Is it normal to feel this awful?

[ElizabethCaroline]

So I'm pregnant with my first. I've watched lots of friends, family and colleagues have babies over recent years and they all made it look like a breeze. Happy, glowing, so excited, eating for two etc. I'm only 6wks and I've felt horrendous for over a week now. I've not had any chance to even feel excited about this pregnancy. Nausea, no energy, feeling faint, no appetite, diarrhoea, feel constantly hungover. Why did none of my pregnant friends mention this?! I can barely leave my bed never mind go to work and I'm dreading how I'm going to feel in a few more weeks time. I feel so pathetic that I can't cope at just 6 weeks pregnant. Please tell me other people have felt like this early on and that it does get better?!

Yes - I knew I was either pregnant or dying

It got better for me in the second trimester

Yes, it's shite. It's like a hangover that lasts for 12 weeks. Good news is that for a lot of people, second trimester is much better! I've always felt like shit for first trimester but around 15/16 weeks to early 30s, felt great.

I remember saying during early pregnancy (6-10weeks) that if I didn't know I was pregnant I'd presume I had a serious illness. It's beyond exhausting.

Thanks, at least I know it's not just me. I'm a teacher so I've still got another month left at school before we break up. But I've got a big family event coming up next week that's the entire day and I have no idea how I'm going to gather the energy to go. It's going to be horrendous and I'm sure everyone will be able to tell immediately I'm pregnant with just how awful I look!

But it absolutely does get better! First trimester is tough, second is ok and by the 3rd it's mostly tiredness and aches and pains.

Yes, very normal. Just keep an eye on your sickness, if it becomes really bad ask for help, there are medications that can help.

Im currently 15 weeks into my 2nd HG pregnancy and just starting to get some energy back and the sickness under control.

Yes it's normal. Some get it bad, some get it very bad. Never felt so ill in my life. It led to a very depressing first trimester, I was so sick, and just felt so horrible all the time. I constantly compared myself to others, and couldn't understand why I wasn't coping properly. In the end I just had to face the facts that it affects everyone differently, and I'd eventually feel better.

Don't be too hard on yourself!

As others have said, it's very normal. I felt shit from about 6 weeks to 10/11 weeks. Its tapering off for me now & I'm starting to feel more human. Although plenty of ladies in my "due Dec 2022" thread are 14 weeks and still feel terrible!

My husband was saying to me , well nobody else seems to get like this in first trimester, as if I was lazy or just not pushing myself enough. But he doesn't know Jack shit.

But on a positive note I am starting to feel human again, so there is light at end of the tunnel. Just take it easy & don't push yourself. Eat what you can. You'll feel better eventually, and the end result is all worth it ❤

I was thinking this morning about how absolutely awful it is being newly pregnant, how even sitting still on the sofa can make you feel bad and there is nothing you can do about it.
Hope you are feeling brighter soon.

Yes sorry to say it's normal. Pregnancy is definitely HARD for a lot of women, especially the first trimester. I'm pg with #3. First two were boys and the nausea/exhaustion lasted until 12-14 weeks. This time were having a girl and the sickness was harder, the exhaustion unbelievable and it all lasted longer. Not sure if its due to the difference of gender or me getting older and less tolerant though! BUT it is number three so I obviously survived (🤣) and its worth the suffering for the end result when it comes down to it. I think in the early days you just need to rest as much as you can, and eat/drink whatever and whenever you can. There are support groups on here too which really help (or atleast make you feel normal!).

Congratulations OP 🙂 I hope it passes quickly for you and you enjoy the remainder of the pregnancy

normal for many yes

I got better typically from 13 weeks & found late pregnancy fairly easy.

It eased for me in the second trimester but I still didn’t feel great, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I honestly had about 4 weeks (from around 20-24 weeks) where I felt reasonably normal. However, as soon as baby arrived it just lifted straightaway. It’s quite interesting that after a 12 hr labour (with a night on the antenatal ward beforehand) I felt like I had more energy than I had throughout my entire pregnancy. Even with the sleep deprivation, I think have more energy now with the baby than I did when pregnant!

I'm 14 weeks tomorrow and still feel like crap. The tiredness kicked in virtually from 4 weeks and I could only describe it as post-covid fatigue. The 24/7 nausea started at 6 weeks and has only just eased, and the sickness started at about 8 weeks and today has been the first day of no sickness. I have had a migraine today though 🙄 I've said to my husband that due to how rough I've been it would seriously put me off trying for another baby in the future!

It's normal. I had hyperemesis from week 6 to 14 then I had a nice time between weeks 14 and 17 but now it's shit again.
I can't pee properly, poo properly or sleep properly. I'm have constant back pain from sleeping on my side and since yesterday I can't eat properly because they put me on aspirin and it's given me gastritis.
The highlight of my pregnancy was leaping out of bed at 4.10am this morning and simultaneously vomiting and wetting myself.
I've got another 17 weeks of this.
My 1st pregnancy wasn't like this.

If its any consolation there are 4 us at work who are pregnant at the same time and the other 3 are breezing through it.

I had horrendous sickness from 6 weeks but thankfully it completely went away by 10 weeks and my pregnancy has been pretty smooth so far (33 weeks now and despite a couple of things, I really can’t complain). Just wanted to provide some hope that it could also go away completely and you very well could breeze through the rest of your pregnancy. But some women do suffer throughout their pregnancies and my heart goes out to them. Hope you feel better soon and congratulations x

I had horrendous sickness from 6 weeks but thankfully it completely went away by 10 weeks and my pregnancy has been pretty smooth so far (33 weeks now and despite a couple of things, I really can’t complain). Just wanted to provide some hope that it could also go away completely and you very well could breeze through the rest of your pregnancy. But some women do suffer throughout their pregnancies and my heart goes out to them. Hope you feel better soon and congratulations x