Please tell me if this is normal?

[Mearfl]

So I’m coming up to my 13th week on saturday and since around week 6 I’ve felt so Ill. It started with sickness and tiredness. A tiredness that totally dibilitates me to the point of simple tasks I have to rest in the middle of bring washing from upstairs to the washing machine. Then the headaches started on top of these numbed my head and were excruciating. My blood pressure has been up and the headaches have been put down to the blood pressure for which I am now on medication. Since around this point I just feel genuinely pants. I’m struggling really struggling. I’ve been signed off work with hypertension as I couldn’t manage my day to day job of being a teacher.

I’m finding that if I eat certain foods like baked beans I seem to feel better for a short time, I’m drinking a lot and sleeping until 10 and then by 2 asleep until 6 and back in bed for 10.

I should say I’m a first time mum at 39 - is anyone else facing these problems. My partner is not sympathetic and I’m starting to really get down about not being able to function.

Are your iron levels OK?

I had blood tests at my booking in appt week 8. But nothing been said and the gp. Just puts everything down to bp.

I'd maybe ask for them to check again. They do periodically anyway. I can only speak from my own experience but I'd manage to get up, have a shower then be so exhausted and nauseous I'd have a little sit down and then boom! I'd fall straight asleep. My iron levels were low so I took supplements but they made me feel sick so the GP prescribed different iron tablets. I didn't have such noticeable tiredness with my other pregnancies so I am guessing it was the iron levels. Try to eat little and often and keep hydrated.

Oh or just up your intake of iron rich foods if you can stomach it. I could only manage iron fortified cereals and weirdly bovril but obviously green leafy veg is better!