The first thirteen weeks of pregnancy is truly exhausting. It’s pretty much expected that you will sleep through the entire thing.
In fact, that’s why pregnancies are usually announced at the start of the second trimester. It’s nothing to do with miscarriage risk, it’s simply that women in the first trimester are too fatigued to share their good news.
If you’re currently in the midst of that first trimester fog of exhaustion, you’ve probably been reading this article for about two days but keep falling asleep mid-sentence.
Don’t worry, that’s totally normal.
It’s tiring growing a baby, your body is unbelievably busy right now so you can be excused your mid-afternoon nap.
Things You’re Too Tired For In The First Trimester
Here are 10 things you’re probably too tired for right now:
#1: Binge Watching A TV Series
Everybody else is loving Making A Murderer, it’s all everyone can talk about… but not you. You’ve been watching it too, but, to be completely honest, have no idea what’s happening. You manage to stay awake for the credits, but after that you’re pretty much asleep. Your partner tries to fill you in on what you’ve missed, but before he’s got to the bit about the prosecution, you’re snoring again. You might have to revisit the show when you’re in the second trimester. Hopefully then you’ll be able to sit through a full episode without drifting off.
Alternatively, just read some of the theories online and then wing it when friends ask you what you make of the show.
#2: Boring Meetings
Even the most high-intensity, exciting meeting would struggle to hold your attention right now.
So your team’s weekly catch up has literally not a chance in hell of keeping you awake. Do you ever care what Dave from sales has been working on? Er, no, but now, less so than ever. You will use all of your energy just trying to stay awake during that two hour Monday morning meeting. But, since you have no energy, you won’t manage it.
The best you can hope for is that you don’t drool in front of all your colleagues. Good luck with that.
#3: Parenting
If this isn’t your first pregnancy, you’ve probably already realised that you’re too tired to be a parent right now.
Surely there is some kind of three month creche where older kids can be looked after during the first trimester so you can get some sleep? Getting up for the school or kindergarten run has truly never been more difficult.
It’s virtually impossible for you to get your child to where they need to be on time at the moment. And, if you do manage it, it’s only because you forgot to brush her hair and she’s wearing odd socks. It’s not just the logistics of parenting that are overwhelming right now, you don’t have the patience you once did. You certainly won’t be winning any parenting awards this quarter, put it that way.
#4: Socialising
Urgh, being a friend is hard in the first trimester.
You want to be there for your friends, you want to still go to the cocktail bar on Friday night and catch up on all the gossip, but you’re just so ridiculously tired. You miss their calls because you’re napping and you reply to their messages days later, because you’re too busy being tired to remember to reply.
And, worst of all, you’re too exhausted to meet up. On the rare occasions you do make it out, you have to go home early because you can’t stop yawning. To summarise, your friend game is not good right now. Don’t worry though, you can make it up in the second trimester when you won’t smell so strongly of vomit, so it’ll be a win-win situation.
#5: The Cinema
All of your parent friends will be advising you to go to the cinema now that you’re pregnant. It’s one of those things that you just won’t get to do so often once you have a baby.
Sure, you could get a babysitter if you have older children. But wouldn’t you rather use that opportunity for something a little more exciting than a movie? Do you know why your friends will be telling you to go to the cinema as often as you can before the baby arrives? It’s because they’ve forgotten how tiring the first trimester is.
Even if you did manage to find the energy to head out in the evening to watch a movie, you’d almost certainly be fast asleep before the opening credits. Going to the cinema is fun, but it might be better to wait until you can stay awake for more than 30 minutes at a time.
#6: Cooking
Since you’re newly pregnant, you’ll spend approximately 80% of your waking moments reading pregnancy websites, apps and books, all of which tell you to eat a healthy, balanced diet. And yet, you’re so exhausted by the end of the day that the very idea of cooking sends you into a deep sleep.
You’re also battling some pretty overpowering nausea, so you’re eating chip butties for dinner every day. If you’re lucky, your partner might cook for you, but even then, you’re usually fast asleep in bed by the time it’s ready. Good thing you had that chip butty as a snack…
#7: Baths
Do you know what’s lovely when you’re pregnant? Baths.
Oh, and do you know what’s terrifyingly dangerous when you’re pregnant? Baths. Yep, those relaxing, soapy warm pools of tranquility will make you immediately sleepy, and that’s pretty dangerous when you’re struggling to keep your eyes open as it is. You’ll need a pretty robust system in place to ensure you don’t fall asleep in the bath. Especially if you’re having a deliciously relaxing epsom salt bath.
#8: Chores
There is always so much to do. Usually, getting home after work and having a quick whizz around the house to pick up any mess doesn’t feel like much of an effort.
When you’re pregnant, however, it’s a totally different ballgame. If you fell asleep on the way to work, in your meeting, at lunch, on the way home and in the bath, how are you going to find the energy to clean the kitchen?
It just isn’t going to happen. Listen to your body, go to bed, ignore the mess and hope your partner does your share of the housework for the next few weeks.
#9: Rational Thought
After a long day of napping at work, being a terrible parent and eating chip butties, you can be forgiven for acting a little unhinged. You’re sleeping 20 hours a day and still feel sleep deprived, so it’s no wonder you’re not making much sense by the evening.
Add to that the crazy hormonal explosions happening inside of you right now and, well, it’s a wonder you haven’t been arrested yet. Your partner is probably stepping on eggshells as he tries his best not to infuriate, offend and upset you each and every evening. Don’t worry, you can totally excuse any bad behaviour by blaming it on the pregnancy. It’s your get out of the doghouse for free card.
#10: Sex
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a long day of being exhausted followed by an evening of feeling angry, upset and irrational, doesn’t really get you in the mood for loving. And even if you were in the mood, the chance of you falling asleep half way through would be pretty high. Don’t worry, you’ll get your libido back eventually. In fact, for some women, it returns with a roaring vengance.
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Don’t forget to check out BellyBelly’s article 10 Must Have Items For The First Trimester to discover the items that could be making your life easier right now.
