Completely Exhausted...Completely

It's no big secret that pregnancy can be exhausting for many women. I mean, we are quite literally growing life! Definitely no small task.

But here I am, 22 weeks pregnant in my second trimester when energy levels are supposed to be higher. Instead, I want to cry from frustration due to lack of sleep. (I know, I know. Just wait til the baby gets here to talk about lack of sleep. But seriously, I've had two babies so this isn't my first rodeo.)

Maybe part of my exhaustion is due to being of "advanced maternal age" as the doctors so eloquently put it. I can't say for certain whether or not that has any part in it.

I CAN definitely place the blame on several other things though, like the insomnia (both the normal for me insomnia and the pregnancy induced insomnia) and frequent trips to the bathroom every night. The sudden onset of nasty heartburn. The restless leg syndrome that makes me feel like I can run a marathon.

However there are two newish sleep thieves essentially stealing what little sleep I was getting.

The first of those is the nightmare. Or nightmares, I should say. Vivid, all to real, freak me out kind of nightmares. The ones that once awake, you need to take a few minutes to figure out if you were actually dreaming or if it was real life. The kind that plague you and rear their ugly heads in your mind as you go about your daily activities. Those kind of nightmares.

Then there is the itching. The all over, "want to scratch your skin off" itching. It happens during the day but is manageable. At night though, it becomes unbearable. I had the same issue when pregnant with my daughter. It wasn't PuPPS and we never pinpointed the cause. Being that was over 12 years ago, I have a call in to my MFM doctor this morning.

Between my constant tossing and turning, bathroom trips, and now incessant itching, I'm surprised even my very patient husband hasn't exiled me to the couch nor has he relocated there, either.

In fact he called me from work this morning, heard the half awake tone to my voice and immediately told me to go back to sleep. I seriously needed that nap today and am so thankful I am married to such an understanding and patient man.

I don't expect much sleep during or after my pregnancy. But I do need some, no matter how little it may be, before I become a "mombie" prior to even holding my little one in my arms.