Written by Stephanie Watson
Baby isn't even here yet, and already you're exhausted. It's hard to drag your big weary body out of bed each morning. By dinnertime, all you want to do is plop back down and climb underneath the covers.
Fatigue was one of the first signs of your pregnancy. And it can keep nagging you throughout most of the 9 months until you deliver.
During your first trimester, fatigue is at least partly due to changing levels of pregnancy hormones. You'll perk back up in your second trimester, but that renewed energy likely won't last long.
By the last 3 months of your pregnancy, you may be wiped out again. The extra stress on your body can wear you out. Plus, with your belly weighing you down in bed and your baby pressing on your bladder all night, you may struggle to get a full night's sleep.
Sometimes fatigue during pregnancy can be a sign of a medical problem, such as:
If fatigue is just one of several new symptoms you're experiencing, see your doctor. You may feel more energetic once you get treated for any condition that's sapping your energy.
During your pregnancy you need to be well rested. In just a few months, you'll be on call 24/7, and a full night's sleep will seem like a luxury.
To get as much sleep as possible right now, follow these restful suggestions:
Don't stop your pregnancy sleep routine once your baby is born. Use these same tips to help you through the first few months of motherhood. Continue to get the help -- and the rest -- you need, so you can keep up with your growing baby.
Get medical help if:
It's common to feel tired, or even exhausted, during pregnancy, especially in the first 12 weeks.
Hormonal changes at this time can make you feel tired, nauseous and emotional. The only answer is to rest as much as possible.
Make time to sit with your feet up during the day, and accept any offers of help from colleagues and family.
Being tired and run-down can make you feel low. Try to look after your physical health – make sure you eat a healthy diet, and get plenty of rest and sleep.
Later in pregnancy, you may feel tired because of the extra weight you're carrying. Make sure you get plenty of rest.
As your bump gets bigger, it can be difficult to get a good night's sleep. You might find that lying down is uncomfortable or that you need to use the loo a lot.
Feeling tired will not harm you or your baby, but it can make life feel more difficult, especially in the early days before you've told people about your pregnancy.
You may have strange dreams or nightmares about the baby, and about labour and birth. This is normal.
Talking about them with your partner or midwife can help. Remember, just because you dream something, it does not mean it's going to happen. Relaxation and breathing techniques may be helpful in reducing any anxiety you might be feeling.
The safest position to go to sleep is on your side, either left or right.
Research suggests that, after 28 weeks, falling asleep on your back can double the risk of stillbirth. This may be to do with the flow of blood and oxygen to the baby.
Do not worry if you wake up on your back – the research looked at the position pregnant people fell asleep in, as this is the position we keep for longest. If you wake up on your back, you can just turn over and go to sleep again on your side.
You can try supporting your bump with pillows and putting a pillow between your knees.
The baby charity Tommy's has a video about safer sleeping in pregnancy.
Try not to let it bother you if you cannot sleep, and do not worry that it will harm your baby – it will not. If you can, nap during the day and get some early nights during the week.
Avoid tea, coffee or cola drinks in the evening, as the caffeine can make it harder to go to sleep.
Try to relax before bedtime so you're not wide awake.
Relaxation techniques may also help, ask your midwife for advice. Your antenatal classes may teach you some techniques, or you could use a pregnancy relaxion CD or DVD.
You could join an antenatal yoga or pilates class. Make sure the instructor knows you're pregnant. Exercise can help you feel less tired, so try to do some activity, such as a walk at lunchtime or going swimming, even if you feel tired during the day.
If lack of sleep is bothering you, talk to your partner, a friend, doctor or midwife.
Read about preventing insomnia, including daytime habits, such as exercising, and bedtime habits, such as avoiding caffeine.
Occasionally, sleeplessness – when accompanied by other symptoms – can be a sign of depression. If you have any of the other symptoms of depression, such as feeling hopeless and losing interest in the things you used to enjoy, speak to your doctor or midwife. There is treatment that can help.
Read about mental health in pregnancy.
Healthtalk.org has videos and written articles of people talking about their symptoms and feelings in the early weeks of pregnancy, including tiredness.
In this video, a midwife explains the various ways pregnant mothers can get more comfortable at night.
Media last reviewed: 25 January 2020
Media review due: 25 January 2023
Headings : Pregnancy, Main Tags : first trimester, fatigue
Fatigue, weakness, drowsiness - this is what almost every woman faces at some point in her pregnancy. It most often occurs during the first trimester and sometimes returns towards the end of pregnancy. You will be surprised how much such fatigue can affect your life.
