Insomnia

Actually, a more realistic title for this post would be something along the lines of "Restless Sleep" or "Unsatisfactory Sleep," but neither of those titles would do the poor quality of sleep I'm experiencing right now the justice it deserves.

I experienced the same kind of 3rd trimester restlessness when I was preggo with Norah, so this is not unexpected, and I think it's typical for many pregnant women in the 3rd trimester to toss and turn.  For me, an example's night's sleep often adheres to the following routine:

• Feel tired and like I'm ready to sleep, but after shutting off my light and my Nook, I can't seem to find a comfortable position, which I only get the choice of two -- right or left side.  (Which, supposedly, you're only supposed to sleep on your left side, but if I sleep on my left, I face Jerry.  And, I don't like facing Jerry if he's facing me.  Call me a terrible spouse, I don't care.  But I don't like to sleep facing him when he is facing me.  So, the only way  I feel comfortable sleeping on my left is when he too is sleeping in on his left.  Why?  Because I feel as though I'm inhaling his exhalation, and that, frankly, feels like warm, stale air.  Which, in turn, makes me feel like I'm suffocating.)
• Usually, during this uncomfortable shifting back and forth -- accompanied by the necessary re-adjustment of supporting pillows and kicking Scooter out of my way -- I also end up complaining to Jerry to shut his reading light off (he tends to stay up later than I, and even though he reads with a tiny book light, it still bothers me -- as you can deduce, at this point in pregnancy, I am nothing but a joy).
• Finally, I fall asleep.  Although, sometimes, I make the choice to move out to the office to sleep on the couch in there -- being able to lean against a firm back is nice, and our office couch is comfy, but ultimately, I like being in my bed, so this choice has to be preceded by a great deal of discomfort first.
• From there on out, I will typically wake up every 2 hours because I have to pee, and when I wake up, I also feel thirsty, so I drink water (thus perpetuating the pee cycle -- it's a Catch 22).
• Or, as was the case of last night, I am awoken at 2 am by Scooter standing on the edge of the bed retching.  That dog can never puke at a convenient time or in a convenient place.
• Morning arrives sometime between 6:15 and 6:45 when we hear Norah in her bedroom going, "Hi!  Hi!"  And as it is with any alarm, whether it be child or bedside clock, I am always at that point where I am seemingly the most comfortable and most deeply asleep, so the chirp of "Hi!" feels like a disturbance from what is finally satisfactory sleep.

People argue, anecdotally, that the reason Nature gives you poor sleep in the final months of pregnancy is because you're being prepared for the interrupted sleep that you have to get used to with a newborn.  But, this is baloney.  Even with the restless nature of the sleep I'm getting now, all I do is briefly wake up, and then I'm back to sleep; even when I get up to pee, I barely open my eyes.  Now, with a newborn, there's usually a lot more awake time with the whole business of getting up, nursing, changing a diaper, etc, so I'm not deluding myself by thinking that this sleep now isn't better than what I'll get in a few months.

Still, I think Nature could cut the preggo a break in anticipation of the poor sleep the mother of a newborn is about to get.  How about some good Zzzzzs now before the real sleep deprivation begins?