23 weeks and EXHAUSTED - is this normal?

[BWMum]

Sorry, probably bit of an ignorant first timer question and a bit long.

I'm 23 weeks pregnant now and really, really tired. I can't get up in the mornings, feel tired all day and collapse when I get home. I've been getting into work late (between 9:45 and 10 when we start at 9:30) and leaving earlish (between 7 and 7:30pm). I'm a solicitor so the hours are long, but I'm leaving a good hour before most of my colleagues.

I did wonder if I was short of iron as the baby has decided it doesn't like red meat - I throw up if I try to eat it. But I've tried to eat the right foods otherwise and am taking a pregnancy supplement that says it has 100% of your iron RDA so I think that's covered.

This is really beginning to get me down (been going on for about 3/4 weeks now), and for the past three days I've had morning sickness again so I'm either feeling ill or throwing up in the mornings as well as tired. And to cap it off I've also got typical pregnancy hormones so feeling rather teary about the whole subject...

Does this sound normal? I just want someone to tell me it's what to expect and get over it - or not? Any thoughts very gratefully received!

[designerbaby]

BWMum,
Just noticed you'd not had a reply yet - which isn't on, so...

I'm no expert but would point out a few things:

1: Your body is going through something HUGE. It's completely natural to feel tired and emotional all the time - ESPECIALLY if you're feeling sick a lot. Be kind to yourself - don't expect too much of your poor body and try not to feel bad about feeling bad, IFYSWIM...

2: It is, however, worth going to to your GP or midwife and geting both your iron levels and your anaemia levels checked out, as both these things are common in pregnancy and can make you feel rotten. Describe your symptoms, take a sample and get them to give you a full once-over. These things can crop up at any time, and are relatively easily solved once diagnosed. It may be more than general pregnancy knackaredness

3: Bollocks to work, frankly. You're pregnant, and doing far more than can reasonably be expected. Any employer with half a brain will realise you're not being slack, neither have you suddenly lost your ability to do your job. You are simply pregnant and struggling a bit. 'Most of your colleagues' are not pregnant (I assume!?) and therefore comparing yourself to them, work-wise is unfair on yourself. Most of them wouldn't be coping half as well as you are in your position, I bet.

Give yourself a break. Do what you can. When you feel tired, GO HOME, and don't feel guilty about it. It just simply isn't important enough in the scheme of things to upset yourself about. I'm now 33 weeks, have a similarly stressful job, where long hours are the norm and have now decided to stop beating myself about what I'm NOT doing, and congratulate myself on the amount I am getting done.

Anyway, that's my two-penn'th. I'm sure there are many more on here more expert than I am who can give you some more useful advice...

Mine is really simply - be kind to yourself - you deserve it...

Big hug - hope you start to feel a bit better soon...

DB
xx

[scorpio1]

you need your iron levels tested, your body wont take all of that iron from the supplement.

you shouldn't be that tired but dont worry either.

[elsieG]

You should definitely get tested for anaemia as that will make a difference. I was exhausted at 16 weeks & then was put on iron supplements for anaemia & it helped a bit. I must say though I'm now 24 weeks and am really struggling with the tiredness. Have had to take time off work & am now entering discussions with my employer to either work from home or reduce my hours until I start maternity leave. It does make you feel a bit down especially as everyone keeps telling me i should be feeling quite energetic at this stage. My doctor has assured me it is normal and everyone is different. At the end of the day though you have to find a balance and if that means working less then so be it...your body is going through enormous changes and holding down a stressful full time job is hard work at the best of times! It is frustrating and upsetting feeling tired and exhausted all the time but the most important thing is to take notice of your body and look after yourself and the baby.

[Nbg]

It is horrid when your really tired.

I'm 28 weeks atm and come lunch time I can feel my eyes shutting. Its really bad.

What supplement are you taking?
Spatone is very good and you can have 2 satchets of that a day.
Also if you werent aware, eat lots of foods with vitamin c as this absorbs the iron.

[BWMum]

Thank you all for your advice - it's so helpful to hear from people know more about this whole process than me.

I think I will ask the doctor about testing my iron levels and anaemia. I have a 24 week appointment with her next week so can ask her then. Thanks also for the vitamin C tip, will make sure I have orange juice with my lunch from now.

And DB - I know you are right about not beating myself up over work. We have a real long hours culture at my firm and I'm finding it really hard to step back from trying to keep up with my (non-pregnant) colleagues, but I know it's about the least most important thing going on at the moment...

[beller]

BWmum - good advice from the others!! Another thing to check...I have a condition called pernicious anaemia. I cannot absorb b vitamins from food or supllements. I only found this out about 2 years ago, but has made a huge difference. Might be worth a check.I have to have a B12 injection every 8 weeks now.
Im also 23 weeks pregnant and really could do with a sleep around 2/ 3 o clock, but alas...work gets in the way !I start at 6.30 and its a killer! If you think about it..we are building a whole new body..thats got to be pretty tiring!! Is there any way you could do any work from home? Just a thought, know its not possible alot of the time...Get you feet up when you can xxxx

[Mumpbump]

I agree with what everyone else has said. To make haemoglobin, you need vit b12, folic acid and iron so if you're down on any one of those, it can mess you up. I had folic acid and iron supplements prescribed for me by my doctor and it has made a huge difference to how I feel. I can't remember exactly, but I think the baby takes the most iron between 24 and 30 weeks or thereabouts...

[Glimmer]

Hi BW. I just wanted to add that I was more tired in the 2nd semester than in the first. Especially aorund 23 weeks I found it especially hard (exactly when others had their second wind). I have had no known deficiencies though and it got better after a few weeks, so you might not feel like this for the next 17 weeks, but it might get better. Nothing wrong with getting checked out, though, but ity might be 'just normal'.

[rubydarling]

Hi BWMum, I'm 23 weeks too and just the same. Today I went to sleep with my head on my desk after lunch. Work refuse to provide a rest room (I know, don't get me started...), and so I spend my life desperately looking for comfy chairs or disabled toilets big enough to lie down in. When is this blooming, I ask myself?

Apart from the obvious dietary things to investigate, I suppose we just need to get our heads around the fact that babies take a hell of a lot of building. And they are more important, frankly, than work. (Just so long as we can stay on the right side of being sacked!).

Off now for a long kip...

[mawbroon]

Was going to say anaemia, but I see that almost everyone else has said it for me!!

Could you have a sickness bug rather than it being pregnancy related sickness? That would wipe you out at the best of times, never mind when pg.

Hope you feel better soon.