Sleep 😴

Yeah I was exactly the same with my first. Looking back I think I had lost partum anxiety. It's really tough as you know you need to get to sleep, you're exhausted but the anxiety keeps you awake. Sending you lots of love ❤️

Thanks for sharing, what helped you when you were unable to sleep or how long did it last for you? Xx

Yes, I totally understand these feelings. Especially in the first year, when my child was sleeping and my partner was sleeping, I couldn’t fall asleep myself. I used to get really upset with myself, thinking, “Why can’t I just fall asleep?”
I tried different things, and eventually I found a simple explanation online: cortisol (the stress hormone) keeps your body alert. When your cortisol is high, it doesn’t really matter what you do—you won’t fall asleep until your cortisol level goes down and your body calms down naturally. It doesn’t happen instantly, so I learned to accept that and even enjoy that time.
Sometimes at night, or during the day when everyone else was asleep, that was the only time I had completely to myself. I started using it to do things I really liked and that helped me relax: reading a book, keeping my iPad nearby to draw, or listening to music or a podcast with earphones. The one rule I gave myself was: no social media and no scrolling on my phone. to be continued

Continue… With time and practice, I learned to fall asleep much faster, and also to wake up quickly when the baby needed me. My baby would sense my calm energy and fall asleep with me. With my second child, I could gently put the baby to sleep and then continue with my chores. With my first child, it was really hard and felt like a disaster, so please know you’re not alone. What helped me was to find my own way to feel happy and calm in those moments. When cortisol was high, I’d do something that made me feel good and relaxed, and eventually my hormones would balance out and I’d fall asleep. Sometimes I even woke my partner and told him, “It’s happening again, I can’t sleep,” and he would cuddle me and calm me down.
So keep going, mom—you’re doing great. Try to find your own little routine that makes you feel safe and happy in those quiet night (or day) moments. It’s difficult, but you’re not alone, and it does get easier.

Thank you for sharing that 😊 xxxx

It’s your body being hyper aware - totally normal and happens to me

Yeah pp anxiety is super common and so awful. I was exactly the same and tbh I'm almost a year pp and I still struggle to sleep.
The only thing I've noticed helps me is exercise and reading. In the very early days when my daughter could sleep through anything we used to watch TV in bed and I'd fall asleep for a bit before the night feeds started.