Pregnant and really tired. How long does this last?

Question

I am about 7 weeks pregnant. I am so tired all of the time. I know this is normal for the first trimester. On weekends, I sleep late and also take a nap in the afternoon. It is very hard to work a full day as with the commute and getting ready for work is about 12 hours. Then when I get home, I sometimes take a nap and I can still go to bed at my normal time or earlier. For the pregnant women or women who have been pregnant, when did this tiredness go away? When were you most tired (trimesters or weeks)? Which trimesters or weeks were you back to normal and had energy? Please share your experiences of when you were most tired during your pregnancy and when you were back to normal and had the most energy. How did you deal with it? Thanks.

Answer 1

I probably got my energy back around 14 or 16 weeks. The last four were pretty hard though, especially when you're a bit bigger and can't sleep. But I think the first trimester is the worst for being tired. Hang in there! You're doing great.

Answer 2

My first trimester I was exhausted all the time. I think I slept through most of the summer. Actually, for me that was one of my earliest symptoms. It was so bad I thought I had Lyme Disease or some sort of cancer or something. I was really relieved to be pregnant!

The second trimester was much better. I wasn't huge, was sleeping pretty well, and feeling pretty good. Energy level wasn't as good as non-pregnant, but pretty close.

I think it was around 28 weeks that I started noticing myself lagging again. I'm 33 weeks now, and had to give up working because my body just wasn't coping well. (This isn't necessarily normal. I have a really bad back, combined with an on-my-feet job and a 45-minute commute.) Now my main problem is sleeping - it's impossible to get comfortable when you've got an oversized basketball for a belly!

Remember that every pregnancy is different. I've talked to people who were exhausted throughout their entire pregnancy, and some who had more energy when pregnant than ever. There is no "normal" in pregnancy.

Remember to take your vitamins, drink your water, eat nutritious foods (even when the thought of eating makes you want to puke). If you haven't cut out coffee, try it - I found I actually had MORE energy once I got over the withdrawals.

Answer 3

You're almost there! For myself, it went away at about 8 weeks, but I feel for you...no one knows exhausted like a newly pregnant woman! I'm sure it's different for everybody, though. Are you getting enough fluids? Dehydration can make the tiredness worse. Make sure that you tell your doctor this, but it sounds normal to me.

It's good to know this about yourself...that way (if you plan to have more) you'll know to time the pregnancy when you have the most help available during the day with your little one.

Grab naps when you can, and look forward to the second trimester! Some woman have said that in the second trimester, they feel better than they do normally when not pregnant! Good luck!

Answer 4

Extreme tiredness is a normal occurence for first trimester. Second trimester is usually the time of having the most energy. Third trimester you will get tired again, but not so randomly like during first trimester. Third trimester tiredness will come from the growing baby pushing on all your insides and it gets difficult to do things.

Answer 5

Some women stop feeling so tired at around 12 weeks and even report having more energy than normal.
I wasn't particularly tired in my first trimester, and didn't notice a difference in the 2nd trimester.
I started finding exercise much more difficult at around 16 weeks and have had periods of tiredness throughout my pregnancy.

Answer 6

The tiredness should go away in about 18 years...lol. Honestly, I'm 8 months pregnant now and haven't been that tired since I was about 4 months...and was I ever glad when it finally went away! Now my problem is that I don't sleep as well and don't even feel tired when I know I should. It was the same way with my first pregnancy...extreme tiredness from months 1-4, normalcy from months 4-7, then restlessness until delivery. The best way to deal with it in the last part of pregnancy is to make a routine for yourself and stick to it like superglue! As for the first few months, sleep as much as you can because your body needs it!! You will go back to your regular self before too long!!

Answer 7

I felt like that the whole time I was pregnant w/ my daughter; I'm 23 weeks w/ #2 and feel the same way. They say the second trimester is the "feel good" trimester, but that is bullshit. I'm tired all the time and have no energy; I have to force myself to work out and get out of bed every day.

Answer 8

i was tired the whole time! probably worst in first & third trimesters, felt better from 6-7 months say 26-30 weeks then back to square one! i used to nap every afternoon for about an hour or whenever i had the chance. the saying goes " don't stand if you can sit; don't sit if you can lay down".
get your rest now as once bubs is born you'll be too busy to nap!
take care

Answer 9

You will be tired for at least another year and a half! I did begin to have more energy in the 3rd trimester, but could never really get enough sleep. It's almost like your body is trying to get as much sleep as it can, because you won't sleep good again until the baby consistently sleeps throught the night!

Answer 10

It's very normal like you knew already. When i was in 6 weeks, i started having evening sickness (i call it evening sickness) because i wanted to vomit more times in the evening. In the morning, i wanted to sleep. I slept most of the time during the day and all night. I only wanted to be in bed and sleep or vomit. it is until after 4 months.about 18 weeks. it started from 6 weeks until 18 weeks. But it is also depending on your body and mind as well. Some women get easy morning sickness when others get harder to deal with and some women do not have it at all. I didn't want to eat a lot and i lost about 15 lbs. All I wanted was in bed and sleep. i also had heartburn and took zantac150 4-5 pills a day. i was scared for the baby's health but i had to take them or not eating at all. so, i ate and took them in order for me to help eating. I also had constipation and doctor prescribed me MgO2 but no other laxatives except one of those made from Vegetables (i forgot the name). Now i am 29 weeks and about 27-28 weeks, the heartburn and tireness returns. I read in some websites and it says it is normal that the heartburn and the tireness returns at this time. Well, that's all my experience. I quit from job since 6 weeks of pregnancy because i couldn't handle it anymore. I was a private school teacher here in Taiwan and I quit because i could not screem, shout and yell anymore to the kids. I couldn't make loud voice and when i did, i got tired easily. My boss was so mad at me and didn't pay me for 1/2 month. I didn't care about 1/2 month salary and all i wanted was to feel better and to take rest. One more thing, since the baby is around 5-6 months (more noticeable movements ), i love my husband more because he cares about me the all the time when he is home or at work and i love my baby more. I think it happens naturally. The baby's movement is making me laugh. It is like she is tingling me and i wanted to laugh when she does. when she is not moving, i started having worries of what is happening to her inside. Well, good luck with your pregnancy. For your job, if you are really tired in certain day, i mean more tired than normal tireness, then you should take a day off or two and let your boss or supervisor know. they will be able to understand i believe.