Low Energy all the time

[janine]

I know tiredness is normal in early pregnancy but I'm approaching 10 weeks and just have no energy. I go to sleep early, wake up late, sometimes nap (when it's the weekend only of course) and in general, if there's nothing that must get done, I feel like laying down. I can manage to do the things that must be done, but it is my energy level that is zapped. I'm happier to curl up on the couch and close my eyes (ie I'm not watching TV, so hopefully this isn't just pure laziness!).

Is this normal? I hope it ends before a newborn gets here or else I'm in big trouble.

[wellyes]

It's normal. 1st trimester = you are a cat. The 2nd trimester is a lot better.

[s7714]

It is normal, but make sure you're eating enough calories as well as taking your prenatal vitamins. Have you had your early blood work done yet to check your iron levels? I was slightly anemic during my first pregnancy and felt way more tired than I've felt with my other two.

[littlebird]

I was a couple of weeks into my 2nd trimester when my energy levels seemed to rise. I agree with PP who suggested getting your early lab work done, if you haven't already. If your thyroid levels are low, they could be another cause of low energy. I hope it gets better for you soon!

[echoesofspring]

Another vote for blood work - I was seriously deficient on Vit. D. I had been sort of deficient before I got pregnant, but then it dropped even further afterwards. I found that when I boosted that I gained a lot more energy. YMMV.

[janine]

Thanks all - I have had blood work done and was just told all was good. DH thinks I'm lazy and not convinced (I had no symptoms with #1), so really hoping this is a true symptom and not old age!

Thanks again.

[BabbyO]

You're DH is wrong. You're not lazy...your pregnant...you know growing a human inside you...it takes a lot of energy! :) (I had to explain it to DH that way before he got it - sorta)

With #1 I'm pretty sure I slept for about 8 weeks straight.
With #2 I was tired, but not that bad. I'd sleep later on weekends and might go to bed early 1-2 times a week.
With #3 I'm pretty tired, and until I was about 11 weeks I was going to bed minutes after putting DS down, and in some cases I was in bed within minutes of getting home from work. I'm 14 weeks and my energy level just started to perk up last week a bit. (I'm making it until 9 pm every night!)

Hopefully you're on your way to more energy soon! Best of luck!

[soon2b4]

I did not have any energy until about 14 weeks, either. Your body is extremely busy right now. I agree with PP, give yourself a break and ask DH to, also.

[tiapam]

Thanks all - I have had blood work done and was just told all was good. DH thinks I'm lazy and not convinced (I had no symptoms with #1), so really hoping this is a true symptom and not old age!

Thanks again.

Though I don't think this sounds too far out of the normal range, I would at least call and ask for your actual thyroid test results. There is a lot of disagreement on what normal is. And they may not have even tested that, I was tested because I already had a thyroid problem, so I don't know what the usual is. If they did do one and it is "normal" and you continue to be this tired I would ask for a retest and perhaps more tests. It is not good for the baby if you are hypothyroid.

[ryanmom]

You might want to try to eat food high in iron (spinach and other green leafy veggies, dried fruit, lentils) and see if that helps... I was anemic with my first and it made me exhausted. My first blood test was fine but my second test came back with really low iron so it can change. My doc this time told me to go ahead and start taking iron supplements if I started feeling super tired again...

[ashleybama24]

My midwives last pregnancy told me to keep my energy up I needed to eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner (maybe a snack). The snacks needed to be high in protetin to help me sustain energy for longer. Handful of almonds or even some greek yogurt or wholegrain bread with peanut butter (the kind with no sugar) were all recommended snacks. It helped but sometimes I felt like I was eating around the clock!

[swissair81]

I am absolutely useless for 14 weeks at the beginning of every pregnancy. The only exception was with my oldest. I was in nursing school, and I had to be functional whether I wanted to or not. This last pregnancy, I was less than functional until 24-25 weeks. I started hemorrhaging at 10 weeks, and I didn't get the all clear until then. Looking back, I'm pretty sure my doctor was worried about something else, because he saw me every 2 weeks from then until I gave birth. I've been meaning to ask him about it, actually.

[BDKmom]

I was tired through my entire pregnancy. Everyone kept telling me that it would get better in the second trimester, but it didn't really. There were days in the 2nd tri when I felt OK, but still most days I would come home from work, take a nap, eat dinner and go to bed, and that was all I could manage. Has me a little concerned about trying to have a second one, as I'm not sure how I would have the energy to chase after a toddler and be pregnant, but I guess you do what you have to.

If it helps any, once I delivered, I felt more normal. Of course that was just in time to go through the sleep deprivation of having a newborn, but that really did feel more like just lack of sleep instead of the extreme fatigue of being pregnant.