Old Mom Pregnancy whine

[DesertBlossom]

I think this is normal. I keep telling myself this is normal and that giving birth will cure me. But sometimes I wonder if this is normal. 

I am 37 weeks along with number 7. I turn 39 in a couple months.  And Oh. My. Gosh. I am so tired. I know it's because I am not sleeping well. I have restless legs and heartburn and chronic congestion which makes me snore like a bear so I am up all night. I takes a long time to fall asleep, and once I am asleep I am still up every hour or so. I have to lay down and nap several times a day, but my daytime naps are about as effective as my nighttime sleep, so I never fully feel rested.

I have pretty much given up on homeschooling this week and I think maybe I will just call it good for the year. I barely have the energy for the other basic household and mothering tasks. 

Reassure me that this will get better. Tell me that birth will cure me. Tell me I am just too old. 😩

(FWIW, any blood work I have had done has not come back with anything concerning.)

 

[ktgrok]

BTDT. Yup, birth will cure it. Mostly..I still have some insomnia. But nothing like when pregnant. 

Take some extra iron, it won't hurt and can help the restless legs. Unisom is considered safe while pregnant and helped me a lot. Oh, and I took prilosec the last few pregnancies - I did the research and was confident it was safe, particularly in the later part of pregnancy. 

[DesertBlossom]

9 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

BTDT. Yup, birth will cure it. Mostly..I still have some insomnia. But nothing like when pregnant. 

Take some extra iron, it won't hurt and can help the restless legs. Unisom is considered safe while pregnant and helped me a lot. Oh, and I took prilosec the last few pregnancies - I did the research and was confident it was safe, particularly in the later part of pregnancy. 

Thank you. I have tried a couple different OTC heartburn medications, but they put my restless legs into hyperdrive. Like AWFUL. And I am taking a dessicated liver supplement and b complex. I've never taken unisom, but will look into that. 

[DesertBlossom]

10 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

Yes give yourself some grace and make sure you’re getting adequate rest AND, ironically, adequate exercise/movement. 

Have you been checked for gestational diabetes yet? That’s something “mature” pregnant women are more prone to developing. 

 
I've tried to go swimming at the gym. My midwife thinks the exercise will help with the restless legs and at this point, walking hurts everything. I enjoy swimming and feel like it helps with the swelling. But mustering the energy and time to do that has been hard. I've only been swimming a few times. I know I should do it more.

My gestational diabetes test at 28 weeks was great. My 2 (or 3?) hour number was like 86. 

 

[athena1277]

I don’t think it matters what your age is, the last few weeks of pregnancy are miserable!  However, it was worse with my youngest and I was about the same age you are.  I didn’t have restless legs, but I had a horrid time trying to sleep.  Up nearly every hour like you.  When baby was born, it was better, but with a baby who didn’t sleep well, I was still exhausted.

[Heatherwith4]

I had my last one at 35, and I was so tired by the end.  I was just done.  I did bounce back fairly quickly after she was born, though. 

Is your blood pressure ok? 

[EmseB]

28 minutes ago, DesertBlossom said:

I think this is normal. I keep telling myself this is normal and that giving birth will cure me. But sometimes I wonder if this is normal. 

I am 37 weeks along with number 7. I turn 39 in a couple months.  And Oh. My. Gosh. I am so tired. I know it's because I am not sleeping well. I have restless legs and heartburn and chronic congestion which makes me snore like a bear so I am up all night. I takes a long time to fall asleep, and once I am asleep I am still up every hour or so. I have to lay down and nap several times a day, but my daytime naps are about as effective as my nighttime sleep, so I never fully feel rested.

I have pretty much given up on homeschooling this week and I think maybe I will just call it good for the year. I barely have the energy for the other basic household and mothering tasks. 

Reassure me that this will get better. Tell me that birth will cure me. Tell me I am just too old. 😩

(FWIW, any blood work I have had done has not come back with anything concerning.)

