taking a unisom in early labor if it starts at night?

[evasimone]

Does this sound like a bad idea. I know if I go into labor at night I won't be able to sleep from excitement. Also I am suffering some bad Prego insomnia. Would it be stupid to take a half dose of unisom to help me rest so I am not exhausted during active labor? Also I am a light weight when it comes to sleep medicines, a half dose of nyquil will have me fast asleep. Is unisom similar?

[Hungry Caterpillar]

You have never taken it before? I don't think I would take something for the first time ever right when labor begins.

[Green Decals]

I wouldn't take anything at all. I have horrible insomnia right now too, but my body will rest when it needs to. Anything you take goes to baby, so if you wouldn't give your baby a sleep med then don't take it yourself. Babies often come in the middle of the night for instinctual, protective reasons, and women all throughout time have labored and rested as they needed to - trust your body, trust your baby.

[umphreysmommy]

I don't know anything about unisom but hospitals routinely give patients ambien in the hospital when they check in at night.

[Cathypie]

Originally Posted by umphreysmommy I don't know anything about unisom but hospitals routinely give patients ambien in the hospital when they check in at night.

But is that a good idea? What are all of the benefits and risk here? I wouldn't do it, and I have done it, except with Benadryl. They sent me home because my contractions "weren't strong enough" and when I told them I hadn't slept in 2 days they told me to take two Benadryl. I took them when I got home and 20 minutes after that my water broke. So there was no sleep for me. Luckily it didn't seem to effect me too badly because of adrenalin but still, it wasn't really a good idea and I wished I hadn't even bothered.

Look out for autocorrect!

[umphreysmommy]

Originally Posted by Cathypie But is that a good idea? What are all of the benefits and risk here? I wouldn't do it, and I have done it, except with Benadryl. They sent me home because my contractions "weren't strong enough" and when I told them I hadn't slept in 2 days they told me to take two Benadryl. I took them when I got home and 20 minutes after that my water broke. So there was no sleep for me. Luckily it didn't seem to effect me too badly because of adrenalin but still, it wasn't really a good idea and I wished I hadn't even bothered. Look out for autocorrect!

Not in my opinion but just letting OP know it is very common and not such a crazy out there idea. I don't agree with nearly anything hospitals do routinely but the majority of America does...

[MrsAsh]

I sleep very little for the six days of preterm labor I had after my water had broke before my DS1 was born, but during active labor I was fine and ready to do it! I wouldn't mess up my body's natural adrenalin with meds. They tried to get me to take ambien the whole time I was in the hospital. You never know how fast early to active labor will take either.

[BeccaSueCongdon]

I took ambien in the hossy the night before my induction in 2008 (they had me sleep there the night before... I don't know why). I HATED it. I felt so drugged and out of it through the entire next morning. It was awful.

I would say if you've already had unisom and know that you can still function with it in yor system, it should be okay.

My personal preference is melatonin. It doesn't stick in your system the way other sleep aids do. If I had to choose a sleep aid so that I could rest in early labor, melatonin would be my preference.

[evasimone]

Thanks everyone, I think I'll just take a melatonin because I don't know how long my labor will be and I'd hate to take a unisom and hit transition 2 hours later.

I will say Ambien is quite a bit different than unisom, its strong and nasty stuff. Honestly I'd never take one.

[keen1981]

No!! My
Labor was 5.5 hours! No!! By the time I knew it was real deal it was 3.5 hours. I would not take any sleep aids