Early pregnancy - can’t do anything!

[Plum02]

I’m 6 weeks pregnant and I feel on the verge of passing out everytime I move! I’m boiling hot and exhausted.

I feel nauseous but also have an increased appetite and keep feeling I need to eat (things like crackers, pasta and jacket potato) to help the nausea! Constantly bloated. Just feel all round weak and unwell.

I have a demanding job and I just don’t know how I’m going to get through another 6 weeks (or more) feeling like this! I’ve lost all motivation. I can’t focus, I’m just desperate to go home and nap when I’m in the office! Getting up and ready in the morning is a struggle. Most days I feel like I’m going to pass out from the heat during my commute.

Does anyone else feel like this? How do people cope?? Please tell me I’m not the only one 😫

It’s rough isn’t it!
Would you be able to tell your boss? It doesn’t have to be the formal telling work / HR that you’re pregnant yet, but if you at least tell your boss then they may let you work from home a bit more / let you take a few more breaks. I told my manager when I was 8 weeks pregnant as I was struggling to concentrate with the nausea and he bought me a desk fan, would check I was ok throughout the day, let me go out for fresh air when I was feeling really quite sick etc.

Sorry. It’s horrendous. The problem is that people also just don’t get it. They think you are 6 weeks pregnant, how could you possibly feel so bad, when in reality they have no idea!

I would tell your boss. If you have a demanding job they should know ASAP really anyway. If you have any ideas of what could help you cope better during the working day then let them know. They have a duty of care to listen and make reasonable adjustments.

If you need to then take time off sick.

I sympathise with this! I'm 8 weeks and feel the same. I had to cancel a meeting today to avoid going into London so I could work from home.
The exhaustion and sickness is just so so tough.
I had this with my first, and agree with previous posters about telling your boss if you're able to. I didn't with my first and won't be with this one. My sickness went last time about 14 weeks but the tiredness lasted much longer.
I found drinking lots of cold water really helpful when in the office, and having boiled sweets and jacobs crackers.
No other advice I'm afraid, it's just a period to persevere and get through

Don't be afraid to take days off sick and speak to your GP about antiemetics.

I had 5 weeks in July where I worked 1-2 days a week because of nausea and vomiting. I worked at home more and rested when I could. There were days when all I could do was check emails and make sure nothing urgent came through. I found doing a bit of work was a distraction when I could manage to sit up. Days when I couldn't all I could I did nothing.

With my daughter I had sickness in the first and third trimesters and had time off in both trimesters. My boss knew I was working when I could and was understanding when I couldn't. I'm a lab user and the pregnancy sickness meant I could manage it so he planned to have others to do any lab work I needed without me asking for it

Thanks so much for the lovely replies, I was worried I was going to get shot down for being overdramatic!

It’s nice to know I’m not the only one although I wish none of you had to feel like this 💐.

I agree with @Hellskitchen24, I think a lot of people think that pregnancy symptoms are caused by your bump being heavy and the physical changes so it’s hard for people to understand when you don’t look any different and the baby is the size of a lentil!

I think you’re right about speaking to my boss, I just don’t want him to think it’s going to be 9 months ahead of me not fully functioning!

Thanks for all the tips and hoping we all start to feel much better soon!

Regarding telling people. I have gone with the thought that I would rather a person know I'm pregnant rather than give them a bullshit reason that always sounds like bullshit. My pregnancy in the summer 2 of the people I answer to that aren't my line manager. One heard me being sick the other I told as he asked me to do some prep for a meeting and at the time I had no idea if I would make the meeting at all and been off sick for the previous 3 days. I wanted him to know that there was a valid reason and I hadn't not done the work as I wasn't prioritising his project or just being lazy. Unfortunately my pregnancy didn't make the distance and they were equally supportive in that as they were in pregnancy

You're definitely not alone in how you're feeling. I don't think enough is said about how utterly brutal growing a human inside of you is..... especially in the first trimester.
I'm 17 weeks now and it's better. I won't lie, the first 14 weeks or so were absolutely horrific

Don’t be afraid to take a few days off sick to rest. I felt so unwell from 4 weeks pregnant - if I heard that before I’d say that wasn’t possible. It certainly was and it’s hard work in those early weeks