 

I am 17 weeks with #5 and about the same age. Your post is terrifying because I'm already not sleeping well! My OB gave me Unisom for morning sickness...would your doc recommend anything like that for falling asleep at least? The restless legs might be low potassium/magnesium.

Then again, who knows what is what at the end of pregnancy. It's just not fun.

[DesertBlossom]

4 minutes ago, Heatherwith4 said:

I had my last one at 35, and I was so tired by the end.  I was just done.  I did bounce back fairly quickly after she was born, though. 

Is your blood pressure ok? 

So far my blood pressure has been fine at every visit.  

[Meadowlark]

I totally remember! I gave birth to number 6 when I was 2 weeks shy of 40. It was TOUGH. My body felt like it was 80 years old. Yes, birth cured it.

[DesertBlossom]

7 minutes ago, EmseB said:

I am 17 weeks with #5 and about the same age. Your post is terrifying because I'm already not sleeping well! My OB gave me Unisom for morning sickness...would your doc recommend anything like that for falling asleep at least? The restless legs might be low potassium/magnesium.

Then again, who knows what is what at the end of pregnancy. It's just not fun.

I don't mean to scare anyone. But people I have talked to seem to think it's harder as we get older. My oldest sister (who was old enough to remember) said she remembers my mom being exhausted with her last pregnancy. She was also my age with #7. I have assumed this is mostly age related. 

I have 2 different magnesium supplements I take, plus a spray for my legs that I use at night.  I added a potassium supplement a couple weeks ago, and I do think that has helped a lot. 

Edited May 8, 2019 by DesertBlossom

[maize]

I was 39 when my 7th was born.

I did have terrible insomnia during that pregnancy, I resorted to taking Benadry (diphenhydramine) or Unisom (doxylamine succinate) most nights. It did help.

[Lawyer&Mom]

If the fatigue and the snoring continue Post-Partum, consider testing for Sleep Apnea.  

[itsheresomewhere]

I don’t know if you tried this but papaya enzymes seem to work very well for heartburn in older mom pregnancy.  Highly recommend by my friend during her last pregnancy at 43. 

[DesertBlossom]

48 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

I don’t know if you tried this but papaya enzymes seem to work very well for heartburn in older mom pregnancy.  Highly recommend by my friend during her last pregnancy at 43. 

I am on my 2nd bottle of papaya enzymes. I wake up in the night with stomach acid washing back up my throat. I take several chewable papaya enzymes and/or some other "natural" heartburn remedy and it gets me another hour or so of sleep. I bought a wedge pillow a couple months ago and didn't feel like it was all that helpful either. I think that flap that is supposed to hold acid down has just ceased working altogether. 

[DesertBlossom]

54 minutes ago, Lawyer&Mom said:

If the fatigue and the snoring continue Post-Partum, consider testing for Sleep Apnea.  

For sure. I have several family members with sleep apnea that use those CPAP machines. So far, my snoring has always gone away immediately upon birth. So I am hoping for that again. I am just chronically congested enough that I can't breathe through my nose, especially at night. I tried the nose strips and they were annoying and didn't help. 

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I had my last at 42, so I know what you mean.  I found that my legs were infinitely more jumpy when I ate a lot of Tums, so I had to constantly weigh my misery (heartburn or restless legs).  The calcium causes the muscles too spasm.  So, you need to find something else to ease your heartburn (I didn't know about papaya enzymes, but it sounds like that would be worth a try).  Also, you need something to relax your leg muscles.  Magnesium counteracts the calcium, and relaxes the muscles.  You can get it by bathing in epsom salts, or by taking it as a supplement (there's a nice powder you can add to liquids, or you can take it in tablet form).  Potassium helps your body to regulate both the calcium and magnesium, so it's helpful.  There are many foods high in potassium (more than the popular banana).  

