How to deal with exhaustion

[azohri]

Is anyone else SO tired?  Today is 5 weeks 2 days and I feel like that familiar pregnancy exhaustion is gearing up.  Yesterday my DH and I had a date at an adventure ropes course and spent hours climbing through the trees.  Today I can barely climb off the couch!

I'm at home with my two year old and am wondering how I'm going to get through the next few weeks.  Even reading books is so tiring.  I wish it wasn't so hot so we could just go to the playground for hours.  Any one have tips on keeping the littles happy when all you want to do is sleep?

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

Coffee? I'm 6 weeks and in the same boat. I'm really worried about meeting her needs while trying desperately to stay awake. I'd love tips!

[NCMtnMama]

I'm in the same boat. Soooo tired.

My midwife said up to 200mgs of caffeine a day is fine (probably more is fine too, but she said she couldn't endorse it officially). So, until my body starts rejecting it, I'm having my cup of coffee in the morning. Because otherwise, I just cannot get through without being a total zombie.

Yesterday I felt like I napped on and off all day long, and then I dragged myself to bed and slept another 11 hours!

[meghanc]

I'm getting one fairly normal day, and then one day where I'm exhausted and don't want to do anything but stay in bed. Even the normal days go from "hey, I'm fine, we're good" to "oh my god, I'm going to pass out" really suddenly--twice in the last week I've had to pull over and have my partner drive us the rest of the way home, because I was literally falling asleep as I was driving. Scary!

As for dealing with little kids, have you guys made blanket forts yet? I was massively ill when my daughter was about eight, and was largely unable to get out of bed for about a month. We made giant blanket forts, filled them with blankets and pillows, and then curled up in them and watched movies and did crafts. It was novel enough that it kept her happy and occupied, and cosy enough that I could doze on a pillow while she looked at a book/did a coloring book/painted herself with glitter glue.

[tatsu15]

I'm always sleepy... no morning sickness yet. I think I'm 4 or 5 weeks in.

[dealic]

All I can say is I am glad I had 5 days vacation this week. I think all I have done was lay on the couch most of the time, in between spurts of productivity. I always WANT to sleep, but so far haven't actually been sleeping more. I go back to work Wednesday which should prove fun.

I am also always thirsty. Totally new for me, because before pregnancy, I only drank when I forced myself. Right now, I am dying of thirst and too tired to get up and get a drink. Oh the woes!

I just keep reminding myself that all this is GOOD! I like being reminded I am pregnant, even if its by exhaustion, unquenchable thirst, and nausea.

[loudmama]

A big old "Me too" here! And I won't give up coffee until I'm too nauseous!

It's making my workouts hard though. I think I need to tell my fitness trainer I'm pregnant, because I just can't push myself as hard right now.

L

[Thursday Girl]

I am completely exhausted and just spent the past week on a road trip and walking massive amounts at the historical sites we went to. I fully intend on doing nothing for the next 2 days except computer stuff I need to catch up on after being gone.

oh and the nausea in the car was so not cool too. Early pregnancy and road trip DO NOT MIX, especially when all 3 kids got whining and yelling and crying, which luckily they didn't do much thanks to presents I would give them when they started getting fussy.

My kids watch too much tv in the early parts of my pregnancy. it's not something I am proud of but am totally happy to have that option to use. also getting them started on easy crafts they can do themselves. Baths keep my kids busy for awhile. Blanket Forts are great as MeghanC said. When I was pregnant with my 2nd my first liked to pretend she was my mom and she often put me down for a nap or bed. That was awesome.

[miss_honeyb]

I'm actually really surprised that I'm not in this boat yet. I've always HAD to take a nap almost every day of my 1st trimesters. It's not negotiable, it's like, "I'm going to be unconscious in 3 seconds and I better be on the couch when it happens!"  But although I'm a bit more tired in the evening (going to bed around 8 sounds perfect!), I don't feel that insane exhaustion during the day. I'm a little concerned about it... maybe the baby isn't growing?

Or maybe it'll hit me in about 2 days and I'll wish I had gotten more done these last few weeks! 

[chiromama01]

Oh my goodness, count me in too.  I'm not drop dead tired like I was with my first, but I have NO energy, and thus no motivation to do ANYTHING!!! DD seems to be wondering what happened to mommy???? All I want to do is lay on the couch... I used to be very careful about how much TV my DD watched, but now it seems that's all I can do for her until the school year starts again... anybody have better suggestions for activities that dont involve too much energy????

[Rasa]

I had about 1 week of drop-dead exhaustion last pregnancy (LOL miss_honeyb it was just like you said--I better find a couch cause in a few seconds I will be unconscious!) which hit before the NVP and then went away.  But that didn't happen this time (though I got a PPT MUCH earlier this time and have so many other symptoms I'm not worried).  But both pregnancies once I've gotten nauseated, I get this fatigue after everything I do.  Take a shower--go lie down and recover.  Make breakfast--go lie down and recover.  Eat breakfast...you get the idea.  The other day I felt like I needed to lie down and recover from lying down so much.  I'm not really tired actually and don't ever fall asleep when I'm lying down here or there...it's just odd because I usually can't sit still when I'm not pregnant.

[Mom2SammyJoe]

I am a little nauseous and VERY tired. However, I have noticed that I have much more energy in the mornings, so I am using that. I try to get my important things done early in the day (like laundry) so when the kids have nap time/quiet play time, I can rest then. Also, I haven't done it so much this time around yet, but with my last pregnancy, I would make dinner in the morning and just reheat it in the evening. I did this more because I had terrible nausea in the evening and was fine in the morning, but it works with the exhaustion, too. Or I do bits and pieces of things. Usually I make the dinner salad while other things are cooking. Now I make it earlier in the day so I can sit down while other things are cooking. Or we have cereal for dinner

We also played "sleep over" today, which was awesome. We all got to lay down with pillows and blankets.

[babycatcher01]

No morning sickness yet..... so VERY tired. A nanny and a maid sound like good investments

[Thursday Girl]

I can't believe I forgot this one, ti worked with each of my previous kids. Get the little ones some play food, then lay there and they will bring you food to "eat" and tea to drink for like a n hour!! SCORE

[holz]

Ugh. I'd been avoiding this thread like the plague, just in case the exhaustion was contagious... Didn't work. The last few days I cannot sleep enough. The toddler's super clingy from teething and carrying him around the house feels like running a marathon, so I'm pretty much camped out on the living room floor all day. Then I have to use naptime to eat and catch up on the house, so I'm not really resting when he does like I thought I would. Not to mention the husband's on duty all weekend... Save me.

I'm 7 weeks today, I'm just holding out for the end of the first trimester... In the meantime I've completely babyproofed and gated off the living room, and I just kind of lay there and talk to him and feel guilty about my half-assed parenting

[justKate]

Same here. It just hit me last night (6+2). i slept 12.5 hors and am lying on the couch again at 8:50 am. Not very proud of myself today.