(#4 will really help!)

Is your growing belly making it difficult for you to get a good night’s sleep? Or even fall asleep in the first place? One pregnant woman shared, “I never had issues sleeping before I got pregnant. Now I can’t seem to relax at night.” Sleep issues are common during pregnancy. They happen as a result of lots of things: bathroom trips in the middle of the night, cramped legs, heartburn, carrying the extra pounds on your belly, and feeling over-heated.

Here are our tips to help you get some sleep:

1. Exercise during the day; it’ll help your body be more tired and ready for sleep. Just avoid exercising too close to when you go to bed
2. Eat dinner slowly and calmly: it’ll help prevent nighttime heartburn. Also, don’t try to go to sleep right after dinner, because a full stomach can make you too uncomfortable to sleep.
3. Drinking less fluids after 6pm will help you avoid so many bathroom trips
4. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon & evening, because it can stick with you for about six hours. This includes chocolate, tea, and caffeinated sodas/drinks.
5. Make a bedtime ritual for yourself-it can include reading, stretching, a warm shower, and then brushing your teeth.
6. Use a lot of pillows to get comfortable-to prop you up, give support, and make you feel cozy.
7. Open a window to get some fresh air
8. Only use your bed for sleeping-no answering emails or paying bills in your bed, since these activates might make you stressed right before bed.
9. Only go to bed when you’re sleepy-this one seems obvious, but tucking yourself in before you feel tired will make you impatient and restless
10. Try some relaxation and breathing techniques (these will also help you when contractions start.) Here’s a great guided relaxation video that may help you fall asleep.

It’s important that you avoid taking any sleep aids or sleeping pills; the FDA hasn’t found any sleeping meds that are totally safe to take when you’re pregnant. This includes over-the-counter meds such as Benadryl. Talk to your doctor before taking any medication, herbal remedy, or supplement. They’ll think about the risks and benefits of taking the medication and share other solutions to pregnancy sleep issues.

Written by Heather Featherston

As Vice President of Lifetime Adoption, Heather Featherston holds an MBA and is passionate about working with those facing adoption, pregnancy, and parenting issues. Heather has conducted training for birth parent advocates, spoken to professional groups, and has appeared on television and radio to discuss the multiple aspects of adoption. She has provided one-on-one support to women and hopeful adoptive parents working through adoption decisions.

Since 2002, she has been helping pregnant women and others in crisis to learn more about adoption. Heather also trains and speaks nationwide to pregnancy clinics to effectively meet the needs of women who want to explore adoption for their child. Today, she continues to address the concerns women have about adoption and supports the needs of women who choose adoption for their child.

As a published author of the book Called to Adoption, Featherston loves to see God’s hand at work every day as she helps children and families come together through adoption.

Read more about Heather Featherston

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