Feeling weak during pregnancy second trimester
Pregnancy: Can Fatigue Be a Sign of a Health Problem?
Are you dragging these days? Does a nap sound fantastic right now?
Life can be exhausting at times, but especially when you’re pregnant. It’s totally normal to have some degree of fatigue right now—you are growing a human inside of you!
“Fatigue may be one of the most common first symptoms of pregnancy a woman experiences,” said Kelley Saunders, MD, an OBGYN at Banner – University Medicine Women’s Institute in Phoenix, AZ. “It is very common and quite significant in the first trimester. For many women, this improves in the second trimester and returns in the late third trimester.”
Although it’s common among pregnant women, you may still wonder why.
Why does pregnancy make you so tired?
The biggest reason: It’s hard work making a baby and it can be taxing to your body. “Your body has to adjust to maintain your health and the health of the baby inside of you,” Dr. Saunders said. “The physiologic changes and increased metabolic demand start in early pregnancy and can continue even after childbirth while breastfeeding. ”
Beginning somewhere between conception and implantation, pregnancy hormones kick in – affecting your body, mood and sleep. During the first trimester, you may also experience morning sickness, frequent nighttime bathroom breaks and leg cramps, which can leave you feeling pretty tired.
Then starting around your second trimester, you may start to get a little pep in your step. You may start to feel more like yourself again. But don’t be alarmed if you are still pretty exhausted—especially if you have other children to care for. Fatigue is still possible during the second trimester.
In late pregnancy, you’ll most likely begin to feel tired again. At this point, your baby has grown quite a bit and is putting more physical demands on your body. You’re carrying around extra weight and it’s more difficult to get comfortable when you sleep. Add in leg cramps and heartburn, and sleep becomes even more elusive.
When is pregnancy exhaustion not normal?
While exhaustion is a common symptom of pregnancy, extreme fatigue is not normal and may be a sign of an underlying health condition.
Dr. Saunders said you should see your health care provider if your fatigue is severe and persistent.
“A sudden onset of exhaustion and continual symptoms may be a sign of abnormal fatigue,” she said. “When fatigue is associated with fever, chest pain, difficulty breathing or an inability to perform routine daily activities, you should see your OBGYN for evaluation.”
Some of the potential underlying causes for your fatigue both during and outside of pregnancy may be due to the following:
- Gestational diabetes: Your body may become resistant to insulin during pregnancy, which can cause you to feel very tired. Other symptoms include extreme thirst and frequent urination.
- Anemia: A lack of iron can cause you to have an insufficient number of red blood cells to transport oxygen to your tissues and can cause you to feel tired, lightheaded and weak.
- Infections (viral, bacterial or fungal): Being pregnant can make you more vulnerable to infections, such as urinary tract infections, which can make you fatigued.
- Thyroid problems: Having too much or too little thyroid hormones can cause you fatigue, along with fluctuations in your weight, irritability and depression.
- Prenatal depression: Feeling tired all the time can also be a side effect of depression. Other symptoms may include sadness, feelings of hopelessness and an inability to complete daily tasks or activities.
If you’re in need of a health care provider or have questions or concerns, you can find a Banner Health specialist at bannerhealth.com who can help.
Have a happy, healthy pregnancy
For helpful tips to boost your energy and stay healthy throughout your pregnancy, check out the following posts:
- 5 Tips for a Happy and Healthy Pregnancy
- Pregnant and Hungry? A Guide to Eating Right
- Prenatal Screening Tests to Expect Every Trimester
- Driving While Pregnant: Common Questions Answered
- Is a Headache During Pregnancy Something to Worry About?
Women's Health Pregnancy
Join the Conversation
Fatigue in the Second Trimester - Ask Heidi - Pregnancy Center
Is it unusual for the extreme fatigue of the first trimester to continue into the second trimester? Shouldn't it be gone by now?
Let’s face it — being pregnant is no walk in the park (and sometimes, it can even make that walk in the park feel like a marathon run).
It’s hard work, and lots of it. That said, most pregnant bodies start to adjust to the physical, emotional, and hormonal demands of pregnancy by the time they’ve finished their fourth month — a month into the second trimester, and just about when the placenta is fully manufactured (whew!). If you’ve already entered your fifth month and your energy level still hasn’t started picking up, it could just be that your pregnancy is a particularly draining one (remember, every pregnancy is different). It’s also possible that the get up and go you’re hoping for may be just around the corner...then again, it might not be in the pregnancy cards for you. Or, there might be an explanation for your energy deficit. Ask yourself: Are you getting enough nourishment, and getting it regularly enough? As your baby gets bigger and hungrier, your food intake needs to keep up with demand. Grazing on small, frequent meals and healthy snacks will keep your blood-sugar levels up and your energy level high (not to mention, head off those headaches).
Put down that chocolate bar and Coke (as well as other sources of sugar and caffeine, which will lift you up briefly, only to send you crashing soon after), and pick up a combo of complex carbs and protein instead (it’ll give you the sustained energy bang you’re banking on). Also make sure you're getting enough rest — but not too much. Paradoxically, too much sleep can be exhausting. Another paradox: Exercise (yes, the exercise you may have been avoiding because, well, you’re too tired) is energizing. As long as your practitioner has given you the workout green light, you'll get an energy boost from regular exercise (even that walk in the park will pick you up) — again, as long as you don’t overdo a good thing (stop before you’re beat). Yet another possible trigger of second-trimester fatigue: iron-deficiency anemia (your iron intake has to keep pace with a rapidly growing blood supply). But that diagnosis will take a little investigation (and a little blood test), so check with your practitioner.
