What can cause tiredness in pregnancy?
The first and third trimesters are stages of pregnancy where you are most affected by tiredness
In the first trimester, tiredness is very common because of the changes that happen in your body as you grow your baby. Once your placenta takes over at the end of the first trimester and the start of the second trimester (around 12 weeks), you should begin to feel that you have more energy
Poor sleep
Sleep during your third trimester can really suffer and not having a restful night can impact your everyday life, especially if you’re still working or have small children. The main causes of disrupted sleep are:
- General aches and pains including joint pain, muscle pain, back pain, heartburn
- Vivid dreams are more common in pregnancy and whilst they are completely normal, they can affect your sleep, especially your REM sleep
- Baby kicking can also wake you
- Insomnia in pregnancy can be a symptom of depression so it’s important to raise this with your midwife or doctor
- Restless legs, where you feel the overwhelming desire to more your legs, is often worse during the evening and at night and whilst not common does affect around 1 in 5 women in pregnancy
- Leg cramps
- Frequent trips to the toilet during the night, especially later in your pregnancy as your bladder is being squashed by your baby
Anaemia in pregnancy
One of the symptoms of anaemia is tiredness and one of the most common types of anaemia in pregnancy is iron deficiency anaemia, a condition where you have low levels of red blood cells. Those red blood cells contain haemoglobin, a protein that transports oxygen around your body and to your baby. When you have low levels of these oxygen carrying proteins in your blood, and depending on how severe the deficiency is, you’ll feel:
- A lack of energy and general tiredness, especially if you’re doing physical activity
- You may feel short of breath more quickly than normal, however shortness of breath when you are resting or after minimal physical activity needs to be assessed straightaway by contacting your midwife or maternity assessment centre out of hours
- A fast heartbeat or heart palpitations
- Your skin may appear paler, and this can be apparent with any skin tone
It’s important to let your midwife or GP know about any of those symptoms so that they can diagnose and treat this condition.
What can help?
- Reverse any anaemia by seeing your midwife or GP and taking any medications as prescribed. If you’re taking iron tablets it’s important to take them on an empty stomach, 1 hour before a meal and with a form of vitamin C, such as orange juice, to maximise absorption. If you find that your iron tablets are causing nausea or stomach discomfort, speak with your midwife or GP for an alternative, rather than not taking them
- Eating a well-balanced diet and make sure that you’re well hydrated; your wee should be a light straw colour, any darker and you’re probably dehydrated.
- If you are suffering with heartburn let your midwife of GP know as they can offer lifestyle advice or prescribe medication to help with this
- Read this blog for tips on boosting your energy levels in pregnancy https://myexpertmidwife.com/blogs/my-expert-midwife/how-can-i-boost-my-energy-levels-in-pregnancy
How to rest and get a better nights sleep
- Pregnancy safe essential oils in a diffuser, especially frankincense or a blend specifically for aiding sleep in pregnancy
- Massage, especially using a massage balm or oil that has a pregnancy safe blend of essential oils to aid sleep.
- Hypnobirthing relaxations or guided meditation can really help you switch off the busy part of your brain which often gets in the way of falling asleep or resting (YouTube is great for this)
- Epsom salts bath before bed can help with restless legs and cramps as can magnesium supplements, just check with your midwife or doctor before taking any supplements.
- Avoid caffeinated drinks
- Using comfort aids such as pillows between your knees, behind your back and under your bump to help you stay comfortable whilst sleeping on your side
- Exercise or physical activity during the day but not too close to bedtime
When should I be concerned and what should I do?
If you feel that the lack of sleep is affecting your mood, where you feel, down, depressed or hopeless, you should speak to your midwife or GP about your symptoms
Any of the symptoms of anaemia should also be assessed by your midwife or GP urgently and you can do this by contacting your maternity assessment centre, which is open 24 hours a day (your midwife will have given you this contact information
