how many of you have heard this phrase non-stop throughout pregnancy?!
I HAVE. ALL.THE.TIME. And I just don't get it. While I know that being a zombie as a first time mom will be HELL, I don't see how sleeping more now will save me through the nb phase! 
I wish I had a bank of sleep hours I can deduct from to get me through the zombie days/nights, but alas it's not doable!
(Sorry had to vent, heard it from MIL for like the millionth time yesterday.)
cantaloupe / 6630 posts
Lol! I wish I could sleep now, heartburn/pain/insomnia probably means I get three hours a night? I'm hoping for a restful last weekend before baby, though...
pomelo / 5331 posts
Ugh, I get this all the time. I think people just need to assert that THEY KNOW HOW BAD IT WILL BE because didn't you know, THEY WERE THERE FIRST. 
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
I agree it's not that useful. People are just trying to be helpful...
pomegranate / 3452 posts
It's especially painful to hear when sleeping while pregnant is so uncomfortable!
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
omg you're not gonna get much sleep when your LO arrives. Feedings every 2-3 hours. And when he naps, you're supposed to nap, but if you're like me, you won't be able to!
P and I think back to the good ole days when we used to sleep in til noon and beyond and we cry a little inside. HAHA
So. Sleep. Eat out. Cuddle. Enjoy the time you have as a family of 2 + 2 furbabies! 
nectarine / 2039 posts
@mrsjyw: so true. The one thing I found 'helpful' about my pregnancy sleep was learning how to fall back asleep after peeing . Prior to pregnancy, I never woke up in the night, so when I started the peeing thing I had to learn how to fall back asleep. That was helpful with the night-wakings....although I'm sure once I got tired enough I would have learned to fall back asleep no problem.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
If only there was a sleep bank you could put deposits into in the first trimester when you are exhausted all the time! Or perhaps that these well meaning advice givers could donate to 
But seriously, shouldn't you be napping to get your sleep now before the baby comes?
pomelo / 5789 posts
This annoys the heck out of me when people make this comment.
I would love to sleep now, but I have insomnia, heartburn not to mention waking up 500 times a night to pee. Oh yes, and working 9 hours a day, with a two hour hour commute.
I would love to sleep, helpful person making stupid comments.
pomegranate / 3314 posts
Ugh, I hated hearing this, too. Towards the end of my pregnancy, any/all sleep positions just hurt. Everything hurt. Which meant way less sleep.
But I do agree with @chopsuey119 that you should do what you can to savor your freedom! Now that LO is sleeping through the night, it's not sleep that I miss so much. But dear God, do I miss going out to dinner (or even running errands) without the extra work of toting a baby along. Oh yeah, and we just don't go out to dinner much now because LO has a strict bedtime schedule (one of the costs of having a well-rested bebe, unfortunately) and babysitters are WAY expensive where we are.
grapefruit / 4049 posts
It's not a totally useful thing to say, but I think what people mean is they want you to just enjoy sleep as much as you can. They shouldn't mean that sleeping now will help you later... I had 3rd tri insomnia, so I understand that too though. One of my biggest guilty pleasures pre-babies was napping on the weekends.
coconut / 8279 posts
It's not useful, and is totally annoying. However, completely true!
I was never one to enjoy sleep much anyway, but I wish I had allowed myself to really soak it up before DS. Same with going out to eat and see movies with DH. Or going to the salon.
DS is 10 months old and still gets up at least once a night and even though I'm used to it by now, I dream of the day where I can just sleep 8 hours straight. Or 7. Or even 6 hours, I'd take 6.
pomegranate / 3383 posts
We got that a lot throughout pregnancy. A sleep bank would be fabulous!! I agree with pp when they say to enjoy the freedom and the sleep you're able to get now. DH and I reminisce about the 'good ole days' all the time even though I couldn't imagine life without my LO and his lovely wake up calls!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@aprk: agreed!!!
I couldn't sleep the last half of my third trimester anyhow. I was in so much pain and discomfort, I was lucky getting 5 hours!
I totally wish sleep worked like a bank. It'd be HEAVEN if it did.
yeah... heard this all.the.time.
cantaloupe / 6146 posts
I heard that a lot. I am tired again. I got better sleep with my newborn than I did in my 3rd trimester. With my 5 month old I am tired again. Ah, well.
I do wish sleep was like a bank--that would rock.
papaya / 10560 posts
I think it should be more like "appreciate sleep now!!" Because duh...of course you're sleeping...or at least trying to...but if I could sleep now like I did pre-baby...nap when I wanted for as long as I wanted as many times as I wanted...I'd have it made.
blogger / pomelo / 5361 posts
If I should "enjoy sleeping while I can," someone really should have told me this when I was in college and actually could sleep for hours on end.
Maybe it's just me, but the people who say this to me never sound like they are trying to be helpful. They always say it bitterly, like they're glad I'll finally "get" how terrible it is. I'm pretty relaxed and don't get offended by 99% of pregnancy comments, but I have to admit this one bugs me, though I just laugh it off. First, I know I won't get good sleep when the babies arrive, but I'm not exactly getting amazing sleep now because I have pregnancy insomnia, I pee every 2 hours, and I never get quite comfortable enough to actually go into a deep sleep. Second, sleeping now won't make me less tired then. Third, why do so many parents tend to be Debbie Downer about life after kids? I know it's hard and there are times I'll wander what I was thinking, but some people make it seem like they regret ever even having kids!
That said, we are trying to enjoy lots of things like dinners out, spontaneous after work events, etc., because we know it will be much harder to enjoy some freedom after the kiddos arrive.
