 16:03
Anonymous
OMG iit is me. I'm there right now. When my DD is sleeping - which is not all that often - I usually can't and I feel like crying. Good suggestion on the thyroid PP. I'm going to have it checked. I try not to have any caffeine after early morning and I drink sleepy time tea before bed. I can usually fall asleep but then I wake up and lay there all night long!

I wish I could help.
[Post New]07/28/2008 16:25
Anonymous
Tylenol PM is supposed to be safe during pregnancy...so it probably is during breastfeeding as well.

Maybe see if a couple of nights of taking it can get your body used to sleeping 8 hours a night again...
[Post New]07/28/2008 20:29
Anonymous
Don't try to path together a solution. You sound like you are experiencing classic insomnia. Talk to your doctor about it.
[Post New]07/30/2008 14:59
Anonymous
definitely check your thyroid. that was the culprit with me both times. of course i have thyroid problems anyway, but when the baby is sleeping and you are not, the thyroid is a likely suspect. post-partum thyroid levels can be a wild ride.
[Post New]07/30/2008 16:27
Anonymous
OP here - I will definitely call my mid-wife and ask about the thyroid. I appreciate all of the advice!
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