Morning sickness - extremely tired

[Hoping23]

Hi all, a quick question. I’m 7 weeks and been experiencing morning sickness - make that 24 hour sickness for the past few days. I’m not actually throwing up but then I hate throwing up so I’ve sort of trained myself not to over the years. Just feel sick all the time.

I just wanted to ask whether anyone else was shocked at the fatigue they experience? Because I’m getting 8 hours of sleep and then 5 or 6 hours later I feel so desperately tired I have to lie down. I can’t even read, look at my phone or watch TV, I just lie there catatonic and once I even fell asleep. I normally can’t sleep during the day ever, not a napper.

I know fatigue is supposed to be normal but I’m wondering if this extreme level is a problem. I got my bloods done a week ago but the results aren’t back yet. Obviously I’ll ask my doctor but just wondering about others’ experiences?

I also have headaches which I never normally do and just feel like I’m coming down with something all the time.

Thanks for your help! Not asking friends/family because we are keeping this to ourselves until 12 weeks. It’s making work very difficult! But it’s my first pregnancy at 41 and so I’m extra scared of miscarrying.

Heya
Sorry you're feeling so rotten. I felt exactly the same a few weeks ago.

From week 6-12/13 I was nauseous 24/7 and I needed a nap around 2pm every day.

I got some anti sickness meds from my doc which helped a bit. I was super nervous about side effects so I only used them when I needed to travel long distances but they were great to have just incase.

For the tiredness I took a nap whenever I could. I luckily wfh so I slept for my lunch breaks. Before pregnancy I never napped during the day!

At 12 weeks it started easing and at 13 weeks I felt like a different person!

I don't have any advice on how to combat the fatigue. I really hope it eases for you soon. 🤗

It will start getting better at 12 weeks

Thank you both! I’ll soldier through it, I’m just hoping it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong.

I have somewhat flexible hours so I might try to preemptively schedule in naps or at least just lie-downs.

It's so hard not to worry ❤️ but fatigue doesn't mean anything is wrong. I took it as a sign my body was working over time to grow a little human.

Embrace the naps/rest if you can. I felt like such a hermit/sloth when I was at your stage.

It feels awful when you're in the middle of the fatigue but it will ease in a couple of weeks

I’m the same but no chance of naps here with work and my 7 year old. I’ve got constant nausea too and heartburn. I remember with my daughter the nausea went on until around 18 weeks but the tiredness etc got better from around 12/13 weeks

Yes the tiredness absolutely wiped me out rhus pregnancy and was worse and harder to deal with than the nausea for me (whiche as bad enough).

Thankfully my worst period was over rhe summer holidays while I was off work. I don't have any advice for how to manage it as I could have slept 20 hours a day and still been exhausted. But it will pass and hopefully soon you'll start to feel a bit more human.

The exhaustion is relentless, definitely nap when you can. I work in a school, so no lunchtime naps unfortunately, but would doze on the train in, doze on the train home, nap whilst DH cooked dinner, then take myself off to bed as soon as I had eaten.

During the summer, still in my first trimester, I tried to go for a swim every day. I managed it a maximum of twice in a week, and both times needed to sleep for two hours after. Listen to your body and rest when you can, and take a pregnancy multivitamin if you aren’t already on them.

Oh gosh yes! 19 years ago now. Was living and working in Oman full time as a teacher. Nauseous all the time except when I was eating. So tired I could have slept 24/7.

Where I was working they had a clinic on-site. I used to go and sleep there for an hour every lunch time.

Thank you so much for the replies everyone. It’s helping me feel more normal. I was reading that you should have 7-8 hours of sleep and that if you have more that could be counterproductive but I think you guys might be right about just listening to my body. Maybe some of us just need as much sleep as we can get.

Some of my friends who have been pregnant have seemed completely fine energy wise so I was just anxious it’s a sign of some deficiency in me.

And yes I am on a prenatal multivitamin.

The closest feeling I can think of is a hangover - just a permanent woozy, muggy head and wanting to flake out on the sofa in the dark with a sugary drink. A lovely 14 week hangover.

I was so disappointed when I woke up at 12+1 and didn’t instantly feel better.

@Hoping23 I think it could be age related, I'm 42 and in my 3rd surprise pregnancy, sleeping 10-12h is normal for me now. I get tired by 8pm, go to bed and only wake up at 7 to send off my girls to school. Headaches slowed down a bit now in 6th week. So far I don't feel sick but if I get hungry and don't eat I get dizzy and unwell. I generally feel sluggish when doing housework or even going shopping, getting out of breath easily.
I'm also not telling family and work until I'm 3-4 months.

Same here 10 weeks pregnant (first time), never felt more tired. Closest thing I've had to it was couple weeks when I had covid. Some days I find myself drifting off at my desk. I've mostly been working at home and scheduling naps over lunch. Really hope the energy comes back in trimester 2, I feel like I've barely moved since Christmas! 🤣 I know iron can help but my supplements with iron gave me the worst vomiting episodes so I've taken a break.

Good luck to you - think the best thing is to just sleep when you can and hopefully it won't last too much longer!

Hi! I’m 12w pregnant and suffering from all day nausea with the occasional vomit, my previous two pregnancies I’ve had all day vomiting so I am lucky that this time is mainly nausea but my goodness it’s exhausting and the headaches are so bad! GP put me on anti sickness meds but it hasn’t helped, now I’m 12w they’ve put me on a stronger one I’ve got to pick up tomorrow, hoping that they sort me out! X

I felt exactly the same, then it did start to lift at about 13 weeks and now I feel like a new human being. The exhaustion and nausea is crushing though, just do what you can to rest and get through it. I couldn't imagine ever feeling better, then gradually I did.

Thank you to everyone for the replies!

And yes it does feel a bit like a hangover without having had the alcohol - right down to the gnawing anxiety. Fun times.

I guess it could be age related too. I thought not at first because I’m extremely active and normally 14 hour days are nothing to me but I’m learning that pregnancy can truly transform who you are. And also that at 41 it’s a lot to ask of your body.

It will all be worth it as long as the baby stays in there!!!