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Pregnancy is one of those unique times in your life where your entire body is miserable but you are still happy. Your feet swell. You can’t get up or sit down quickly without help. Your back aches, your stomach feels stretched, and you have strange cravings – but the worst of it, the absolute worst part of pregnancy happens when you get into bed at night. Not only is it nearly impossible to get comfortable, but if you’re one of the unlucky women out there that dealt with nighttime acid reflux, then trying to go to sleep when your throat is sizzling like bacon in a pan is as difficult as trying to solve a Rubik’s cube in the dark with one hand.
There are things you can do to make it easier on yourself and make sleeping less difficult. While you won’t be able to prevent the baby from doing its nighttime dance routine, you can make yourself more comfortable during it and hopefully catch some zzzs.
Eat the right foods before bed time to reduce your chances of acid reflux.
Certain foods have the ability to block acid or reduce it greatly in the digestive track. Bananas, spinach, asparagus, okra, beans, liver, yoghurt, chamomile, fennel, and ginger are all natural acid reducers. When planning meals, as much as possible, try to eat foods for dinner that will not rattle around your stomach come nightfall. Substitute a natural ginger-ale with your dinner instead of soda or juice. Have a nice spinach salad with your meal. If you are in the habit of drinking something before bedtime make it a drink like chamomile tea. Rather than eating foods that will exacerbate the condition, make the necessary changes to reduce the chances of having nighttime issues.
Invest In Pillows. Lots Of Them.
Body pillows, reading pillows, and bed loungers are some of the best investments you can make at this time. Support pillows made for pregnancy will be your best friend for the best few months. Get a good backrest pillow made from microsuede or some other ultra soft fabric like sherpa to support your back and to lift your upper torso slightly. Set that pillow against the headboard and then put a nice father pillow above that. This will enable you to recline far enough that you can sleep, but not so far that the acid reflux will begin. If the pillow is soft enough you can even lay on your side and take a body pillow and lay it beneath your belly to help support the weight. Some people recommend the bumbo pillow, but unless you are one of the lucky few that never looks like your pregnant that’s probably not going to be big enough come month eight. Whole body pillows are pillows you’ll keep using even after the baby is out.
Aromatherapy
As new age-y as this sounds certain oils can make you feel sleepy. Lavender being one of them. Using a diffuser or lavender spray, make your sleeping area smell refreshing and soothing. Also drops of lavender oil at the temples can impart a nice aroma. If your partner is available, have them give you a massage using a lavender and chamomile or vanilla moisturizer. It is a very soothing and fresh scent that can put you in the mood to sleep and also the moisturizer will help the skin stretch, and the massage will also have a relaxing effect.
It is an exciting time you’re living in right now, and having the joy of it reduced due to an inability to sleep is not good. You and the baby need you to rest. Using these tips and any others that your doctor might recommend will certainly help.