Mama You've Got This...

In general, a bad night’s sleep sets the tone for a not so great

day. Personally, if I don’t get a solid eight hours, my kids can

expect Moody Mama in the morning, a much grumpier version

of myself that has no patience and becomes exasperated at the

slightest moan and groan on their part. Seven to eight hours is

the proper amount of sleep suggested for adults; however, due to

all of the incredible changes going on inside your body, experts

recommend nine hours of sleep a night during pregnancy. Sleep

is truly the best medicine sometimes.

So what happens if you get a bad night’s sleep? Sleep deprivation

is a term that roughly means you have not gotten your usual

amount of sleep within a 24-hour period. Many people think of

sleep deprivation as something that only happens when you

haven’t slept all night or you’ve been subjected to some sort of

torture, but that’s not the case. Unless you’re getting your full 8-9

hours, you can consider yourself sleep deprived.

How can sleep deprivation affect you? Women who are sleep

deprived during pregnancy may experience longer and more

painful labour, higher rates of early labour and caesarean

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In general, if you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re

probably not going to bed early enough. Set an alarm on your

phone to alert you when it’s time to get to sleep and then, you

know, go to sleep!

How can poor sleep affect my pregnancy?

Don’t worry about your baby though, he or she is still getting

adequate sleep even if mama is not. Your baby will sleep like a,

well baby, regardless of what you’re up to. Thanks to some pretty

heavy duty insulation, known as skin, tissue, muscle and amniotic

fluid, your baby has an awesome sound barrier between their

comfy confines and what’s going on in the outside world. However

that said, mama still needs her sleep!

SLEEP