Exercise completely exhausts me

[Amby99]

I’m 12 weeks + 4 and before pregnancy I was moderately fit. I was running a lot before pregnancy and gettingpersonal bests in 5ks ( 5K in 26 minutes)… in the first trimester I just felt too awful to do ANY sort of exercise so since I found out I conceived which has been 10 weeks I haven’t done much. Even walking to the shops made me out of breath!!

Now I’m approaching 2nd trimester and I have a bit more energy in the morning - I went to the gym and did an 8km/hr jog on the treadmill, which at the time didn’t seem too strenuous and I stopped when I got to 1.5K because I was getting tired.

then I did some very light weight squats, and now I’m just wiped out. In fact I feel ill. How can I have got so unfit in just over 2 months?? Even now I’m not overweight but I just feel really crushed I can’t do the things I used to before. Will this change post partum or have my fitness levels gone forever?

everyone is telling me just ‘rest’ and pretty much stay in bed when I can and when I do try and get out I’m just utterly exhausted.

And now I need to go to the shops, to literally just get some milk and some dinner and the thought is just too exhausting. I’ll add that I have a very supportive other half, but I just despite the fact I’ve become so dependent on him for everything - cooking, cleaning, driving me everywhere. When I have bursts I do these things when I can but I seem like a different person

It makes you feel like you're a child again, doesn't it?
I was never sporty at all, had a short little yoga routine each evening for fertility and then pregnancy, but once the nausea hit I wasn't able to do much of anything. Some days even sitting upright for more than 10-20 min would get my stomach upset.
DH had to take over all the jobs to do with food (cooking, shopping, checking what's in the fridge, bins, etc) and he never complains but I hate how useless I feel.
B6 Vitamins helped with the nausea (and should help with energy levels too, but I think because I'm in week 8 now my fatigue increased anyway so i didn't notive more energy).
On a good day I'm now going to bed as early as 9pm, on a day where I do anything at all (leisurely stroll through town or 2 hours of visiting family) I seem to fall asleep around 5pm and even though I get up for dinner I'm back in bed by 8pm.

I know it won't last forever though

The only thing I could manage when I felt like that was swimming. I also found a bike or cross trainer easier than running, probably because I knew I wasn’t going to fall.

I only really started to get my energy back and feel good about 18 weeks. After that I was able to keep up consistent exercise right through to the birth.

From 6-14 weeks I could barely make it to the corner shop, having come from doing CrossFit 3 times a week, running and rowing. It sucks. I am now 20+3 and have been back at the gym since I was around 16 weeks, but I am taking things easier and still tired quickly. Your body is working incredibly hard, you're increasing your blood volume so pumping it is more strenuous on your heart. Your fitness isn't gone forever, just whilst your body is busy doing other things it may be a little less. You will be able to get back to full fitness after bub is born, for now focus on slightly less strenuous exercise, little and often I've found is easier than trying to do what would have been a full session before.

You're not unfit. Your body is just pumping everything into growing a baby and placenta. I'm sure you will pick up again. Just keep hydrated and nourished and do little bits of activity when you can. It's more about gentle maintenance at this point.

Those early weeks are weird if you were active pre-pregnancy. It's like being drugged with sleeping pills.

I’ve never felt tiredness like how I felt at 12 weeks. By 30+ I had loads of energy back. Just let your body adjust x