Vent over.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
@Mrs. Blue: took the words out of my mouth. the people who have repeatedly said it to me say it while laughing, condescendingly, and in the "just you wait, you have no idea, but i do" manner. THAT'S what bugs me.
honeydew / 7504 posts
@Mrs. Blue: "why do so many parents tend to be Debbie Downer about life after kids?" THIS. Exactly. The sleep comment and all similar comments drive me crazy. I know I don't know HOW hard it's going to be, but I do know it's going to be hard and we're going to be tired and all that other stuff. Trying to be "nice" and "warn" me doesn't make me feel better. And it certainly doesn't make me go, "Gee, you're right, let me go take a nap now cuz I bet that'll help when I have a newborn in 10 weeks." It just makes you sound like you're bitter. Grr...
blogger / pomelo / 5361 posts
@mrsjyw: Agreed! It's never from a friend/family that are trying to be helpful. Those people usually say something about how it's really hard for the first few months, but it gets better, they'll be happy to babysit, etc.
kiwi / 711 posts
@Mrs. Blue: @mrsjyw: Exactly! I just try to ignore their comments and laugh it off but it definitely irks me. As it is I'm not sleeping that great because babies decide to have a mosh pit in my belly and slam against each other and my belly in the early morning.
pomegranate / 3225 posts
It's very irritating. last night i went to bed at 9 pm, but I work up multiple times, thinking of labor, worrying when she will come, etc, etc.
honeydew / 7444 posts
I agree with @NYCaliMama: thry sre just daying to enjoy sleep while you can now. It used to drive me crazy when i was pregnant too, but it makes sense after the baby comes. Sleep was annoying and uncomfortable (i had horrible leg cramps and bad back pain) but doesnt compare to the sheer exhaustion you feel once the baby comes.
Just enjoy the sleep now...sleeping in on the weekends, uninterrupted sleep. Sigh, i am a little sad just thinking about it.
papaya / 10570 posts
Uh oh!!! I said this to my friend a few days ago!! She was telling me how much she wanted the baby out right now - she's due in just over two weeks and finishes work tomorrow - I told her to enjoy her last few days of lie-ins. Lol. She probably wanted to punch me in the face!! Oh well, she can get me back when it;s my turn!
kiwi / 691 posts
I found that once I had the baby, people replaced this by asking how my LO is sleeping. They seem disappointed when I tell them she is a great sleeper. I think people are obsessed with sleep!
apricot / 457 posts
I don't think people mean to be condescending but it's true - before you have your first baby you really have no idea what it'll be like. There are no words and nothing that I can say that will prepare you for what life is like post baby. Just be prepared for extremes of everything - extreme happiness, extreme confusion, extreme exhaustion, extreme serenity all rolled into one. =)
cantaloupe / 6751 posts
A sleep bank! What a fantastic idea! I could totally use some withdrawals right now!!
bananas / 9973 posts
@Mrs. Blue: @mrsjyw: Exactly! Though some people say it and think it's something we don't know yet, most people seem to say it with that tone like "hahaha, NOW you'll know how I feel!" Misery loves company I suppose.
GOLD / papaya / 10206 posts
I remembering that feeling, I had 'no idea' what I was getting into, it was still tough. Luckily, I had my Bee's to keep me sane.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
Nope, not one bit useful but I think its more so you can enjoy relaxing than anything. Soak it up while you can.
blogger / persimmon / 1220 posts
It won't really help. Even if you slept all day long before the LO arrives, you'll still be exhausted beyond your wildest dreams.
I think what they should say is, "Enjoy your sleep now."
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
It use to drive me crazy too. Until I got to the other side. Not being able to sleep during pregnancy is totally different than not having the option to sleep.
My one co-worker actually said she's looking forward to when the baby comes so she can get some sleep due to 3rd trimester insomnia. I have to admit every single parent in the office had a good chuckle over that.
pomelo / 5178 posts
I hate this saying. I hated it when I was pregnant, and I hate it now, as a parent. Exhaustion and sleep deprivation suck either way; no matter the cause, the outcome is the same. Plus, pregnant women complaining about sleep are really looking for sympathy and understanding, in my experience, not the one-upmanship of the "Just wait till the baby comes" comment.
pear / 1837 posts
I wanted to smack people when they said that. My pregnancy sleep sucked... yeah, I didn't get to sleep as much after LO was born, but I was certainly more comfortable when I did get to sleep post-baby than pre-baby!
But then I hated pregnancy so every time someone tried to tell me things were just going to get worse made me want to respond that if having a newborn was worse than pregnancy, I was going to sell mine to the circus.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
It is just like, "just you wait." First, you cannot get a lot of sleep your last couple weeks of pregnancy because you are so miserable and huge. Second, we're not bears. We don't hibernate. We can't just work up a ton of sleep to store for when these babies come. I know people are trying to say something nice but OMG it is one of the most annoying things!
ps...you're almost there!
pineapple / 12526 posts
And then it turns from that to "Nap when he/she naps!" Yeah, right.
apricot / 491 posts
Oh I understand what it's like to be on the receiving end of unsolicited, condescending advice... BUT here's why you should try to sleep as much as possible now: You could go into labor at any time. Really, it could be tonight. It could be tomorrow. You want to be well-rested before you run a marathon.
I had major insomnia in my last couple of months and I ended up in labor for a long time because my body needed sleep. I went into labor around 5 pm on a Wednesday and I hadn't even attempted to lay down that day. So on that Friday morning when I hadn't had any sleep since Tuesday night, my midwife recommended I get an epidural so I could sleep and recoup my strength. It worked but I regret not having been able to at least start labor well-rested. So I do tell all my friends when they are in their last weeks to sleep. Sleep and eat. Oh eating is a whole other story...
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 0 |
| Posts | 1 | 0 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
49 comments