[Crimson Wife]

Pregnancy #4 at 41 almost 42 absolutely kicked my backside. I had dangerously low potassium at 30 weeks that caused me to think I was having a heart attack and take an ambulance ride to the ER. Then I developed Piriformis Syndrome so bad that I couldn't walk until the doctor prescribed me Tylenol/codeine (neither medicine I like taking but I needed to be able to function). Then in my 8th and 9th months my blood pressure crept up until spiking at 38 weeks, resulting in an emergency induction.

The good news is that delivering my baby resolved all the issues.

It's fortunate that I didn't anticipate how miserable the pregnancy was going to be because I might've had second thoughts about trying for #4. But when people bring up the possibility of #5 I respond that I'm just too dang old!

[DesertBlossom]

24 minutes ago, Crimson Wife said:

It's fortunate that I didn't anticipate how miserable the pregnancy was going to be because I might've had second thoughts about trying for #4. But when people bring up the possibility of #5 I respond that I'm just too dang old!

Oh man, that sounds brutal.  This pregnancy has been so hard and so exhausting that DH is finally making "that" appointment and keeping it, thus removing the possibility of having another baby. 

One of my grandmothers had 3 (of her 10) babies in her 40s, the last at 49. I just can not wrap my head around that at all. I think I would die.

[gardenmom5]

I had an utterly miserable pregnancy with dudeling. just, miserable...  I was (pleasantly) shocked how fast I bounced back after he was delivered.

[ktgrok]

papaya enzymes did almost nothing for me. 

Baking soda and water worked, but didn't last super long. (you will burp though!)

 

1 hour ago, DesertBlossom said:

I am on my 2nd bottle of papaya enzymes. I wake up in the night with stomach acid washing back up my throat. I take several chewable papaya enzymes and/or some other "natural" heartburn remedy and it gets me another hour or so of sleep. I bought a wedge pillow a couple months ago and didn't feel like it was all that helpful either. I think that flap that is supposed to hold acid down has just ceased working altogether. 

 

[DesertBlossom]

39 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

papaya enzymes did almost nothing for me. 

Baking soda and water worked, but didn't last super long. (you will burp though!)

 

 

I think I have tried everything. Apple cider vinegar shots, baking soda and water, lemon water, etc. Nothing helps for more than an hour or two. *Sigh* I think I have permanent esophagus damage at this point.

[Momto6inIN]

6 hours ago, DesertBlossom said:

I think this is normal. I keep telling myself this is normal and that giving birth will cure me. But sometimes I wonder if this is normal. 

I am 37 weeks along with number 7. I turn 39 in a couple months.  And Oh. My. Gosh. I am so tired. I know it's because I am not sleeping well. I have restless legs and heartburn and chronic congestion which makes me snore like a bear so I am up all night. I takes a long time to fall asleep, and once I am asleep I am still up every hour or so. I have to lay down and nap several times a day, but my daytime naps are about as effective as my nighttime sleep, so I never fully feel rested.

I have pretty much given up on homeschooling this week and I think maybe I will just call it good for the year. I barely have the energy for the other basic household and mothering tasks. 

Reassure me that this will get better. Tell me that birth will cure me. Tell me I am just too old. 😩

(FWIW, any blood work I have had done has not come back with anything concerning.)

 

I gave birth 2 weeks ago and I'm 45 and sister, I promise you it will get better after you give birth!!!!

Today I took a walk with NO pain, slept 3 hours at a stretch before baby woke to nurse, can finally find my ankles, my carpal tunnel is almost gone, and am almost down to my pre pregnancy weight already. (Which is still about 20 pounds too much but that's another post)

My 1st thought when baby was born was "Is she ok?" followed immediately by "Hallelujah I'm not pregnant anymore!!!!!" Lol

I am taking the rest of school easy - just finishing math with the 5th grader and reading a bit every day with the 1st grader. I'm still tired because I have a nursing baby and all, but I feel about 100000% better than I did the last month of my pregnancy. Hang in there!

