Feeling mentally down........

[whydoifeellikethis]

Hi,
I'm only 6 weeks pregnant and it's planned and I'm happy to be pregnant in theory but in practice WOW this is hard! 2 weeks of pain and bleeding (have been to hospital, all is well) Now the feelings of sickness and I'm waking up most nights at 3am and am not able to return to sleep until 7am which is not great.
It's hitting me mentally pretty hard, I can't ever remember feeling this low
And of course I'm pretending to be normal if I see friends is such a strain. I feel like I've lost myself, can't even enjoy food or have a glass of wine.
Is this normal at 6 weeks?
Any advice? Esp with regards to sleep issues greatly appreciated.

[hoopyloopycow]

hi,I cant give you any good advice I just didnt want to read and run.<br /> Im 8 weeks pregnant and Ive been feeling very up and down, also not sleeping too well because of feelings of anxiety. Even though this pregnancy was planned I still felt really shocked, so youre not alone
I imagine that this is all completely normal due to hormones being all over the place at the moment, although I have seen antenatal depression mentioned a few times on here? If things are really getting to you go and have a chat with the midwife x

[sparklyrainbow]

I was utterly miserable last week too (am also about 6 weeks). The bleeding sounds really crap, glad everything is well with that. I am so exhausted, do a stupid job which is tiring anyway and had quite a difficult situation to deal with at work as well (which has now been resolved). I felt so crap last week I ended up having a duvet day off work. Felt SO much better after that, think I caught up a bit and had some 'me' time. Did feel slightly guilty but it was really worth it. I have been blaming 'a virus' for not being my usual self/not drinking etc.

I don't have anything useful to say really but you're not the only one. I've found warm milk before bed really helpful, I tend to feel sick then and I have always craved milky stuff when I feel like that (weird to most people I expect). Hope you feel better soon x

[blacksmith]

so sorry your feeling like this,

i'm just over 7 weeks, and did have trouble sleeping initially but mostly as there was so much running through my head, which I was keeping to myself. I found that exercise helps, i can't do really aerobic stuff anymore due to sore boobs, but my job is manual labour and i've been landscaping my garden, so lots of fresh air. consequently i'm exhausted and last night managed 9.5 hours sleep. unheard of for me even when not pg, i'm usually a rubbish sleeper.

perhaps the anxiety of all this waiting before the end of the 1st trimester is getting to you more than you think and keeping you awake.

would talking out your concerns to your partner, best friend, mum, mw or mumsnetters help?

hope you feel better soon x

[JasHook]

It was the "pretending to be normal" bit that got to me, OP - I was exactly this way and exhausted myself trying to be what I thought people expected. Don't worry. Lots of women feel like this, they're just all pretending to be normal too so you don't notice them!

Listening to talking books when I couldn't sleep helped my insomnia a great deal - still does, actually.

Hope you feel better soon.

[Scruffers]

All I can say is that the way you are feeling is completely normal but that you should not suffer quietly if you are worried about things. I'm 17 weeks now and can promise you that it gets better! I think the first few weeks are the worst as you feel terrible (I had insomnia for a week, bleeding and an awful backache) and yet do not want to tell anyone about your news so have no-one to talk to (my husband is very supportive but he does not have a clue either!). It is also the worst time for anxiety as you have to wait so long to find out that everything is fine (which I'm sure it is) Your hormones are all over the place and they can also make you feel very low. If you have a partner, tell them everything and try to get them to take the load so that you have more time to rest in the day. After the first trimester you will start to feel better, have some reassurance and everything will start to feel normal again (ish!).

[Restrainedrabbit]

THis is very normal, I had pregnancy related insomnia with both of my DCs and it is miserable. I am now pregnant again and find that having a walk and getting some fresh air helps my mood and sense of well being. Also trying to eat regularly (every 2 hours is recommended) particularly carbs also helps.

I can recommend having a 'duvet' day as well as confiding in one or two friends so you feel you have someone to offload too.

[whydoifeellikethis]

A Big Thanks for your replies!!!!!!!!!!

They mean a lot, it really helps me to know that a. I'm not alone and b. things will get better.

I had more sleep last night so I feel much better today and I will take on board the advice; I will start taking more walks, have a glass of milk before bed and go out and buy a talking book.

I'm currently eating some porridge for lunch which should keep the nausea at bay for a while.

I also agree with Scruffers, blacksmith and hoopyloopycow that anxiety is playing it's part with sleep and low feelings. 12 weeks seems years away...........
Again thanks, x

[mandolin999]

Just wanted to add my "you're not alone" to this thread. I am 8.5 weeks and have been having terrible anxiety/depression already for 4+ weeks. I know 2nd tri is better but 1st tri feels like an eternity. Hang in there!

[symone]

Thank god, thank god, thank god that there are other people out there feeling like this! I've yearned my whole adult life to have a baby an now I'm 7 weeks pregnant age nearly 37(!) and I have barely slept or had a day without feeling worried, depressed and sick and crying since I found out. The difference between how I always imagined being pregnant and what the reality is like has been an overwhelming shock to me....Thank you all so much for your honesty, I've felt like a total crazy person and very guilty about all this x