Dear new-moms, I am writing this post on the basis of my own experience of pregnancy and carrying a little one for nine months. Also, many conversations I had with fellow moms and some prolonged discussions with my gynecologist were taken into consideration.
You never understand life until it grows inside of you – Sandra Chami Kassis
First of all, a big warm hug and congratulations for those two bright pink links on your test kit. I know, how exhilarating and confusing yet fulfilling, all at one time, it must have been. You are growing a little human within you and it is absolutely incredible. Take a deep breath and let this sink in, I know, being emotional comes as a packaged deal. It is absolutely normal to feel tired and exhausted almost all day long. Your body is going through many changes and it is creating a little miracle of life within you. Hormonal changes at this time can make you feel really tired, nauseous, as well as pretty emotional.
I remember crying buckets just for a piece of Frankie roll which resulted in mascara being smudged all over my face and a horrible picture of me, which my husband cherishes to this date.
All in all, pregnancy is beautiful yet so emotionally draining because of the hurricane of hormonal as well as bodily changes happening within you. Be gentle to yourself and take a lot of rest. Fatigue is officially considered a constant lack of energy.
For me, the first trimester felt like a sloth-mode was on. I felt like it was impossible to get up in the morning all energized and happy. I was just dragging and sluggish from the moment I use to get up to the time I go to sleep. This exhaustion and tiredness usually last for the initial 12 weeks of pregnancy and in some cases, it can go on for a longer period of time too. It is quite natural and common in prego days.
Here is why you feel tired and exhausted in the initial 12 weeks of pregnancy
- If you were one of those women who usually need only 6 hours of sleep at night now all of the sudden, finds that we need nearly double that during these first weeks of pregnancy, well, then welcome to the world of motherhood. It is a signal from your body to slow down and take some rest.
- Give your body time to get accustomed to the internal especially hormonal changes happening.
- One of the major reasons for Pregnancy fatigue is the ramped-up production of the hormone progesterone. This supports your pregnancy and increases the production of milk glands which is required for breastfeeding later on.
- Hormone changes can also cause mood changes. Not to mention that riding the emotional roller coaster of pregnancy can be tiring.
- The constant demands of creating and pumping extra blood to supply your baby with nutrients and oxygen can make you feel fatigued and exhausted.
- Your metabolism is running high, your heart rate is up, your blood sugar and blood pressure are down, and you’re using more nutrients and water — all of which can wear you out.
- Â Moms, it is a signal from your body to slow down and give it time to adjust to the incredible changes happening inside.
What to eat to boost the energy level?
Ladies, this phase of your life needs extra special attention when it comes to nourishment from the inside out. Pregnancy increases your nutritional requirements. We are supposed to eat an extra dose of protein and calcium in order to meet the demands of that little life growing in our belly. For some women, nausea hits badly in the first trimester while for others it comes and goes. Here are a few food items that can help in increasing your energy levels and also keep nausea at bay:
- Keep yourself hydrated. If drinking plain water gets difficult then add lemon, mint, or other flavors in it. Try keeping yourself away from market-bought aerated drinks.
- Dairy food items are a must. It is also the finest dietary source of calcium and provides high amounts of magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and various B vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B12 all of these are necessary for healthy fetal growth and development. I fell in love with paneer appe during my preggo days.
- Legumes are another brilliant source of protein. This group of food items includes lentils, beans, peas, soybean, and chickpeas.
- Beetroot, broccoli, and avocado. All these are also high in fiber, B vitamins (especially folate), vitamin C, potassium, vitamin E, vitamin K, and copper.
Pregnancy is a beautiful phase and yet one of the most exhausting ones that I have ever been through in three decades of my life. Enjoy the preggo days, mama, and don’t forget to keep a small diary of all the emotions you are feeling today. Trust me, it will be your treasure one day.
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As a recently delivered mom, I can so well resonate with this post. I have had nausea during both my pregnancies, and I used to be sleepy and exhausted all the time. This is such an informative post and will be so helpful for all the pregnant ladies.
I was working during my 1st pregnancy and it use to be so cumbersome for me with all the house and office work, it she to drain me out and for 2nd pregnancy I had a toddler in hand to run around which again was a challenge for me. Pregnancy can be different for every women. Smooth for some and challenging for others.
Pregnancy in itself is such a rollercoaster of emotions. I absolutely loved reading your blog and I could relate so much because that’s exactly how I felt when I was pregnant with Amaira
This is so helpful post for would be mommies and the new ones . Pregnancy definitely brings lots of emotional changes in body and definitely the small worries seems like a big one .
Not all Moms have smooth sailing when they are pregnant and those initial few months were very draining for me as I suffered from a lot of morning sickness.
It helps to know that we are not alone and that this is a temporary phase !
This post reminded me of my preggy days. I was enthusiastic and active but I slowed down as it was a twin as well as a high-risk pregnancy. Informative post for expectant moms.
Oh, this is one phase of pregnancy that I can never forget. In both my pregnancies I had struggled with fatigue and constant tiredeness. We do need to take it slow initially and rest as much as possible.
This is very informative for new moms to be. I was very enthusiastic in the first and second trimesters, later I slowed down too.
Pregnancy means a lot of emotional and hormonal changes. Its good to have an emotional support. This is very important post for many mum to be.
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Amazing and true tips. Luckily I had no emotional instability or hormone imbalance when I was pregnant both times. I enjoyed my preggy days but did take care of myself. My husband on the other hand had cravings! Hahahha
This is wonderful information for all the would be mom’s out there. Being pregnant for the first time and that too in a nuclear set-up can be scary and confusing. Your post clears a lot of points.
Pregnancy brings lot of emotional imbalance. Small little worry looks like a huge never finding solutions. Thanks for such an insightful post.
Thanks for sharing this it’s really informative for all as have been gone through this phase and couldn’t understand the reason
Sometimes it gets difficult to balance emotions during pregnancy and I can relate to the Frankie roll episode. Observing body changes and listening to it important, you have listed the solutions very well in the post.
yes pregnancy brings lots of physical, mental and emotional changes due to hormonal changes and causes sleepy and exhausted feeling too. your post has many useful pointers, I am sure it will help a lot to all pregnant women in dealing with this problem.
A much needed post buddy. I wish i had known this when I was pregnant with Arsh and felt so tired. I am so glad all these articles are available now.
It is very important to know what we are going through during pregnancy. Fatigue and tireless, sleepiness is very common during pregnancy. But new moms can get anxious about it if they never used to get tired easily.
This post is really going to help a lot of to-be mommies, as the tips and reasons you mentioned are really useful. Thanks for sharing this article!!
This is a helpful post for preggo mummies. As u have mentioned Right eating and keeping oneself hydrated sure helps a lot.