Pregnant & NOT Sleeping

I know exactly what you are going through I suffer from depression and anxiety.I have now suffered with postpartum depression for 2 yrs now.I'am now taking Zoloft for it.It seems like doing anything is a chore I know, how do I manage I rest whenever possible even if it's just to close my eye's while my children are watching TV for a while or breastfeeding my daughter.I sleepin when I can when my husband is home and can watch the children.But do let your dr know I did and I use to take Benadryl to help me sleep that all started with my 1st preganancy I develpoed restless leg syndrome and needed it.Then with my others it helped me sleep for a few hrs to get rested enough so that i'm not complety dragging myself.But it get's old how tired you are how it feels that your being lazy but its the truth you can't move anymore let alone trying to explain it to others.

I think I would have spoken to the other doctor first about weaning off the medications the OB didn't want you taking during the pregnancy because quitting cold turkey with some of those meds is a bad idea. You definitely should tell the OB about your problems sleeping. That can't be good for you or the kids.

I know that some depression medications are safe to take during pregnancy. I agree with the post that said you should change OB docs if this one won't listen. Talking to a psychiatrist about the psych meds is also a good idea.

I'm surprised your doctor took you off those three without finding a suitable alternative. I suffer with ADHD, depression & insomnia and was taking meds for all three before I fould out I was pregnant. I had to stop my ADHD & insomnia meds BUT was told to stay on my depression meds.

In fact my OB said it can be BAD to stop taking depression meds while pregnant. He said there are some depression meds not to take while pregnant but to change meds if that is the case. He said it can be dangerous to just stop taking depression meds. Plus, beibg depressed while pregnant w/o meds can affect the baby negatively.

http://www.webmd.com/baby/should-i-take-antidepressants-w...

So, I'd call your doctor who prescribes the meds & ask them if you can take your meds still & if not, what meds you can change to. Your other doctor can get the same chart of medications & if they are safe during pregnancy but can better determine if you should take them.

You don't have to suffer through your pregnancy!

BTW, my son is now 21 months & I am still nursing him so I am on my depression meds but not my ADHD or insomnia meds. (I took a med for insomnia & restless leg syndrom that is not allowed for pregnancy & was able to not take another insomnia drug, but there are drugs you can take for insomnia during pregnancy.)

Again, I would talk to the Dr. that prescribed your meds, your OB is not up to the current standards of care. If you are not functioning NOT taking your meds is worse than TAKING your meds for your baby.

Hang in there. I can relate to the exhaustion of depression mixed with insomnia. You need better care so you can function & take care of your children.

God bless,
J.

You can take the OTC sleeping pill Unisom during pregnancy. Some OBs even recommend it because it helps morning sickness. The problem is that you have to take it early in the evening and get to bed early or you'll have a hard time shaking off the sleepy feeling all the next day. Sounds terrible. Yes, talk to your doctor!

My OB told me it was okay to take Unisom.

PUSH IT! Tell your ob that you need something to help, you want it to be safe and you two can work together to find something safe that helps. Worst case scenario, I am sure they'll find you something you can start taking in the second trimester. With some doctors you have to really be your own advocate.

K.

Oh, I feel for you! Regarding the meds for depression/anxiety, see if you can get your OB and your prescribing doc to work together to see if they can find a happy medium...
The insomnia though...I wish I had an answer. I started having severe insomnia in both my pregnancies a few days before I even got a positive test! With my daughter, it subsided somewhat in my second tri...but with this current pregnancy, I'm in my 23 week and STILL can't sleep at all.
You can safely take benadryl preparations (ie. Tylenol PM is just tylenol with benatdryl) or Unisom (also just an antihistimine) to help sleep...but talk to your ob about this.
BUT...PLEASE do address the sleep issues...without regular sleep, it's proven that depression and anxiety can both worsen. Hope you are getting your Zzzz's again soon!

Hi D.,
Can you and do you drink milk at all? if you do, you might try some warm milk just before going to bed. there is something in it that helps people get to sleep. I love milk, so it helped me when i was pregnant. Just warm it , don't boil it. I only had trouble sleeping, not with depression or anxiety. but my daughter, had these diagnosis and while she had to go off the meds she was taking before she got pregnant, her phychiatrist and obgyn were able to get her on some meds for those that were safer to take while pregnant. you might want to call your dr. that prescribed the meds and find out what you can take safely during preganancy. Good luck.

I don't know very much about your situation, but you might consider talking to a psychiatrist who knows a lot about perinatal mood disorders (things like depression and anxiety which affect women during both pregnancy and the postpartum period). A good psychiatrist is often much more knowledgeable about medications than an OB/GYN, in terms of meds for sustaining good mental health for people with depression and anxiety. If you found a good perinatal psychiatrist, s/he would be very aware of meds., their effect on preganacy and on breastfeeding, and might be able to formulate a treatment plan which your OB would be OK with.
Also, you might consider getting into counseling. A good resource in our area is the Postpartum Resource Center of KS (www.kansasppd.org). They can refer you to a good counselor familiar with perinatal mood disorders, and a counselor could potentially help you with other ways of dealing with your anxiety.
I hope some of that helps. I feel for you!

Warm Milk. My son as trouble sleeping and swears by it. When warmed milk releases the same think that is in turkey that makes you sleepy. And no side effects.