Pregnancy Insomnia and Medications

Slight rant :)

You've been warned.

My TBI and these hormone changes are sometimes killer! 

I never know if it'll be a good day or a bad day and so far the insomnia is kicking my butt with a little tummy yuck on the side. 

My lack of sleep is starting to REALLY show so I reluctantly decided to call my doctor's office and talk with a nurse...

I was curious if a dark cherry supplement (that boosts melatonin levels naturally) might help me out? 

Or a simple melatonin capsule maybe? 

Other natural options I've used before for occasional restlessness I know aren't safe for pregnancy/nursing. 

I do my own research as you know but I'm not about to test something when pregnant if I'm not feeling %100 secure.

I was asked lots of questions, 

Asked twice if I was on any meds, 

Asked if I was sure I wanted a natural method vs a medical one etc...

The cherry method turns out isn't safe and it has the potential to cause birth defects... Nope never mind. 

The melatonin is still being researched and therefore she didn't know, however on the internet I hear it can be safe and there haven't been issues reported. But I'd like to be cautious seeing as there's nothing stating 100% yes or no.
So I'll stick with getting up and moving to the couch, drinking something warm, the sound app on my phone, youtube etc. 
It's keeping me sane. TIRED but sane. :) 

In the end they gave me a list of 5 meds... 
3 are a "hell no" (Ambien, Luna and Unisom) the other two I took maybe 5 times last pregnancy (Tylenol PM and Benadryl) I didn't feel too worried about those choices.The nurse had no idea of what a natural method looked like so I hung up feeling quite upset and frustrated.

Via the NY Times article

I've received flack before for posting on pregnancy and medication via my personal fb page and I realize I may get some doing this. 

But I believe too many mommies/people go into taking medications blindly and don't know the full risks behind them. The FDA doesn't know about the full repercussions of taking medications and I'm past saying they really care if they're getting paid. I'm more of a "crunchy" "homeopathic" momma if you haven't gathered and it takes a lot for me to consider a medication before taking one. 
Let alone if I'm growing a baby! 

Let's not forget some medication saves lives, I needed some when giving birth to my son. 
Wisdom is key, wisdom is valuable when it comes to stuff like this.
I will never stop saying, "Do your research before you act!"

(Here's a link I found, thought it was a good read: 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/too-many-pills-in-pregnancy/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

I'm having trouble making a clickable link so I guess the old copy/paste method will have to do...

Maybe consider this blog a disclaimer for select future blogs, 

I love my doctor so far but I'm also staying true to my natural roots during my pregnancy like I did last time. 
I drive the medical industry crazy at times but they do the same for me in return. 
Truce? 
I think we will manage okay in the end. :) 

Shannon <3