Can't Fall Back Asleep After Baby Wakes Up...

weirdly, calcium supplements seem to help with that somewhat. have you tried the old standbys, warm milk or sleepytime tea? i also agree with the suggestions to use white noise (we always have a humidifier running in the winter and i have to get used to doing without it when it warms up again) and reading in bed, which i do with a flashlight so as not to wake the hubby.
everyone tells new moms to remember to nap when the baby naps, but new moms never listen.
do it!
there is also great virtue on many levels in a good old fashioned bubble bath.
i'm sorry it's so hard, sleep deprivation is just terrible. i wish you all the luck.
khairete
S.

tylenol PM would be fine for you to take. Also, I would try the white noise but most importantly, don't have the baby monitor too loud. I would lay awake hoping that I wouldn't here my kids so that I didn't have to get up. It makes no sense, right? I had to turn them way down so I could sleep.

I find that taking a warm shower helps me fall back asleep. And if it doesn't, at least you've gotten your shower for the day!

Do you think it's stress related, or health-related? I know sometimes it's hard for me to sleep when I have too much on my mind - and you have a new baby and tons to think about! I also have sinus issues and my husband snores....we changed our mattress so he sleeps better and in turn I sleep better - and I got a new pillow as well....the more support, the better. Also - I sleep with a humidifier on - it provides ambient noise that kind of lulls me to sleep and I don't lay awake thinking about stuff and hearing other noises....and actually helps keeps my sinuses flowing....hope this helps you too! Let us know what happens. :)

Someone else already mentioned this, but as an expectant first time mom with a sleep disorder, I wanted to share that the perinatalogist felt safe with me taking Ambien during pregnancy and postpartum while nursing. The only caution she stated was the ability to care for our little one while on the medication, which takes me to the next item.

What I find most helpful to me when I need to sleep for a couple hours instead of the entire night, is to take a half a pill. My sleep doctor suggested this is a good way to be sure to be fully aware after just a couple hours but to still get restful sleep - she calls it a microdose. I am allowed to take up to two pills as needed for sleep (standard nightly dose.)

I know how hard it is to function when you have additional sleep issues on top of just being woken up - and I hope you find a solution that works well for you. I also take calcium as it's been recommended by several doctors as a good way to help the body relax and sleep.

Good luck!

Take up a workout routine. Exercise burns off stress and energy and makes it much easier to sleep when it is time.

i had the same problems. bear in mind that nursing releases hormones that help you fall back asleep and into a deeper sleep quicker, so try to focus on those hormones coursing through you and helping you get back to sleep. i found that i would be lying in the bed waiting for the baby to wake up again, which would completely not allow me to fall asleep. if you can sleep somewhere you can't hear a noise and know that someone will come get you if you're needed, maybe you can sleep. my method for helping me take my mind off things to fall asleep is to think of as many names that start with J as I can, and somehow i drift off.

with my second son, we slept together so he would nurse and we would both fall asleep. he was swaddled and i would put him on my chest to fall asleep, or he would lie next to me with his head on my arm which i had bent at a 90 degree angle to my body and under my pillow as well (not sure if i described that right) but he was right next to me, nose to nose. i could hear his every breath and somehow that helped me sleep cause i would fall asleep as he would and wake as he would too, and since he was right there he'd just latch on and i wouldn't have to get up or get back into bed. it was just us 2 in the bed, so i wasn't worried about my husband rolling on him. i was never worried about me rolling on him since i was such a light sleeper, sensitive to his every breath and snuffle.

i would say, if you decide to sleep with the babe, do not take ambien or tylenol pm or even drink very much. those things will make you sleep deeper and not be as sensitive to baby, potentially rolling on him. i took both ambien and tylenol pm while pregnant, but didn't need it as much after birth.
good luck!!!

In addition to all the great suggestions you've already gotten, I would add keep the room dimly lit while you are nursing. Bright light will stimulate you more and make it harder for you to fall asleep.

Also, would it be possible to pump some milk and have your husband do the last feeding around 10pm? You could go to bed earlier than your daughter does to give you some additional sleep before she gets up in the night. If you went to bed at 9, you'd still get 6 hours before she gets up. That might be helpful. A friend of mine did this, and it worked wonders for her.

This may sound trite, but reading helps me to fall back asleep. If I can't fall back asleep (which isn't uncommon if I have gotten 4-5 hours of sleep), I will read until I become tired. At least this way I feel like I am being productive with the time that I am awake and I don't sit there and fret about falling back asleep. Soon, if not already, your daughter will be taking naps all day long and you will be able to fit in a cat nap in order to make up for some of that lost sleep during the night.

Hi, S. - Are you taking vitamins? A very high quality vitamin can aid in helping you sleep, because if you are deficient in any key nutrients, it can affect your sleep cycle.......as if it isn't being "affected" in a huge way already!!! Also, you may want to try a simple self-hypnosis technique, like deep breathing, etc. to help you calm your mind. (Lots of good books out there on the subject.) I feel your pain; been there! Good luck.

S.,

I know how hard this problem can be! I have two children, and with both of them my postpartum issue was not depression, but sleeplessness! It subsided after a couple of months when my hormones worked themselves out, but in the meantime it can be very, very frustrating. After the birth of my second child this July I asked the doctor in the hospital for some help and he prescribed me some Ambien, which is safe for nursing moms. I also did some reading of my own and made sure to get plenty of Omega 3's (a fish oil caplet daily) as well as at least 20 minutes of sunlight each day. Simply doing this helped a lot- I only ended up taking the Ambien about 4 times (but it was a lifesaver) I never had any trouble waking up when my son needed to nurse. I would recommend seeing a Dr. and explaining your postpartum sleeplessness. Hopefully they will be able to help you out. Best wishes!

I would actually recommend having your thyroid tested just to rule that out! When I had my baby, my endocrinologist told me to make sure to let her know if I had a hard time falling asleep after a night feeding because it could mean my thyroid was off!