Sleep disturbances are almost universal in the last few weeks of pregnancy. It is hardly surprising! The size of your belly may make it difficult to get comfortable, you may be getting up several times to pass urine, your baby may be kicking, you may be woken up by cramp. You may also be kept awake by worrying or be woken from sleep by disturbing dreams.

What can I do about it?

• Try to get some exercise during the day, like walking or swimming.
• Have a warm bath before you go to bed. If in the last three months of pregnancy, add a few drops of lavender oil to your bath water. This may help you relax.
• Have a warm milky drink before you go to bed or, if in the last three months of pregnancy, try camomile tea.
• Make sure your bedroom is not too hot - open a window. It helps, though, to have warm feet, so consider using a hot water bottle or bed socks.
• Gather together a number of small pillows and use these to help get comfortable. Try a pillow under your bump, another between your knees and a third in your back.
• Practise relaxation exercises. When you are ready to sleep, breathe slowly and deeply, and try to clear your mind by visualising a favourite place.
• Rest during the day to make up for the sleep you’re losing at night – but beware sleeping so much during the day that you are not really tired at night.
• If you are having difficulty getting to sleep, or are waking up very early, consider whether you are really tired. If you have stopped work and are leading a more leisurely life for a while, you may not need so much sleep as before.
• If you wake in the night and cannot get back to sleep, try to accept the situation. Read a good book, listen to music through headphones, think about your baby, write shopping lists or poetry – and enjoy this private and peaceful time.
• If all else fails, and you feel really desperate, have a word with your doctor. He or she may prescribe a safe sleeping tablet.

Revised by babyworld midwife, Hannah Hulme Hunter November 2000.