Countdown My Pregnancy Blog

The adventures of pregnancy as told by moms and moms-to-be

Migraines, insomnia & hormones oh my!

Posted on August 3rd, 2011. Written by Crescent City Mama.

Okay so the last week has NOT been a fun one. At first I thought I was one of the lucky one because I have not been plagued by morning sickness which tortured me during my first pregnancy however that symptom has been replaced by headaches & insomnia. Yay…. NOT! I am literally sick of not sleeping but I guess that’s part of this game. I might as well get used to it right?

When lil peanut comes I won’t be drifting away anytime soon into slumberland. My nightly ritual consists of getting in bed b/t 3-5 a.m. and switching from side to side with the aid of my trusty body pillow. Thank God for those by the way, the sleep I HAVE gotten is due in huge part to the long pillow. But as I alternate from one lateral position to another I wonder  if the baby is sleeping as well as I am, hmmm? I think that’s part of that motherly instinct stuff that occurs in all of us. I have fond memories of deep slumber in my years before I had my daughter 13 years ago. I would sleep carelessly for hours & hours but as soon as she was born I had bionic ears, I swear I could hear a bug flapping it’s wings!

Anyways, moving on to the next malady… what’s up with these headaches? I think they are sometimes migraines b/c light & any noise really drives me insane and the only time I remember feeling anything like this was right after Hurricane Katrina in ’05 when my life was falling apart and was a tad bit unpredictable. That was an apt time for migraines if I do day so myself but now they are just adding a blemish on my pregnancy experience.

Okay so what is the deal with my raging hormones which make me emotionally crazy and are making my hair grow like a wild forest fire everywhere NOT just my head. I mean, didn’t I JUST shave last night? I don’t mind the hair on my HEAD growing and being thicker but everywhere else is just a nuisance. I feel like the Scary Hairy beast of New Orleans, I’m starting to think just MAYBE I’m related to Sasquatch! I suppose that this time around with my second pregnancy, I am 100 percent more aware of the changes in my body because I’m a little bit more used to it than I was at 21 but I feel like ignorance is bliss in this case. During my first pregnancy I wasn’t constantly googling every little symptom and the influx of information was not as prevalent as it is now in this technologically advanced era. I never knew back then that I shouldn’t eat hot dogs or soft cheeses. This was news to me this time around.

I’ve also been experiencing sharp quick pains on the left side of my chest. This causes me to hurt when I take a breath in or move suddenly which is then followed by a dull pain which last about an hour. So what the heck is that? I like to think that it’s my heart growing to make room for the extra love which is a nicely wrapped notion but I know unrealistic. Tomorrow at my next Dr visit I have to go over a few thangs with him!

So in between the beginning of this blog entry & now I had a Dr. visit and this is what he explained to me in a nutshell.

1) The Migraines-not migraines at all, probably tension headaches from me stressing myself out and unknowingly grinding my jaw or what I thought was maybe a Sinus headache–WRONG again because we are not in that season yet, it’s probably instead from me sleeping under an A/C or fan. The air blowing in your face causes your mucous membranes to dry out which can cause headaches.

2) The insomnia, well that’s just part of that motherly instinct I guess. His only comment was to not have electronics in the bedroom which I don’t but that doesn’t stop me from staying up on the internet for hours pouring through every baby story/blog/ information I can… Now that I think about it, this is probably giving me a headache too!

3) The chest pains–sounds like GAS especially because it hurts when I breathe in, apparently this section of the body is a good spot for gas to get trapped in!

So all of that eased my mind & basically just reminded me that I need TO CHILL OUT and stop stressing myself out. We heard the heartbeat once again, amazing how that little thump can give so much reassurance. My final due date is December 20th and I am scheduled to have another ultrasound this week. Whoo-hoo, we get to find out the sex of the baby, baby permitting of course. So for  this week all is good in the end and in approximately 4 1/2 months I’ll be breast feeding and not sleeping some more, I’ll be tired but happy as well as groggy but willing!

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