Feeling exhausted and overwhelmed at 14 weeks

[ChampagneProblems01]

I'm currently 14+4. This is my first pregnancy and I feel completely lost, exhausted and overwhelmed.

I'm so tired ALL the time which I know is meant to be normal but I've got no motivation to do anything, I'm struggling to get any work done and when I've finished work for the day I'll just sleep until dinner and then wake up in the morning and repeat. I've got no energy to see friends or leave the house and it's starting to get me down. Thankfully my work are really understanding about it and when I spoke to my boss she told me it wasn't normal to be as tired as I am and suggested I speak to the doctor. I did ring my GP this morning and the receptionist asked me if I really needed to see the doctor because fatigue is normal, it was only when I started to cry that she actually gave me an appointment for Friday. I'm now wondering if I'm just being pathetic and doubting if I do need an appointment or if I should just be sucking it up.

I'm also feeling really overwhelmed about how much there is to learn and sort out before the baby comes which isn't helping and I have no idea where to start with any of it. Whenever I Google anything I just get so overwhelmed by how much I don't know and I can't work out where to start. Can anyone recommend any good resources for first time Mum's?

I feel so lost at the moment and guess I'm just looking for some reassurance from others that have been through/are going through the same thing.

It's really tough. I was exhausted too. If you're struggling at work, consider taking sick leave.

Have you contacted your midwife? Might be easier and quicker than GP. Would be good to rule out iron deficiency. I really wouldn't worry about sorting stuff / learning things at this stage. I'm 27 weeks and haven't bought anything! I'd really suggest going to an antenatal class once you're a bit further along, much easier way to learn than random internet searches which can be using inaccurate information. You really don't need much stuff, get a basic list together and then see if you can borrow things from friends or find secondhand.

That does sound like extreme fatigue. Please get your iron and vitamin levels checked. I was like this in my last pregnancy and dragged myself about for weeks - the midwife told me that my blood tests were fine but on closer investigation my ferritin level was just 8! Felt like a completely new person once I took the prescribed iron tablets - the iron in pregnancy vitamins isn't enough. Also some women feel better middle/end of their second trimester generally. Hope you feel better soon.

Ah, this is me. Exhaustion like no other. Brutal with my first pregnancy, difficult with second, absolutely horrendous now in my third pregnancy. In fact, this time around it was the fact I felt so absolutely exhausted that prompted me to test. I knew I was pregnant just by how absolutely dog tired I was.

I would ask midwife for repeat blood tests and really scrutinise the results, looking for anything borderline. It’s really tough, look after yourself.

As to what to do when baby comes - if you can get the fatigue sorted perhaps you might feel a little less overwhelmed generally. There is a book called Your Baby Week By Week which a couple of friends really liked. Are you considering doing a NCT course or similar?

I felt like this until my booking appointment at 12 weeks revealed low iron! I'd get your gp to have your bloods checked x

Thanks everyone, reassuring to know it's not just me! I suspect it is probably low iron as I've had anemia in the past. I'll request a blood test when I speak to the GP on Friday.

We've already signed up for NCT classes for October but it seems so far away and like I should be doing more before then.

It's ok Op, just breathe.
Sort one thing out at a time. I would suggest contacting your midwife and requesting bloods. I'm the same gestation as you and felt like a zombie, I had normal HG levels but low ferratin and was prescribed iron tablets, I feel like a different person after 2-3 weeks of taking them.

It's really overwhelming being a FTM, but we have all been there. I'm now on my third pregnancy and honestly I still worry about certain things. I started by just making lists, consisting of baby items e.g what they will wear, obviously we are due in December so there's literally no point worrying about it now because all of the summer stuff is in. Then a separate list of furniture/other items like pram, cot, car seat etc but all of those things I got much later, definitely after 20 weeks and just took my time with it.

Honestly the most important thing to do now is focus on yourself, get the blood test and consider taking some sick leave from work. Some people have their babies unexpectedly early, with nothing prepped, and they are fine! I honestly am seeing all that as third trimester concerns.