How exhausted is too exhausted?

[amma2205]

Hi all,

I'm 8 weeks pregnant and wondering if it's normal to feel THIS exhausted everyday?! I just have to sleep each day even if I have a long good night's sleep and don't do too much. I'm eating well, taking the recommended vitamins, exercising enough, but I am vegetarian and wondered if I could be deficient in something. Any thoughts welcome! Thanks.

[AliLyons]

Hello

Exhaustion is a perfectly normal, if frustrating part of early pregnancy. Your body is working incredibly hard changing to accommodate your growing baby, and actually doing all the growing. And sometimes all your body wants you to do is sleep.

You might need to readjust your expectations on what you can achieve in a day for a while, if you can. I avoided any activity after work and was very selective about what i did at weekends. I also avoided too much travel with work if I could. If you do quite intensive excercise you could reduce time spent or number of times a week for a while - but you know your body and what you're comfortable with. It gets better in the second trimester, and you will hopefully feel more like yourself.

In terms of being deficient in something, as a vegetarian you are probably far more aware of what you are eating than a meat eater might be, and less likely to be deficient in anything. You could up your dark greens and oranges for iron and vitamin c, and make sure there are plenty of pulses and nuts for protein, or cheese if you eat it. And if you are taking pregnacare you should be covered.

That was longer than expected!

Good luck. xx

[amma2205 in reply to AliLyons]

Thanks for your reply! It feels better to know so many people are/were in the same boat.

I think I'm pretty good at eating all that I need to get a balanced diet normally but just didn't expect to be quite so knocked out by pregnancy so wondered if I needed to change anything to make up the difference.

Maybe more dark green leafy foods...

Thanks again

[VictoriaH1]

Congratulations firstly 😊

I am very tired with this pregnancy, especially in first trimester. I took folic acid as recommended but was told I might be anaemic which can make you more tired.

Plenty of greens, spinach, lentils. Mother & Baby magazine said a few slabs of dark chocolate with 70% cocoa is good too. Haven't tried that but yet. Lots of water!!!

Your midwife can check when you book in and have bloods taken x

Good luck ☺️

[amma2205 in reply to VictoriaH1]

Happy to hear my dark chocolate stash is a positive thing :). Thanks

[Thingandgeorge]

I was extremely tired and dizzy week 8 - week 10. I booked a week off work. I wasn't anaemic and blood tests were normal! I was told sudden surge of hormones.

[emmab178]

I was exhausted the entire first trimester. Luckily I work from home but had several naps during the day. Gave up on exercising as just couldn't manage it. I don't know how people do it second time around whilst looking after the first child.

I found I was frequently getting up in the night to pee which didn't help.

Second trimester appears to be better and not feeling so tired that I can hardly speak!

[roxannacar]

First trimester I was asleep everyday by 8pm and used to have a nap during the day when not at work 😖 now it's much much better! At your booking appointment they would normally check you blood level for anaemia, do something worth mentionibg

[Lbel00]

Congratulations 😃

Yeah perfectly normal at this stage and the part I found most tiring in my pregnancy. Everbody at work kept telling me how tired and pale I looked. I used to come home from work and immediately fall asleep on the sofa. However it does pass hopefully by week 11-12 you should feel like you've got some energy back. Good luck.

[Miss_slinky]

Congratulations! I hear ya mumma to be and I was totally with you. I can honestly say, I'd never felt tiredness like it. It took me unawares as well, as I don't think I've heard mums I know really talk about the tiredness aspect so much. I went from a running, gym going fit girl to a couch potato practically . By the time I'd got up at 5.50am for work and come back after 5pm, that was me done! Even tidying flat after a days work was an effort. You do get your energy back in second trimester (I'm currently 22 weeks and feeling great!), I didn't believe it when people said either but it's true!

Are you taking any vitamins - I'm taking pregnacare and folic acid and try and increase foods with iron in it? It does get better x

[ebonysly]

I'm 22 weeks and suffering from extreme tiredness. Eating well, bloods fine, everything seems fine but I can fall asleep even while standing up.