Dealing with Fatigue in Early Pregnancy

Posted on Aug 20, 2012 | Blog Posts, Pregnancy Symptoms Category | | Print This Article

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms during the early stages of pregnancy. It is almost universal during the first trimester. If you’re pregnant, you have to expect that you’re going to feel worn out and fatigued from time to time. It’s just part of the experience.

With that said, fatigue doesn’t need to be the defining feature of your life, even in your first trimester of pregnancy. There are plenty of things you can do to help you cope with fatigue. Here are a few of them:

• Head to bed earlier. Remember that you’re likely to get up several times to take care of that other early pregnancy symptom. There’s no substitute for adequate sleep.
• Exercise. Low impact aerobics, jogging, walking, swimming, and Pilates are all excellent choices. Exercise is good for you and the baby. In addition to helping you fight fatigue, it can help reduce stress and has even been shown to reduce morning sickness.
• Vitamins. Your health care provider will likely prescribe prenatal vitamins. Extra iron and folic acid are also a good idea, especially if you don’t eat foods rich in these nutrients.
• Naps. Your body needs extra rest while you’re pregnant. Take a break when you need one. Better yet, curl up and snooze for a little while.
• Lots of small meals. You’ll digest them better and avoid morning sickness. More importantly, you’ll give yourself smaller doses of energy more often.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Especially if you have other young kids. Chances are that your partner, parents, and friends would all be happy to lend a hand if you’d ask them.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff. When you’re fatigued, getting upset with yourself for not finishing the dishes or laundry isn’t going to help. It won’t lessen your fatigue, and it certainly won’t get the dishes clean. Your household chores will still be there when you have more energy. Better yet, your partner may chip in, leaving you to find better purposes for that energy.

Fatigue usually gets better as you reach your second trimester. By then, your body has adjusted to having a baby growing inside. You can generally expect fatigue to return for a little while late in the third trimester, shortly before the baby is born. By then, though, you should have figured out which coping strategies work for you.

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