This is not just ordinary fatigue, and you may find yourself sleeping at the most unexpected moments. Have you bought tickets for the premiere of a promising performance? Before leaving, I overcame a dream. Important meeting at work? You can fall asleep even during the lunch break before it. Want to have amazing, pregnancy hormone-boosted sex with your husband? They wanted to, but a minute later they were in the arms of Morpheus. To make sure you miss fewer important events, try these tips to deal with the weakness that makes you fall asleep at every possible moment.
At the end of pregnancy, a baby jumping on your bladder, combined with a large belly and an inability to find a comfortable position, can keep you awake. Instead of getting up and going to wash the stove, try to just relax. Soak in the bath, read a book, listen to soothing music, or meditate—do things that help you feel calm and relaxed. 
Smaller, more frequent meals can help keep blood sugar levels more even, preventing energy drops. Try incorporating healthy snacks into your daily routine so you can eat more often. 
All distractions - phones, computers, TV, it is better to remove. The bed should be comfortable, clean, and there should be a lot of different pillows on it - during pregnancy, without them, it can be uncomfortable. During pregnancy, a woman gets tired faster than usual, sometimes without even doing anything special. This is normal, because hormonal and psychological changes take place, and the body prepares for childbirth.
Such changes can be stressful for a woman, which adds to the feeling of fatigue.
A pregnant woman develops insomnia, heartburn, heaviness in the back, cramps and cramps in the legs, and excessive fatigue may indicate anemia, especially if symptoms such as pale skin, shortness of breath, dizziness and palpitations are present. Iron deficiency in pregnant women occurs very often, as the need for iron increases due to the needs of the baby, and the hemoglobin produced by iron delivers oxygen not only to the tissues of the mother, but also to the child.
Nutrition of a pregnant woman should be BALANCED. Be sure to have a large amount of vitamins and minerals, especially iron and protein. A large amount of iron is found in the following foods: red meat, seafood, poultry, legumes. When consuming iron-rich foods, try to drink freshly squeezed citrus juices, which will help your body absorb minerals better. Do not forget about special multivitamin complexes for pregnant women.
Lack of fluid in the body leads to rapid fatigue, but do not overdo it in the third trimester when there is a tendency to edema, especially before bedtime.
If there are no contraindications and your doctor has no objection, then try to exercise regularly. It will help to relax not only your body, but also charge you with positive. It is not necessary that this be a daily set of exercises, hiking in the fresh air is enough.
Do not refuse help, the care of your loved ones will be very necessary for you during this period. Not only do not refuse, but also ask for help yourself when you need it.
Relax more, try to spend a lot of time doing activities that give you pleasure and satisfaction and avoid stressful situations.
Use special breathing techniques to relax. Rest more time, use every opportunity that falls to lie down to rest. If you are busy with work, be sure to take breaks, restore strength.
As for the third trimester of pregnancy, here, among other difficulties, there may be HEAVY AND FEELING OF TENSION IN THE lumbar. The baby has already grown up and gained weight, so long walks are becoming harder and harder. In such cases, prenatal bandages can be used to relieve heaviness in the back.
But the SPECIAL BANDAGE may not suit all women. Many cannot choose the right and suitable option for themselves, because it can put pressure and create discomfort. 9 will help you in this situation.0003 sling scarf . You can tie up your stomach with them, and it will not squeeze the child, creating inconvenience, but will provide support for both the tummy and lower back.
Many expectant mothers who have tried SLING AS A BANDAGE noted that it is really more comfortable and pleasant than a special bandage.
After childbirth, the sling will come in handy not only for carrying the baby, but also for tying up the pelvis and abdomen, which will help the uterus contract faster. Often, the bandage simply tamps down the lowered organs and flattens the stomach, while tying it with a sling will just lift and “put in place” the organs and fix the stomach.
For reference: in Mexico, for example, SLING, or rebozo, IS AN ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR MIDWIVES. Rebozo is used there not only for carrying children or as a part of the national costume, but also as an assistant to a pregnant woman. So, for example, in addition to supporting the abdomen and lower back, a midwife can use it to make a special relaxing massage for a woman in labor and even change the position of the child in the womb with special techniques and exercises.
In postpartum practice, rebozo is used as a tool with which a woman returns the energy and body tone spent during childbirth. In this practice, the technique of sequential bandaging of seven zones is used: forehead, shoulders, area under the chest, abdomen, mid-thigh, mid-calf, feet.
