A quick side note for our tribe: We are all about mutually beneficial relationships here at the Newlymoms. So naturally, this article may contain affiliate links. This means that if you were to use the links provided and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). We only promote products we use, love, and/or fully support — it’s a win, win, win! If you have any questions about what we use, love and/or support, please reach out to us via our contact page.

Pregnancy Insomnia

I think the latest statistic says that pregnancy insomnia affects 75% of all pregnant women these days – or something like that. I don’t care enough to get the hard stat; I just know it’s a lot. And the cause can be anything from hormonal issues to leg cramps to general anxiety and an inability to control your racing thoughts. This can occur at any point during the night – whether it be an inability to fall asleep, stay asleep or go back to sleep after waking up. And the remedies are, in my humble opinion, just as lackluster as the reasons why …

My Ultimate Pregnancy Sleep Hack

So I’m here to give you my ultimate pregnancy sleep hack which has been the ONLY thing to solve my pregnancy insomnia – a weighted blanket.

Now, let me preface this by saying – I’ve had pregnancy insomnia pretty bad. It was worse than most (based off of my first-hand research in the pool of supermoms I’m surrounded by) during the last couple months of Baby #1 and so naturally I was determined not to experience the same fate with Baby #2. Thus, in addition to adding some spiritual declarations to my repertoire, I set out to find the less-publicized or less-researched *hacks* to preserve my very precious beauty sleep.

And I’m not kidding mamas – the weighted blanket changed my life. If my life could be summed up into a series of milestones they would be the following:

1. Age 22 – Born Again #Jesus
2. Age 27 – Married Jeffrey
3. Age 28 – Baby Kaiden
4. Age 29 – Baby Tess
5. Age 29 ½ – Weighted Blanket

I don’t use these words lightly – but I have NEVER gotten such a good night’s sleep in my ENTIRE LIFE. After sleeping with it for ONE NIGHT, I legit took the next day off work to catch up on the sleep I had lost. I excessively enjoyed EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

The Amazing-ness, In Summary

Now, I’m not going to get into the all the scientific benefits of a weighted blanket. You can read all about those here in this Live Science Article. I’ll just sum it up. The added weight in the weighted blanket (which varies depending on your size and comfort preference) makes you feel like you’re being hugged. This phenomena is referred to as Deep Touch Pressure (DTP) Therapy. DTP therapy aids in the release of the hormones Serotonin and Dopamine, which promote relaxation and have been shown to reduce anxiety, stress and the like. In other words – the weighted blanket works to calm all your senses which may or may not be keeping you awake as they run wild.

BUT my absolute favorite part of this pregnancy sleep hack is that the benefits go WAY BEYOND your pregnancy. When you think about some of the other remedies like pregnancy pillows – they’re not much use to you after baby comes. But I plan to use this blanket every – single – day for the rest of my life. No exaggeration.

The best weighted blankets are reasonably priced and can be shipped for free. Nobody likes the price tag on shipping a 15-20lb package. So here at the newlymoms you know what that means – yes, my friends – AMAZON. Here’s some general info/guidelines/tips for your purchase:

1. The weight guideline is generally 10% of the user’s body weight plus a pound or 2. *Always consult your doctor before purchasing anything for medical benefits and/or for children, the elderly or people with other health concerns.
   Note: I am a 140 lb. pregnant mama and I got a 15 pounder.
2. Don’t worry about the blanket being super hot. The well-engineered ones are weighted using glass beads – not additional blanket layers. The beads are strategically sown into the blankets quilting to avoid bunching AND the crunching sound when you move around. You also don’t *FEEL* the beads. It feels like a regular blanket.
3. If  you sleep extra hot – there are cooling weighted blanket options like our first recommendation below. However, most people don’t experience this issue.
4. If you’re wanting one for yourself and your spouse, we recommend purchasing two blankets – one for each of you. The weight of each blanket is engineered for 1 person only. This means you’ll only get half the weight and half the benefit if you share it.

Check out our favorite amazon-supplied options for weighted blankets.

YnM Cooling Weighted Blanket

Quility Premium Kids Weighted Blanket

CuteKing Weighted Blanket

ZonLi Weighted Blanket

Happy Sleeping!

Right there with ya,
Niki from