 

[alisoncooks]

I love these threads because every now and then I get a bit of baby-fever. I just mosey over here and set my 39-yr old self straight. I had miserable pregnancies when I was in my mid-20s, for pete's sake!

Best wishes, all you preggo mamas!

[Tap]

Ask you OB if you can take Gaviscon. It works differently that other antacids because it forms a floating barrier to keep the acid out of your esophagus.

Have you tried sleeping a bit upright? Sometimes that can help with acid reflux that is worse when you sleep, but alas, sometimes baby doesn't think it is a good position and the kicking will you up instead. 

Restless leg can be from a ferritin or B12 deficiency. If you have any blood work done you might ask them to run both of those. CBC will catch an iron deficiency, but not a ferritin one. It is a separate test.  I would personally ask for a full iron panel, just to see if that is the cause.  Otherwise due to blood loss during pregnancy, you could end up worse for a while instead of better after your baby is born. 

I have had insomnia most of my adult life. I went to a neurologist to talk about my back pain issue and he ran many blood tests. A full iron panel was one. He deduced that a big part of my sleep issue was Restless Leg Syndrome. Lack of sleep, was making my back worse. It wasn't bad enough to fully wake me, just disturb my sleep. Sure enough, after supplementing with iron/b-12 I felt much better during the day and started sleeping better too. Just a thought, but maybe worth looking into.  

Edited May 9, 2019 by Tap

[ktgrok]

2 hours ago, DesertBlossom said:

I think I have tried everything. Apple cider vinegar shots, baking soda and water, lemon water, etc. Nothing helps for more than an hour or two. *Sigh* I think I have permanent esophagus damage at this point.

In all seriousness, you may need something stronger like prilosec. Acid really can cause major damage, to your esophagus and sinuses and teeth. 

33 minutes ago, Tap said:

Ask you OB if you can take Gaviscon. It works differently that other antacids because it forms a floating barrier to keep the acid out of your esophagus.

Have you tried sleeping a bit upright? Sometimes that can help with acid reflux that is worse when you sleep, but alas, sometimes baby doesn't think it is a good position and the kicking will you up instead. 

Restless leg can be from an ferritin or B12 deficiency. If you have any blood work done you might as them to run both of those. CBC will catch an iron deficiency, but not a ferritin one. It is a separate test.  I would personally ask for a full iron panel, just to see if that is the cause.  Otherwise due to blood loss during pregnancy, you could end up worse for a while instead of better after your baby is born. 

I have had insomnia most of my adult life. I went to a neurologist to talk about my back pain issue and he ran many blood tests. A full iron panel was one. He deduced that a big part of my sleep issue was Restless Leg Syndrome. Lack of sleep, was making my back worse. It wasn't bad enough to fully wake me, just disturb my sleep. Sure enough, after supplementing with iron/b-12 I felt much better during the day and started sleeping better too. Just a thought, but maybe worth looking into.  

Gaviscon is a good thing to try, or prilosec or nexium. 

And good point about the B12 - what helped me was an iron supplement that also had B12, and the unisom. I really couldn't sleep without the unisom some nights...Id' get not only restless legs but that same feeling in my arms too. ugh. 

The best part about nursing the baby is the hormone rush would knock me out into the first deep sleep I'd had since getting pregnant. It was amazing! Yes, I was waking up with a newborn every few hours, but I was actually sleeping in between, as opposed to dosing when I was pregnant. 

[lovinmyboys]

2 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

I love these threads because every now and then I get a bit of baby-fever. I just mosey over here and set my 39-yr old self straight. I had miserable pregnancies when I was in my mid-20s, for pete's sake!

Best wishes, all you preggo mamas!

Me too! I am 37 and had all my babies in my 20s. I have been having baby fever so bad. We are getting ready to move to a lower cost of living area, so I have really been thinking about having another. I was tired with my pregnancy at 27, how would I be at 37?!

Best of luck everyone! 

[DesertBlossom]

1 hour ago, Ktgrok said:

In all seriousness, you may need something stronger like prilosec. Acid really can cause major damage, to your esophagus and sinuses and teeth. 

