Fatique During Pregnancy

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Fatigue
Have you ever been this tired before in your entire life? You can't stop yawning, you feel as though you're a zombie, your limbs are heavy, and you just want to lie down. Anywhere. In your bed. On your mother-in-law's couch. In your next door neighbor's garage. On a park bench. For many women, there's no such thing as enough sleep during the first trimester.

Your body is busy supporting the division of cells, the growth of life supporting organs, and the creation of really cute features. Your body is functioning for two (or more if you're expecting multiples). Think of all the energy you're burning. Not to mention, you may be eating a bit less than usual thanks to the queasies. Less food in, less energy out, plus you're burning so much of it growing baby. Of course you're tired!

And then there's the emotional rollercoaster you're riding. This is an emotional time. Excitement...sometimes a little fear...excitement...awareness of new responsibilities...excitement...did I mention excitement?

Your family is about to change; you're about to become a mom (or become a mom once again); you've got decisions to make about childcare and whether/when you'll return to the workplace. These are emotionally charged times. All that emotion can wear you out. And that's just what it does. When your emotions are bouncing around like ping pong balls, it tends to drain both physical and emotional energy.

So, what's a busy woman to do when she can barely keep her eyes open? Sleep, of course. Whenever you can, wherever you can. You need it. It's not self-indulgent. People won't think any less of you for it. (If they do, they've never been pregnant.)

Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep little... mother.

• Early to bed Go to sleep earlier at night. Turning in at 7 PM is perfectly acceptable. After all, you won't be tired forever. A few weeks (a few months?) of early to bed is a small price to be for the ability to function during the day.

• Later to rise Sleep in a little later in the morning. Do you usually awake at 6 AM to read the paper and start the laundry before work? Skip the paper and listen to the news on the car radio or headphones while you commute. Invite your partner to take over the laundry.

• Naptime It's not just for babies and the unemployed anymore. A midmorning nap snuggled up in your bed, a lunchtime snooze in an empty conference room (with the door closed and a dependable wake-up call, of course), a pre-dinner slumber in your favorite comfy chair.... they're all perfect for a few minutes of rest. Sometimes all you need is fifteen minutes of downtime to get you up again.

Since we're talking about sleep, let's talk about sleep positioning.
Later on in your pregnancy, your obstetrician will address sleep positions with you. One of the main reasons medical professionals recommend that pregnant women sleep on their left sides is that doing so supports healthy blood circulation. Pregnancy pillows, body pillows, or a standard pillow between the knees will help ease you into this new sleep position.

Why does it matter how you sleep if you don't have a big belly to worry about? Well, why wouldn't you want to maximize circulation for you and your baby right from the start? And won't it be easier to change your way of sleeping now when you're exhausted. The change won't affect you falling to sleep during these sleepy first weeks. After all, couldn't you fall asleep in the shower if you stayed in there long enough? Make the change now, when it's easy. If you get used to lying on your left side now, you won't be trying to retrain yourself when your body is larger and a little more awkward than you're used to.

Dreaming Of Baby
A very tired pregnant nurse I once knew told me that she was looking forward to the end of her shift, she couldn't wait to go to sleep. She looked exhausted, so that news was no surprise. What she said next was truly lovely. It wasn't about being tired at all, though she definitely was. It was about dreaming.

Here's what she said.

"My baby is in there spending most of its time sleeping, so when I lay down I feel like we're doing something together. I think about this baby all the time, but somehow the idea of a being a parent is still abstract to me. Except when I'm asleep. I can see my baby, hear my baby, feel my baby, I can even smell my baby in my dreams. In my dreams, I don't worry about whether or not I will make mistakes, or how much work we have to do on the house to get ready. In my dreams, my husband and my baby and I are together in a beautiful place, someplace I've never been before. No one needs to speak. No one needs to do anything. We are just together and we are so peaceful."

Does this mean her life would be one blissful moment after another once baby arrived? Of course not, but it does mean something. It means she was preparing herself emotionally for motherhood. She was bonding.

You need sleep to thrive physically, but you also need sleep emotional stability. Sleep and dreams are essential to emotional health. Dreams allow you to work out psychological issues, to express your inner emotions in a safe way, to free your mind from stress. Not to mention, if your dreams are like this particular nurse's, they make you feel good.

Making a baby is about dreams, when you think about it. Did you play with dolls as a little girl? You were acting out a fantasy, one which will soon be your very own reality. That does not mean that your baby will be as quiet and compliant as a doll baby. Think how boring that would be! But when you were young, chances are you did dream about being a mom someday. Making babies is about the grownup dream you have of living out the love you feel for your partner. It's about making your dreams come true.

So get some rest, and let your dreams wander where they may.

How long will I wish life were one long nap?
Feelings of fatigue will subside at the end of this trimester. You'll have energy again. That's not to say that you won't feel tired again during pregnancy. The extra work and weight your body experiences will make you tired. The more well-rested you are, the better off you are - physically and emotionally. So, tired or not, for the rest of your pregnancy be sure you get eight hours of sleep a night.

If you're yawning and struggling to keep your eyes open, you're body is not making a suggestion. It's giving you an order. Tired? It's time for bed.