Is this extreme fatigue or am I being weak?

[Oakie0]

Hello,
I am about 6 weeks pregnant & this is my first pregnancy so please forgive any naive-ness in my posts!
I’m posting to ask if it’s normal to feel as tired as I am, I have read that it’s common to get very tired in the first trimester but mine feels beyond tiredness and I am really worried about working. I work in quite a demanding full time job, luckily at home at the moment so I don’t have the commute to worry about but that doesn’t mean it’s any less busy.

I am so tired to the point of not being able to get up until 10am at the earliest, but mostly feel dreadful and struggle to get up before midday. I tend to have about 3-4 hours of energy a day maximum where I can feel normal and function as usual then I am back to feeling like I’ve been hit by a bus and I can hardly muster the energy to move. It’s the kind of tiredness where I feel like everything is so heavy, absolutely drained and I think about moving for about an hour before I can actually do it (like getting up off the sofa!) I’ve never felt anything like it before.

I am so tired again from 4pm onwards but then struggle to sleep at night, it’s so frustrating. For most of the last month I have had another illness meaning I wasn’t having to do full time hours, and the Christmas break which I have spent mostly sleeping. I am due to return to work tomorrow but really worrying about having to wake up at a normal time and finding the energy to work a full day/week.

I am due to have my first midwife appointment next week so will mention it then, but I wanted to know if I am being weak or is this something I can do anything about? I am really worried about letting work down and ideally didn’t want to tell them until I reached 12 weeks.

Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance to anyone with any advice!

My only pregnancy 'symptom' was extreme tiredness. I would be in bed at 7pm most nights during the first trimester (working FT). It did ease off after 12-ish weeks though (can't remember exactly when as DS is about to turn 11 🤣)

Perfectly normal. I had dementor-soul-sucking levels of tiredness beyond anything I'd ever experienced before (including the aftermath of some really full on endurance sport stuff I used to do).

I remember going to a friend's wedding and falling asleep on a sofa.

I think (IIRC) it's at its worst while the placenta is forming. Most women perk up a bit by week 10 to 13.

Perfectly normal OP, I had this! pregnancy sucks it all out of you! I would definitely recommend eating a daily portion of dried apricots as they are high in iron and you ought to be glugging on a bottle of ferroglobin as well.

Congratulations!

Thanks all, I am counting down to the weeks I might feel a bit more alive. Haha “ dementor-soul-sucking levels of tiredness” is a perfect explanation for it.
Thank you for the advice re dried apricots too, will definitely try those. I have only just started to take pregnancy vitamins today too, think they are more for the baby but maybe they will have a bit of a positive effect on me too 🤞🏼
Did you have to tell your employers early, and how were they about it? Could you manage working full days? This is what I worry about, I can’t even manage 3-4 hours of lounging around the house at the moment let alone working 10 hours a day. I’m usually quite active and have been trying to still take the dog out for a walk in the few hours of energy I get a day.

For me it's come back with a bang now I'm 30 weeks but I felt fab during second trimester! People told me to make the most of second trimester and they were right!

I’m 7+4 and am absolutely floored with exhaustion, yet can’t seem to sleep at night and wake up at the crack of dawn! I feel you. If you’re WFH could you possibly have a power nap in your lunch break? I eat while working so I can lie down on my lunch hour. Hopefully it lifts soon!

Normal. But nevertheless so unbelievably shit. With my first pregnancy I literally could not believe how tired I was. This time round I think I'm more used to being exhausted all the time so it isn't such a horrible shock.

It could be low iron or vit d. When you speak to your midwife at some point they will take bloods and can check. In the mean time are you having small, regular meals, taking any form of exercise? This will help boost your energy levels somewhat. Also be kind to your self, if you struggle tomorrow can you ask for a phased return as your illness has worn you down? I second the dried apricots (my go to snack instead of the many celebrations tubs we have at home) and if you like porridge a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds which are full of magnesium and zinc. I have had similar in both pregnancies and mine was partly due to low iron. Hope things improve for you, it is a hard slog x

When first pregnant with DD I remember wondering how on earth people do it with other kids to look after as well. It's awful!! At work I was relatively productive in the mornings but used to sneak off for a snooze in my car at lunchtime and then afternoons would see me staring blankly at the screen with an occasional trip to the loo for a power nap! I appreciate that's not always possible though. It eased off at about 12-13 weeks I think. I actually found it worse than the tiredness you get with the constant newborn wakings.

I'm about 7 weeks and since Christmas it's like I've been hit by a train with the tiredness. Slightly nervous as I'm back at work tomorrow and not sure how I'm going to cope. I work from home, but have quite a packed calendar with calls etc.

Keeping all my fingers and toes crossed it only lasts for the first trimester.

I'm trying to feel grateful for these symptoms as it suggests everything is working as it's supposed to!

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, it’s reassuring to know that lots of you have been through it too - sorry you’ve also felt the same. Hopefully it won’t last too long. I know I shouldn’t moan and others have it a lot worse than me, I am just really worried about how I am going to cope with the hours that I work with the way I feel at the moment, and how work will deal with it.

I don’t usually take lunch breaks but will definitely be using them to nap now when I can.
I am quite active usually, I’ve not been able to do my usual exercise classes / hobbies but have still been walking the dog daily. As soon as I am feeling a bit more normal I want to get back to exercising.

I have been trying to sleep for the past 4 hours with no luck, and then wonder why I am so tired...!