Gaviscon is a good thing to try, or prilosec or nexium. 

And good point about the B12 - what helped me was an iron supplement that also had B12, and the unisom. I really couldn't sleep without the unisom some nights...Id' get not only restless legs but that same feeling in my arms too. ugh. 

The best part about nursing the baby is the hormone rush would knock me out into the first deep sleep I'd had since getting pregnant. It was amazing! Yes, I was waking up with a newborn every few hours, but I was actually sleeping in between, as opposed to dosing when I was pregnant. 

I have a bottle of generic prilosec that I tried for a few days. It takes my restless legs from restless to full on spasms. It was awful. I tried it again this pregnancy, having forgotten that side effect in my previous pregnancy. It's not worth it for me. I do have a wedge pillow that I have tried. My reflux gurgles up in the day time when I am standing up. The wedge pillow didn't do anything for me.

I am taking a really good b complex vitamin right now (amongst other things). I don't know about my iron levels. My midwife mentioned that my platelet levels were really good. (Does that have anything to do with iron?) And I started taking a dessicated liver supplement a while back.  

[DesertBlossom]

1 hour ago, Tap said:

Ask you OB if you can take Gaviscon. It works differently that other antacids because it forms a floating barrier to keep the acid out of your esophagus.

Have you tried sleeping a bit upright? Sometimes that can help with acid reflux that is worse when you sleep, but alas, sometimes baby doesn't think it is a good position and the kicking will you up instead. 

Restless leg can be from a ferritin or B12 deficiency. If you have any blood work done you might ask them to run both of those. CBC will catch an iron deficiency, but not a ferritin one. It is a separate test.  I would personally ask for a full iron panel, just to see if that is the cause.  Otherwise due to blood loss during pregnancy, you could end up worse for a while instead of better after your baby is born. 

I have had insomnia most of my adult life. I went to a neurologist to talk about my back pain issue and he ran many blood tests. A full iron panel was one. He deduced that a big part of my sleep issue was Restless Leg Syndrome. Lack of sleep, was making my back worse. It wasn't bad enough to fully wake me, just disturb my sleep. Sure enough, after supplementing with iron/b-12 I felt much better during the day and started sleeping better too. Just a thought, but maybe worth looking into.  

So I bought some "Heartburn Relief" by Enzymedica that the lady at Sprouts said would do the same thing -- create a barrier. I have taken it at night before bed and it hasn't really helped. 😒 

ETA: Okay, just looked that up and it's very different from what I am taking. maybe I will try that.

Edited May 9, 2019 by DesertBlossom

[DesertBlossom]

I did run out and buy some unisom today. I have never taken a sleep aid, besides melatonin. Melatonin makes me feel weird so I don't take that either. But I am willing to try some unisom. Crossing my fingers for tonight.

[DesertBlossom]

1 hour ago, Ktgrok said:

The best part about nursing the baby is the hormone rush would knock me out into the first deep sleep I'd had since getting pregnant. It was amazing! Yes, I was waking up with a newborn every few hours, but I was actually sleeping in between, as opposed to dosing when I was pregnant. 

People comment about those sleepiness newborn nights like it's the worst. If my foggy, sleep-deprived brain remembers correctly, I could actually sleep then and it felt restful, even if it was just in small chunks. The "sleep" I am getting now is not at all restful. 

[EmseB]

20 minutes ago, DesertBlossom said:

People comment about those sleepiness newborn nights like it's the worst. If my foggy, sleep-deprived brain remembers correctly, I could actually sleep then and it felt restful, even if it was just in small chunks. The "sleep" I am getting now is not at all restful. 

Yes! I will take the quality of post partum sleep over the quantity of pregnant sleep any day of the week. I sleep so well after my babies are born even if it is interrupted. 

[HS Mom in NC]

My daughter's Restless Leg Syndrome is dramatically improved with an over the counter iron supplement.