Following on from this thread, I am five weeks pregnant and feeling thoroughly lousy. I am constantly exhausted, crampy (like period pain and sore back), thirsty and forever needing to pee! Fortunately, touch wood, I have not been feeling nauseous, just constantly hungry actually – something I am trying to control so I don’t turn into a blimp before I even hit the second trimester!
I know that what I’m feeling is normal, but it is made worse by having to sit for 8 to 9 hours a day in my office during a very quiet summer period, with my boss on 6 weeks leave. The motivation to be here would be low enough without the whole pregnant thing, but I just feel like, “Blaaaaagghhhhh!” And this is made worse by the fact that I’m not telling work anything about the pregnancy until I’ve passed 10-12 weeks, so I can’t just take a PDO now and then.
It’s all supposed to get better after week 12, by which time the placenta will have developed and the baby will have taken on a more baby-like form, but I despair having to go through another 7 weeks of feeling like this!
Those first few weeks are rough (I’ll be 23 weeks tomorrow). For me it got a lot better after week 8 or so… Then even better after week 12. Just hang on — it’ll go by quicker than you think… The fatigue is what was the hardest for me…
I do remember the hunger phases – for me though it wasn’t a constant, maybe like once or twice a week I just couldn’t get enough in. Don’t worry – it balances out. I gained 6 pounds right off the bat, but the growth hasn’t kept up like that, it just comes in spurts.
It does get better:). The part that nearly drove me nuts was the exhaustion. I felt like I could sleep all the time. (And now that I’m almost 39 weeks - Saturday - the exhaustion is back and I CAN sleep all the time).
Drink a LOT of water. I don’t know if you’ve cut out caffeine, but the one Coke I had every morning REALLY helped perk me up a bit. The water helped, too - I think it flushed out my system and helped with my energy level. You’re going to have to pee a lot, but that’s probably just something to get used to because you’ve got a growing baby who’s going to smoosh the hell out of your bladder (my co-workers laugh at how much I’m in and out of the bathroom during the day).
As far as the eating, if it helps, I didn’t gain a pound until my 24th week, and I ate like a friggin’ horse. I think your metabolism kicks in.
Congrats again! You’ve got a wild nine months ahead of you:).
Well, this certainly brings back, uh, fond memories.
Yes, I remember it well; the mornings of waking up so nauseous that I prayed I would vomit (but somehow didn’t). Sitting down in the shower because I was too frickin’ exhausted to stand (and would sometimes have “brown-outs”). Laying my face on my desk until midmorning (when I would lift it, keyboard imprinted cheeks decorated with insurance explanations of benefits tacked on by cold sweat). Bursting into tears and doing a fine impression of a mortally wounded actor in a bad Shakespearian play when the puppy chewed my Christmas hearth rug; "Why? sob sob “Oh, why??” sob sob sob.
Not to mention the breasts so sore that a stiff breeze would make me hiss with pain. It was all quite charming.
On a cheerier note, this too shall pass, and sooner than you may believe.
You have my sincere sympathy and heartiest congratulations. It was all infinitely worth it.
My entire first trimester was spent in a state of total exhaustion. . . and then at fifteen weeks I woke up one day feeling great. I remember the cramps, too, and the sore boobs, and the general emotional upheaval. Don’t worry, everybody goes through it, and it does get much better.
Sleep as much as you can - building a placenta takes a lot of hard work! I was regularly asleep by 10 to be up at 7:30. Some nights, I was in bed immediately after dinner - as early as 8:30. Plus, I took a huge nap each day on the weekends. I slept for at least two hours each afternoon, and as much as four hours. At the 13-week mark, it was like a veil had been lifted from my brain. The timing couldn’t have been better for me - we were on a cruise!
Thanks for the support guys (and the empathy, Sarahfeena). Even though the books say it’s normal, it’s just so much more reassuring to hear it from real people.
I really worry about the weight issue. I was a bit overweight to start with and I feel like I have put on at least 5 pounds in as many days!
The fatigue is what was the hardest for me…