It’s hard to describe the effect of fatigue during pregnancy on soon-to-be moms. Perhaps you feel an exhausting fatigue that hardly allows you to keep your eyes open, or you feel so plain tired that you want to sleep anywhere.
During the first trimester of pregnancy especially it’s very important to get enough sleep to keep up with your changing body.
Why am I so tired?
Early in pregnancy your body is concentrating on a very important task, creating your baby. Can you imagine how the marvelous process of creating a life is? This wonderful process requires a tremendous demand on your body. But it’s worth the effort, right?
Your body is working harder than ever, so it’s not a surprise that you feel tired. In fact you may need as much as 10 or 11 hours of sleep each night in order to feel refreshed. Imagine how much energy your body is burning in order to create your baby’s organs.
Fatigue during pregnancy is one of the first symptoms of pregnancy during the first trimester.
You may be changing emotionally as well–perhaps you are stressed, and with good reason, you are going through a lot of changes in a very short time (e.g., increased oxygen consumption, increased levels of progesterone, increased metabolic demands), you’re about to become a mom. These changes tend to drain both physical and emotional energy. So there is more good reasons to be tired.
During the second trimester you will take a break fatigue typically lightens. However, during the third trimester of pregnancy fatigue increases due to several reasons. The biggest reason is due to sleep disturbances from increased weight (many women cannot find a comfortable sleeping position due to the enlarged abdomen). There can also be discomforts like heartburn and insomnia that affect sleep.
How do I mange fatigue during pregnancy?
There is an infallible remedy to manage fatigue during pregnancy: go to sleep, sleep and sleep. Try to get a full night’s sleep without interruptions.
Listen to your body! Schedule a nap in the early afternoon daily if you need it. Feeling tired? Get rest. Your body is sending you a message: Rest!
Having a healthy pregnancy diet rich in iron and protein helps to reduce fatigue and to get a full sleep as well.
Another remedy for helping your body reduce fatigue during pregnancy is to mix your sedentary activities with physical activities.
It may sound contradictory that exercise can help to reduce fatigue in pregnancy, but it is true.
Exercise helps to oxygenate the body and this is exactly what it needs to recover energy and to reduce fatigue. Doing at least 2 hours of exercise per week, or 30 minutes daily can help with your ability to get substantial rest. An excellent exercise is yoga. Swimming or walking during pregnancy will also help to improve energy levels.
My own experience with fatigue during pregnancy
I used to get up early every Saturday to do the housework, so I decided to stop doing that and I chose to do a little work each day around noon, one day cleaning bedrooms, another one the laundry, and so on. My husband helped me on Saturdays doing all the remaining housework and doing the grocery shopping.
In the last month of pregnancy I was very tired and I had to go to bed earlier than usual, around 8 o’clock. My husband was not very happy about it because normally he comes later after work, but we got used to my new sleeping schedule.
After all, I was not going to be tired forever, and our baby was a very good reason to get as much rest as I needed.
And let me tell you something, having a nap during the afternoon was the most relaxing activity during my pregnancy. Keeping my eyes open was just too difficult.
If fatigue during pregnancy was an issue for you during your 9 months, click here to share with us your own experience, what did you do to minimize fatigue while pregnant? Share with visitors to this page!
Final Thoughts:
Exhaustion might be a constant companion during this time of your life, so make it your friend. Work with it, not against it. If you’re feeling tired right now, close my web site, put your feet up, pull up the covers, and take a snooze.
If fatigue during pregnancy is a big issue for you and you are feeling extremely tired, I recommend you visit your doctor as you may be anemic. Your body requires more iron during pregnancy, and if you are not getting enough, you’ll feel fatigued. But let your doctor to give you the exact dose of iron you should take, you do not want to take too much because that may cause serious constipation.
You can find iron-rich foods in broccoli, spinach, clams, lamb, liver, cereals, kidney beans, blackstrap, lentils, molasses, beef, and pork.
Recent Comments