[chachaheels]

Well, the higher amount of the B12 is to deal with the iron issue. It isn't about vegetarianism so much, in your case. Chronic iron deficiency, so bad that you can actually feel it, usually does better with more B12. Our bodies don't store this stuff, they just use what they can get and eliminate the rest--that's why it's got to be taken daily or in large dose, repeated injections if there is a severe deficiency. Whenever iron is a problem in the body--either too much or too little, I never actually give iron (dangerous) or remove it (impossible) from the diet; it's just always better to supplement with B vitamins as this gets the body to process iron properly.

B vitamins are also very necessary for supporting the adrenals, and generally they support the entire nervous system, but they play a special role in the relationship between the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (resting/digesting) nervous systems. If you are dealing with an increased stress load (in other words, reacting to the world around you as if you were forced into a fight or flight reaction) then the B vitamins enable you to temper your reactions appropriately. This takes a huge burden away from your body, eliminates the added stress on the glands and organs, and, yes, makes restful sleep possible. Baby will benefit from the nutrient too.

And the methylcobalamine is just easier for you to use...but you're healthy, and the cyanocobalamine will be converted once you take it, I'm sure.

[pepper]

i looked at the b12 methylcobalamine, i wonder though if i really need so much b12, i'm not eating strictly vegetarian and there is some in my supplements. i should just be taking lots while i'm pregnant? or for the sleep, now i'm confused.

ferrum phos for iron, got it. will get it i mean.

since i am taking SO very many supplements how will i know which is doing what? ha.

[chachaheels]

Yes the calc phos is right. I would have liked for you to have more B12, and in a methylcobalamine...but a girl can't have everything. If you still have the 4 am waking problems, do go and get the Ferrum Phos tissue salts to just fix up the iron problem once and for all.

Yeah, the tissue part just refers to what they effect--not what they taste like. They taste faintly sweet, and dissolve fast. Boom! and they're gone.

As for the liver pate--that is preferable to the dessicated liver, and preferable to liver itself. Pate de Fois Gras is even better, fois gras itself is good too. Sure, not every day...but once a week or so would be great.

[pepper]

i'm glad to hear that they'll taste good and not, well, like salts! or tissue, eww. that name is a little off-putting for me, i have to get over it.
i got the calc phos, that's the one for nutrient absorption right? and i got an elemental iron solution to alternate with the tablets. it's ferrous gluconate and lactate 10mg with b12 (cyanocobalamine) 25ug. should be ok.
is liver pate as good as eating plain liver for iron? i'm pretty darn sure that i can't eat liver or fois gras but i could do pate. not every day but often.

i went to the chiro today for a very, very gentle mild adjustment because my lower back has been achey when i lie down. he gave me some little exercises to do that should help and i felt better after the adjustment (no cracking) so we'll see how it affects bedtime.

[chachaheels]

Well, at least mine will taste good!

[pepper]

ok, i'm on my way out. i'll stop by the co-op for some more wee tablets. i swear, i don't have to eat anymore. i can just fill up on pills!

[chachaheels]

No, that's a good time to take them...however I do wish you'd get those tissue salts. I chose them to help you digest everything! And there is an iron salt in the group I recommended too. That will help you assimilate all the iron you need. I don't think the sleep issue will be such a big one once the iron deficiency is looked after. I want to caution you about pernicious anemia too--but you know to look out for that. I'd love it if you could take a separate, 1000mcg sublingual tablet of B12 on a daily basis, just to make sure you don't come close to it, ever.

I think if you get a sublingual melatonin you can take a dose of it in the middle of the night. It usually works within a few minutes. 5htp, to me, is a bit of an untried thing. I get that it's supposed to be a variant of tryptophan, but it's touted as a miracle cure for things like depression and sleeplessness and so on. If you haven't had the sleeplessness before and you seem to be experiencing it now as part of this pregnancy, I think it comes as a result of the changes taking place with this child. It's safer to address the dietary issues first, use something gentle that won't form a dependency like the melatonin when you need it, and see what happens with the tissue salts.

[pepper]

i have really low iron, not anemic but close. it's chronic, i supplement all the time. three months on, three months off (or until i start to feel depleted, believe me i can tell when i am). it's in an ok range, i just got tested, still lowish but acceptable. i take a desicated liver supplement with vit c, manganese, folic acid and b12 added. it's good, i feel it working. i read to take it with dinner, is there a better time than that?

what about 5htp? i considered it when i was feeling so low but the st john's wort worked really well for me. does it help with sleep as well? can i take it during pregnancy or should i just stick with the melatonin? and can i take one when i wake in the night or will that not be as effective as taking it at bed time? i never know when i'm going to be restless until i am.

[chachaheels]

Pepper, a little bit of melatonin is better than taking valerian (just cause so many of the "kalmerite" or "nervine" herbs end up being used for pregnancy and childbirth, so you should avoid them at this stage). Trying a small dose in order to avoid a routine use might help.

I think that lots of women experience surges of sleeplessness--like having "too much" energy--during pregnancy. Also the 4 am waking time might indicate a need for more iron in the diet. Were you prone to the anemia that a lot of women have when pregnant?

