For the first three months of pregnancy you may feel like you do nothing but sleep. For the second three months you may feel like you have limitless energy.

Then comes the third trimester and, even worse for your sleep patterns, your baby! The third trimester is a never ending interrupted nap with each night time bringing an inability to get comfortable, baby staying up all night kicking and regular bathroom trips. Your newborn will then keep you up for the next few months for 2, 3 or 4 hourly feeds.

Then comes the return to sleep right? Not necessarily. A lot of babies won’t settle into sleeping through the night until they are two or three regardless of what method you use. Sleep deprivation temporarily affects your reaction times, emotions, ability to think clearly and your superficial health (e.g. you may get cold sores, coughs and colds, mouth ulcers,etc).

A further article will discuss ways to help your child sleep through the night but for now let us discuss how to cope with sleep deprivation:

• Sleep when you can. Ignore the housework, stretch your dealines and go an extra day with greasy hair just to get the odd cat nap. It can make a world of difference
• Drink caffeine or energy drinks (but not too much)
• Try alternatives to caffeine such as fruit juices
• Take vitamin supplements to help keep your health up
• If you can’t nap then at least rest. Have a bath, read a book or watch television
• Discuss your sleeplessness with your partner and negotiate at least one night off a week
• If you feel unreasonable asking for this because you are on maternity leave and your partner works then get your partner to do afternoon shifts with baby at the weekend so that you can have some sleep
• If you aren’t sleeping because you can’t get comfortable in bed during your last trimester then use a pregnancy pillow to be more comfortable, wear satin pyjamas so that you can turn over more easily and limit your liquid intake after 8pm to reduce the number of night time bathroom trips
• Go for walks to re-energise yourself. Take baby and you may be able to get them asleep and get a nap yourself
• Air your bedroom during the day to make it a more comfortable place to sleep
• Read our article on getting your child to sleep through the night