Help! Is exhaustion normal?

[ExhaustedMamasita]

Hi Mumsnetters ? I?m 10 weeks pregnant and constantly EXHAUSTED! I?ve suffered from nausea and sickness but I think the worst of it is over. My tiredness levels however have reached an all-time peak and I don?t know if this is normal. Travelling to and from work, an hour each way on London?s tube network is a nightmare and has become the bane of my life. I rarely get a seat and have been close to passing out on a number of occasions. I?ve even fallen asleep on the toilet seat at work before! My tiredness is not only debilitating but makes me weepy, as I just don?t know what to do. I?ve stopped drinking caffeine, eat a healthy balanced diet and exercise but trips to the gym do nothing but make me worse. My husband thinks I may be anaemic but I eat plenty of iron rich foods so I doubt it. Work still don?t know but considering talking to them about it as I just can?t face travelling at peak times. If you could please help me answer the following questions and share your experiences ? I?ve be extremely grateful:

1.Is it too early to get a ?baby on board? badge at 10 weeks when my bulge is non-existent to the average person?
2.Is it normal to be this tired?
3.What can I do to combat tiredness ? ideas/ natural remedies/ any medicines on the market?
4.Do energy levels tend to improve after the first trimester?

Thanks ladies, your help is much appreciated.

Yes this is very normal. You will get a lot more energy with second trimester. Nothing I did helped with it unfortunately.

Normal to be this tired, yes I think so. You're supposed to get more energy in the 2nd trimester.
Get a badge if you don't want to ask for a seat. You won't need it when you have a huge bump!

I'm afraid overwhelming tiredness is very normal. Especially in the first trimester. You might want to get your iron levels checked though as you may also be a bit anaemic, which makes the tiredness even worse.

You poor thing! The first trimester was by far the worst part of both my pregnancies. I was crawling into bed by 8.00pm a lot of nights and would slump onto my desk at work. So totally normal to feel wiped out. By the time of my first scan I felt normal again. Think it's the hormones etc in the early weeks that wreck you. Just go with it and sleep when you can. And of course you can get and use a badge. Better than collapsing on a packed tube at rush hour!

Hope it passes soon for you.

Perfectly normal I'm afraid.

I was totally wiped out in the First Trimester. I'd get home and just sleep and sleep and sleep! It started to ease up at about week 13.

I needed my baby on board more in the first trimester than in any other time. Stick your tummy out, where your badge with pride and get a seat, you deserve one.

It is very normal, make sure you are taking a vitamin with iron and vit d in and make sure you are getting lots of water.

It does go, it does get easier, you just have to plod through it.

I know how you feel... I'm dying too and I'm only 7+6 today. I just need to spend all day in bed at the weekends and on weekdays I'm barely scraping through the day... I feel weak and shakey and tired and dizzy ALL the time, as well as pretty nauseous all the time too...

It's AWFUL Sorry I have nothing useful to add... but you're not alone that's for sure.

Totally normal.

The first 5 months, Monday to Friday I crawled out of bed, threw up, went to work, zombied my way through the day (throwing up several times), got home, threw up, went to bed.

Saturday and Sunday I only ever got out of bed to be sick

I literally had no life outside of work.

Travelling was only bearable because I started to go in earlier and leave earlier to avoid the crowds. I also changed where I stood on the platform to make sure I got a seat!

Don't be afraid to ask for a seat - say you feel ill and you don't want to hold everybody's journey up by passing out

Yup. My exhaustion lasted till about 15 weeks and now at 20 weeks I still go to bed at 9.30.

Get a badge now - when you have a bump you won't need one, they are meant for the early stages when you have to tell people you are pg as they can't see

Yep, normal :(. Almost 18w and waiting for my energy to come back...
I got my baby on board badge early on and keep it on me without necessarily wearing it. It's there if I feel I need it, so I'd go for it. It'll be there when you want it then.

oh and good tip if you feel sick from smells on transport - spray perfume on your scarf.

And carry plastic bags in your handbag

Hope you feel better soon. I felt loads better when I stopped work at 7 months.

Ladies - thank you so much for your advice and feedback!!! As I've not had my 12 week scan yet, I haven't told any of my friends or relatives that I'm pregnant so I'm feeling quite overwhelmed and lonely on this new journey for me. It's amazing to know I'm not alone however. Big hugs to you all!

exhaustedmamasita I was exhausted when pg with DD1 - thus time round it's been more about sickness. Is there not a female friend or female relative who already had children you could tell! It does help with the loneliness.

Totally normal however have you had any blood taken at your booking in appointment? Just means you can be sure that you are not anemic as they do a full blood count.

I'm on my second pregnancy and this time and my first pregnancy when it got round to my third trimester I became slightly anemic both times.

oh how this is bringing back memories I'm now 30 weeks

My appetite had gone, I was sick every morning, even looking at a poster advert with food on it made me heave let alone smell food being cooked. I just ate my favorite foods and forced myself to eat these even if it was just a little bit.

The exhaustion you have my every sympathy it didn't matter how much sleep I got I felt knackered and it was an effort for everything. I cut out caffeine to help with sickness and started to take pregnacare vitamin tablets (and I'm still taking them now as I can soon tell if I've missed a couple of days).

There was an all time low point when I just sat on the bathroom floor and cried I had a cold that wouldn't come or go for 3/4 weeks, conjunctivitis (I literally couldn't open my eyes) I had just treated the eyes washing them out putting the gel in, and then I throw up making my eyes water and undoing what I had just done, plus the tiredness - in the end I made an appointment with the DR she advised I took a week off work (I couldn't do this) but I took 2 days off plus the weekend and I just did nothing, and slept when I felt like it - felt a lot better after that.

I hope you feel better soon