Feeling low first trimester

[KStar1404]

Hi all, I’m sure I am hardly the first person to post something like this but just looking for a bit of a hand hold. I’m 7 weeks pregnant with my first, a much wanted baby who I had been trying for for over a year; when we first found out I was over the moon and giddy with excitement but for the last 10 days the mental and physical symptoms have really kicked in and my hormones are all over the place, and I just feel really low and teary. I’m too exhausted to do anything (but also struggling with insomnia) and work takes so much out of me that all I want to do in the evenings is lie on the sofa and eat crap, which then makes me feel worse. I’m having to duck out of lots of work and social events and the ones I do go to I feel so rubbish during anyway, and it’s so weird not being able to talk to anyone about it other than my DH, who is incredibly supportive and lovely but I think probably also feels a bit helpless. I’m trying to stay positive but I also feel like I can’t even get excited about the pregnancy because I’m so worried and anxious about things going wrong, so I feel like I’m just wishing time away until the second trimester, which just feels so bloody far away. I swear I am normally quite a level headed person, but I just feel like my brain and body are being hijacked! I’m just scared I’m never going to feel like ‘myself’ again…

It's normal to be fatigued. Make sure you take your lunch breaks at work, and if you are working remotely, maybe take the opportunity to have a little lie down/power nap (set an alarm!!). Try also to give yourself some down-time immediately after your working day. Don't finish work, rush to the gym, some home, cook dinner, yadayadayada. Give yourself a little window to just stop and rest.

Try to have snacks with some helpful nutrition available rather than just cr*p, but the craving lots of rubbish after dinner may be a sign that you are not eating enough, or are missing something that you need from the rest of your diet (especially if its salty stuff that you are craving), or even that you are underhydrated. Are you taking a pregnancy vitamin? Baby may also be using up your iron, B12, Vit D resources if you were already on the low side, which might be adding to the exhaustion.

Thanks for replying @Catopia I’m a teacher so unfortunately working remotely is not an option. It’s pretty full on at the moment - I had three events at school this week which meant I had to work into the evenings - and that’s definitely not helping with the tiredness. I also get very anxious when I feel nauseous at school - I hate being sick and whilst I haven’t thrown up yet I’m terrified it’s going to get worse. You might be right about the nutrition thing - I’m craving really salty stuff and carbs, which I assumed was normal but maybe I’m missing something here. I’m taking folic acid and Vitamin D - I was taking pregnacare but it made me feel pretty queasy - but maybe I need to be taking more. I just can’t believe how early on I still am - I found out like 10dpo so super early and it just feels like time is absolutely dragging.

I've always (well twice - no expert) found the first trimester the worst. You have such an incredible high after finding out you're pregnant, especially if you've been trying a while.... And then a whole heap of absolutely nothing for 3 months. No one to talk to about it, no scan etc and my god it drags. all you have is raging hormones and extreme tiredness. You'll probably feel better in the second trimester anyway but also work will know and be more understanding, family will know and will probably start checking in and making a fuss. You might be one of the lucky ones who blossom and glow around 14 weeks onwards. But even if not your excitement will build again :) until then just take it easy. You have THE perfect excuse to cut yourself some slack.

Not gonna lie, first trimester really really sucks (in my experience anyway, but I also think from talking to lots of people). You are not alone. Honestly, I actually think the first trimester is the worst part of pregnancy and - this might be the fact I am currently struggling in it at 10.5w in my second pregnancy - I would actually rank first trimester as worse than childbirth or postpartum (for me anyway!). Both times I have felt constant nausea (although only occasional being sick), anxiety about feeling nauseous, extreme fatigue, tearfulness and this time round, full blow depression. And that is all with me having a fairly flexible and not stressful job - although i do have 17mo to look after this time which is hard. I used to be a teacher (pre babies) and I CANNOT imagine coping in first trimester. You are doing great to be in work and teaching those kiddos, it must be really exhausting. You are not alone feeling like this and it WILL get better. Last time for me, i was a different person from Week 12 and happily went on holiday, ate what I wanted and was able to do long walking tours around a (very steep!) european city by week 14.

I know it drags, but it will pass - take whatever rest you can find, ask your partner to do absolutely anything they can to ease your load and support you and it will pass!

@Lijay thats exactly what it’s like - after the high of first finding out I’m pregnant it all feels rather anticlimactic! And I feel like I have nothing to take my mind off it because all the things I would normally do to make myself feel better - go to the gym, socialise with friends, etc - I just don’t feel up to, so I feel like I am just festering away at home and have no one to talk to about it all! I’m so excited for the second trimester for all the one reasons you said but it just feels like time is going so, so slowly.

@Aubyone I’m sorry to hear you are also feeling the same way! Hopefully at 10.5 weeks it will start easing off for you soon again 🤞I’m actually finding the anxiety about being nauseous almost as bad as the nausea itself, and am wondering about whether telling my head of department soon (even though it’s so early) just to try and take some of the pressure off - it’s so weird having to act completely normal and fine around everyone when this huge monumental thing is going on inside you! God the thought of being in my second trimester and being able to go on holiday and eat what I want and actually relax a bit about the pregnancy sounds so so good right now!

@KStar1404 just stumbled across your post and I think I'm about a week behind you - I'm 9 weeks now and feeling so so rubbish!! This is second pregnancy and feels soooo much longer this time. Last time I felt better around 14 weeks so another 5 weeks to go 🙈 Also a teacher but thankfully we have Easter holidays soon. It's such a tough job in first trimester isn't it 😭 totally understand how you feel. hope first scan goes well for you! Mine is the 15th April. Sooo far away!!

@KStar1404 @SendmetoFlorida teacher here too, 5.6w at the moment so v early but already feel gross and so tired, wondering how I'm going to get through this without people realising 🙃 but yes, definitely not excited yet either, just so hyper-aware that I'm pregnant and it's all I think about but not in an excited way... just like 'Bleurgh I feel gross' 🙈 time is moving so slowly too 😂

Expecting baby number 6 and felt incredibly low in first trimester of all my pregnancies, not helped by feeling so sick and tired, lost all enthusiasm for being pregnant, excitement about baby, life in general. 1st time round is dreadful as you don’t know if you’ll ever come out of the pit of depression. Started to feel much better around 13 weeks and back to normal by 18 weeks