The age-old question all mamas-to-be will be wondering: why am I tired all of the time? Tiredness in pregnancy, particularly tiredness in early pregnancy is not an uncommon problem. Growing a baby is exhausting so don’t give yourself a hard time. Taking naps and looking after yourself is key to keeping mamas motivated.
In this excerpt from Mama You’ve Got This, an honest guide to pregnancy, Melissa Schweiger Kleinman, puts mamas’ minds at rest about pregnancy exhaustion.
Creating a little person is hard work. It’s no wonder you’re feeling exhausted all of the time. The amount of overtime your body is putting in is no joke. Try to visualise for a moment, if you will, all of the physiological changes that are going on inside of you. From the moment your body realises it’s pregnant, it begins to produce more blood in order to bring nutrients to your growing baby. Then of course there is the new flush of hormones that have just entered into your body, with progesterone being the main culprit behind your fatigue. Now add in all of the freaking out your brain is doing to try and grasp that you’re going to become a mama. This baby-creating stuff is exhausting business indeed.
Tiredness in early pregnancy
The first trimester tends to be the most exhausting, as this is when your baby’s major organs are magically being formed. Don’t worry mama, the second trimester will bring you a some much needed relief and is often known as the honeymoon trimester. Embrace this reprieve from fall-down exhaustion as trimester three can leave you feel as your baby is hell bent on sucking all your energy from you.
How to combat pregnancy exhaustion
Rather than fighting your tiredness, give yourself a pass to take an afternoon nap. If you work in an office, use your lunch hour for a power nap. Try and find an empty conference room, head to your car for a snooze or worst case scenario, lock yourself in a bathroom stall for 20 minutes and sit on the toilet. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.