Post partum insomnia

Hi,

I am currently still on maternity leave. DD is 4 months old and I'll be going back to work when she is almost 6 months old.

Last month, I started having some middle of the night insomnia. I would stay awake for 3 hours with random thoughts, mostly fears about going back to work (a lot of what ifs, not sure if I can handle it, etc). I thought it was the mini pill (BCP) I was on so I stopped it. It took us 4 years to conceive DD so we can use other methods of birth control and be safe.

I started to feel better but this week has been rough with insomnia again.

I'm currently seeing a therapist. I think I want to go on medication so I will mention this to my therapist and hopefully get a pyschiatrist recommendation.

DH thinks that once I get back to work, I may feel better. He thinks that this could be the result of my not being as physically active as I am when working. My job is in Manhattan so the commute is via mass transit and requires lots of walking, etc. He thinks that once I get into a routine, I'll be too tired to be up in the middle of the night with thoughts. Not to mention, he thinks that once I see that everything is ok, I won't worry as much.

Has anyone experienced this? Any advice?

Re: Post partum insomnia

I have real insomnia issues from childhood.
I once used "worry dolls"... essentially you verbalized your worries before bed. It sounds silly but worked beautifully.
I had bad insomnia when I was worried about work & going back. Obviously that was time limited. I couldn't do anything about that. Going back helped (no more fear) and getting over that my life was different.
Another thing that kicks up my insomnia is alcohol... especially red wine if after dinner. I quit that.

Re: Post partum insomnia

I think that medication is a good idea for the short term. You need sleep to keep up with baby and work. Even if "eventually" you'd be fine, no reason to make it even harder when the challenge is greatest! You can wean off once you and baby are confident and consistent in your new schedules.