If your levels do turn out to be low, some extra iron will pick you up fast.
Wishing you a less-tired tomorrow,
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ByMorning weakness during pregnancy
Klokova E.V. - Candidate of Medical Sciences
During the first trimester of pregnancy, morning weakness is almost an integral element after waking up.
Of course, pregnancy is different for everyone: someone cannot come closer than three meters to their once-favorite products, someone eats and drinks everything without experiencing the slightest discomfort. It's all very individual, but eighty percent of women are affected by morning sickness and the accompanying nausea. The culprit for nausea is the hormone progesterone. Its active excretion slows down the digestion process. One of the reasons for the occurrence of such conditions may also be the fact that during this period the body of the expectant mother is deficient in certain elements, such as folic acid and iron. Check blood sugar levels, calcium levels, thyroid function, which will give information about the iodine supply in the body - most often these factors cause severe weakness.
Most often, there is nothing to worry about in such a state: the body is being restructured, the internal organs “get used” to the new state of affairs and experience an increased load (kidneys, liver, pancreas), the hormonal background changes.
In the first weeks of pregnancy, the heart pumps blood in an enhanced mode, so fatigue and drowsiness are normal. In addition to this, the woman’s anxieties about her new condition, the new schedule (going to the doctor, restructuring the diet), new worries are exhausting the body. Sometimes "morning" weakness can occur during the day - there is nothing to worry about. Changes often happen so fast that it's hard to keep track of them.
It is worth consulting a doctor if weakness and dizziness lead to fainting, if you feel very sick, and vomiting occurs more than two to three times a day, which can cause dehydration. Listen to your inner feelings, if something bothers you, it’s better to play it safe and once again visit the clinic. Don't take your condition to the extreme.
Otherwise, try to eliminate all stress factors as much as possible, take vitamins that include a complex of magnesium and iodine, get more rest and improve nutrition. Do not starve, even if you do not feel like eating at all, and most foods and foods cause nausea.
It is believed that mint, chamomile and ginger tea, a piece of dried bread or thin slices of an apple help well in this case. Experiment with the menu, figure out dishes and ingredients that suit your body perfectly, and those that you categorically cannot stand. It is useful to exclude all fatty and fried foods from the diet, add yoghurts and foods rich in carbohydrates. But if, on the contrary, during such a period you can only eat, for example, fried potatoes and fatty meatballs, you should not torture yourself - eat, over time the regime will improve. It is also better to take warm, rather than hot food and in small portions, break the meal into 5-7 times a day.
Try to move smoothly and slowly, if you have nowhere to hurry in the morning, allow yourself to lie down for a few minutes before getting out of bed, try to relax and think positive thoughts. It is good to start the day with a cup of warm water with lemon, you can also brew herbal teas.
Have a nice pregnancy!!
Second trimester of pregnancy (13 to 28 weeks)
The beginning of the second trimester is traditionally considered one of the calmest.
Walk more. Walking is very helpful. Sit down to rest only when you are tired. Movement in the fresh air improves the supply of oxygen to the fetus, which is very necessary for its normal development.
Nausea disappears, appetite improves. Do not eat a lot of salty, refuse marinades, smoked meats, if you have not done this before. The increased need of the child's body for proteins and vitamins begins. The daily diet should include meat or fish (boiled or stewed), dairy products, especially cottage cheese, eggs. Do not forget about vegetables, fruits, greens. An excellent source of vitamin C is sauerkraut (rather than salted) cabbage. Salads from carrots, cabbage, beets, apples, green radish should be on your table every day.
At 17-20 weeks you will feel your baby's first kicks. From them you can determine how comfortable the baby feels. Intense tremors are a signal of lack of oxygen. Maybe you haven’t walked for a long time or, on the contrary, you are engaged in hard physical labor.
Get out into the fresh air or lie down to rest and you will immediately feel how the child has calmed down.
But the lack of movement is an alarm. See a doctor immediately!
The fetal need for calcium sharply increases - intensive growth of the skeleton has begun. If you don't have enough free calcium in your body right now, you could lose your teeth. To prevent this from happening, start taking calcium supplements in consultation with your doctor.
At this time, toxicosis of the second half of pregnancy may occur, the child suffers greatly from it. Therefore, if the doctor suggests hospitalization, do not refuse. Toxicosis can, if not be avoided, then at least reduce its manifestations. Be sure to follow your diet. Completely exclude salty, smoked, fried, spicy, canned food, chocolate. Do not eat a lot of grapes and drink fresh milk. Limit flour and rich products. As before, your diet should include boiled meat and fish, oatmeal and buckwheat porridge, vegetables and fruits
Periodically, once a week, check for fluid retention in the body.
It is allowed to release liquid 200-300 ml less than what was drunk. If little urine is released, this is a signal of latent edema and the onset of toxicosis.
It is very good if you can measure your blood pressure at home. Show the results of measurements at the next visit to the doctor. Both high and too low pressure should alert. With low pressure, blood sluggishly crosses the placenta, and the baby does not receive enough nutrients.
Do not neglect blood tests - it is important not to miss the development of anemia. In this case, you will be prescribed iron supplements and multivitamins. The diet should include beef liver, tomato juice, buckwheat porridge, apples, preferably Antonovskie (they contain more iron than other varieties).
Women who are at risk of having a child with a genetic pathology (those who have severe hereditary ailments in their families), as well as women over 35 years old (they are more likely to have a child with Down syndrome) are referred to a genetics consultation.
