Tiredness at week 17

[MsG]

I've been tired from the start, but it's got worse in the last few weeks. I don't have any children yet. I work shifts which doesn't help, but this last week in particular I've been going for naps as much as possible, even just for 15 minutes sometimes.

My question is, should I ask to get my iron levels checked again? Can it be OK early on then drop? Would you contact midwife about it or try raising my iron intake to see if that helps first?

x

If you mention it to your midwife at your next appt, she can easily take a blood test for you, and can prescribe iron tablets.

In the meantime, try and eat some foods which contain iron, if you don't feel like tucking into a dirty great steak, apricots and dark chocolate are iron rich.

Thanks. I don't see her again till 24 weeks, so might just give her a call next week or pop to see her.

Dark chocolate! x

I was so tired with my first too (working full time) and a couple of times locked my door and lay on the floor of my office to have a nap!

Now, 4th time around and not working, I usually manage to nod off every other day at some point like an old relative at Christmas, responding to a child before nodding off again.

Pregnancy is tiring and I would think shift work makes it even harder. Just make sure you sleep when you get a chance. I usually disappear off for an hour at weekends when DH is around.

Steak is good, broccoli, spinach, etc. plus I take the Sanatogen pregnancy vitamins all the way through.

I was the same between 15-18 weeks, in bed by 7 or 8 every night and having to have a sleep in the afternoon (my boss was very understanding!) it did tail off not long after and I had loads more energy by 20 weeks. I didn't get checked out for iron issues as I find the multivits with iron in make me feel really sick and I was worried I'd end up with morning sickness round two. My body seemed to right itself, but definitely as other posters have said, very dark chocolate, greens and dried apricots are iron-full.

I hope you get some energy back soon, it can be quite frustrating!

Thanks everyone. I'll stock up on apricots and dark chocolate and I've got frozen spinach in anyway. x