Tiredness and fatigue are common occurrences during
pregnancy. Fatigue during pregnancy is caused by all
the hard work your body is doing. Throughout pregnancy,
more so in the early and very late stages, you may experience
extreme fatigue.
In a gist, your body
is using tremendous amount of energy to build a new
organ, the placenta. Your hormone levels and metabolism
are going through changes; your blood sugar and blood
pressure is lower. Combined, all these factors contribute
to make you feel tired.
What possibly causes Tiredness
during pregnancy
• You are growing a whole new organ, the placenta,
which is vital to your baby's development and growth.
• Your waste system is working doubly hard and
that includes your sweat glands. Progesterone will increase
your sensitivity to CO2. Your body responds by working
harder to expel CO2 from your system and so your rate
of respiration increases
• Pregnancy hormones will affect your bladder
and your kidneys and you may feel the need to urinate
more during the early weeks and last weeks of pregnancy.
This tendency will disrupt your sleep
• Your body is retaining more fluid and that means
more weight to lug around. The volume of your blood
increases by around 40%. The increase in blood volume
can be more from blood plasma than from red blood cells.
These feelings of tiredness can be attributed to pregnancy
anemia known as physiological anemia. You will need
more red blood cells to maintain your hemoglobin levels
and for that you require sufficient iron.
• Lower blood pressure is very common during pregnancy.
This is the result of your heart having to pump larger
volumes of blood each minute to keep up the extra demand
on your body. Dilatation of blood vessels causes the
lower BP.
• If you are not eating enough calories or missing
out on essential nutrients your diet could be responsible
for the fatigue
• Iron-deficiency anemia can cause fatigue and
is quite common in pregnancy due to the greater need
for this mineral
• Sleep disturbances, nausea, vomiting also contribute
to tiredness
• Finally progesterone, the female hormone responsible
for the many physical changes during early pregnancy,
has a sedative effect
What you can do
Sleeping pill is not the answer and here are the other
dos and don’ts you should observe to help you deal with
fatigue:
• You can curb the energy drain by eating well.
To fuel energy levels avoid sugary foods and caffeinated
drinks which are quick fixes but leave you tired in
the long run. Try to eat every few hours and drink plenty
of fluids in between.
• Anemia can be a real concern. Consuming adequate
amounts of dietary iron before and during pregnancy
can prevent anemia. Apart from iron supplements, iron
can be found naturally in many foods such as green leafy
vegetables, beans and lentils, red meat, boiled eggs,
cereals and fish.
• Eat greens to fight fatigue. Spinach, broccoli
and kale contain high levels of B vitamins which boost
general mood and alleviate fatigue.
• Exercising in your pregnant months improves
circulation and blood flow, improves relaxation and
sleep patterns. If you find you are very tired at the
end of the day you may be exerting too much. Cut down
on your exercise and give yourself time to recover.
If you see no improvement then your tiredness may just
be due to pregnancy. Be flexible in your approach to
exercise and adjust your program throughout your pregnancy.
• If you feel like napping all the time which
may be the case in the beginning weeks, give in to this
need. Adequate rest and sleep is important for your
well-being and that of your baby.
Third-trimester Fatigue
• The fatigue you feel in the last month of your
pregnancy is different. It is less urgent. It is more
like feeling sluggish because you are sleep-deprived.
The sluggish feeling comes from carrying all the excess
pounds, from your over-active bladder and from bad sleeping
positions. In addition your growing baby puts more pressure
on major blood vessels making less oxygen available
to your brain.
• If you were on some exercise your body is in
a better position to deal with the extra weight; however
feeling fatigued is expected even for the fittest moms.
You just can’t escape the nights of tossing and turning
and running to the bathroom every other hour.
• Avoid putting more pressure on the large artery
by not lying on your back, becoming overheated or, standing
up too quickly.
Consult your doctor if your exhaustion persists. You
may be iron-deficient. Symptoms to look out for include
feeling lethargic most of the time, feeling breathless
rather easily, having a pale pallor, general weakness,
experiencing palpitations and not able to manage even
basic chores.
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