Erinjane, I think the journalling idea is a good one, just to give yourself a bit of a mental break from carrying all this stuff around with you so much. Maddy asks some great questions--like what aren't you thinking about?--that could really help calm down some of the anxiety. I get the sense from your writings here that all of this mental activity is a result of a lot of difficulty and trauma in your life, so it does have to at least be acknowledged. But I also think the melatonin might be able to just give you a bit of rest (those exhaustion dreams are actually mirroring what's happening on the physical level--no sleep=no physical power). If you do decide to give it a shot, I really hope it works.

[maddy29]

uuuuh, i HATE those dreams! so upsetting, and they always leave me emotionally wrung out and weak feeling, yuck.

try the journaling thing-my mom had major anxiety that was keeping her up and she was just not getting any good sleep, so she started writing about her fears, and found it helpful.

especially with the "stuff i have to do"-you can just write it down, thenyou don't have to worry about remembering it in the morning, etc. i'm an avid listmaker, myself. it's something i do when i'm anxious, just start making lists. it weirdly helps me, cause otherwise it feels like my brain will just explode.

the other thing i've found is, when i'm thinking about tons of stuff, what is teh ONE thing i'm NOT thinking about? that is-does your incessant thinking actually protect you from thinking about something else? or keep you from feeling something?

hm, not sure that made sense. but dang, i love sleeping and my heart goes out to y'all who can't sleep that just totally sucks. if you aren't getting rest, how can you do anything else?!

[erinjane]

erin- one great thing to do when you are awake because you are thinking about things-get up and write it all down, or type it all out. that way it's out of your head, and on paper. sounds dumb, but it's really worked for me.

what things are you thinking about at night? what are your weird dreams about?

That's an idea. I might try that next time it happens, probably tonight. I think about things that upset me, like a fight i had, or all the stuff i have to do, or just feel sorry for myself and when I try to steer my mind somewhere else I always come back to it and end up crying.

I get these dreams from time to time but they've been happening more lately where I'm either trying to scream, but can't, trying to run but it's really hard, or fighting with someone but my punches have no power behind them, like I feel weak, and often I"ll wake up right after i have a dream like that. Weird.

[pepper]

what is with me? i keep Waking Up In The Middle Of The Night.
sometimes it's because i really have to pee (thank you pregnancy) but other times it's just for no reason what-so-ever. i woke up at 4:20 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep forever and now i'm dragging my sleep deprived ass around the house like a zombie. ugh. why can't i just relax? can i take anything, valerian, melatonin, anything? i spritz my linens with lavendar water, i sleep in a dark quiet room that i ONLY sleep in, there are no work related things in there, my room is the right temperature, i can't see the clock from the bed unless i sit up a bit, grr! i'm doing it all right, Why Can't I Sleep.

i'm going to throw out the tv and not even watch an hour of it at night and see if that works. maybe those stupid shows are messing with my unconcious mind or something.

[maddy29]

erin- one great thing to do when you are awake because you are thinking about things-get up and write it all down, or type it all out. that way it's out of your head, and on paper. sounds dumb, but it's really worked for me.

what things are you thinking about at night? what are your weird dreams about?

[erinjane]

I might give it a try. I want to talk to my doctor first though. My main problem is that I just can't stop thinking about things that make me anxious and then I wake up repeatedly over night after having weird dreams. I've also started waking up earlier and earlier.

[chachaheels]

Maybe you could try the melatonin, Erinjane? It might be helpful, it isn't expensive, and it isn't harmful to you.

[erinjane]

Yesterday my doctor prescribed trazodone for my mom and me as a sleeping pill. We each took one last night and it didn't help with sleep at all. I got so frusturated I was crying and was having horrible anxiety. My doctor wants to try and get my sleeping under control and see if that relieves my anxiety and stress. Ugh, i'm falling asleep at work here. So tired.

[chachaheels]

Blakcherry, I'm so glad you found the melatonin useful especially since the prescribed drugs didn't work. Sometimes it really is because we're not making enough melatonin that we don't sleep easily.

I found a melatonin that comes in 3mg pills that you take sublingually--they dissolve right away, and they work in less than 10 minutes (for me, and that's after spending the evening drinking coffee).
I can usually get a bottle of those for about $6 at the health food store.

[rocketslide]

Oh god, I wanna poke holes in my brain sometimes. I'll wait up, and out of nowhere I'm picking a fight with someone in my head. I'm creating drama about nothing & worrying about stuff that hasn't even happened. The only thing that seems to improve my sleep patterns in exercise. I make a point of wearing myself out a few times a week, and then I"m able to sleep almost through the night. Having 2 cats doesn't seem to help the situation.

[erinjane]

treehugger, i'm the same way with my thoughts just not turning off. Christ, it's unbearable sometimes.

[blakcherry]

Im sure my post is COMPLETELY unrelated,but as soon as I scrolled down and saw "insomnia" I instantly empathized. I've had difficulty sleeping for as long as I could remember. I've even taken some prescription meds (they were either too strong or not strong enough). I'm currently using melatonin and it-is-AMAZING! Sorry, I don't mean to invalidate anything that anyone has been saying. I just feel like I found a miracle cure for me and want to shout it from the rooftops.