Tired of being pregnant: which ones are normal, and which ones to watch out for?

During pregnancy, you may experience a number of irritating problems that are harmless but still make your activities uncomfortable. One of the most common problems that pregnant women complain about is fatigue and fatigue. Why, and is it normal for you to feel tired constantly while pregnant?

The cause of getting tired quickly during pregnancy

Women often feel weak and tired during pregnancy due to hormonal changes during pregnancy. As gestational age increases, the mother's body metabolism increases which then affects the increase in the hormone progesterone. The high level of progesterone in the body is what makes pregnant women feel sleepy and tired quickly.

The period of pregnancy also causes a number of major changes in the mother's physique. Starting from the early trimester where the body will work harder to prepare the placenta and provide all kinds of nutritional support for the formation of fetal cells, then fatigue can reappear in the final trimester of pregnancy.

Around 30-34 weeks of gestation, the mother's enlarged stomach puts heavier pressure on her body so that the mother feels tired quickly during pregnancy. In fact, you are also prone to experiencing leg cramps and back pain at this time as a result. At this gestational age, the baby is also actively moving and kicking the stomach, which makes the mother feel uncomfortable.

Apart from various hormonal and physical changes during pregnancy, mothers are prone to experiencing fatigue during pregnancy due to the stress and anxiety awaiting delivery. This psychological condition can reduce rest time so that pregnant women tend to feel tired.

The fatigue experienced by pregnant women can vary. Some feel very tired, and some don't feel that much. Usually, fatigue during pregnancy will gradually decrease at week 12 to week 14. After passing that week, your energy can return to normal again so that you feel more fit and energetic.

Fatigue during pregnancy that should be checked by a doctor

If you still feel tired even after eating enough and resting, you should check with your doctor immediately. There are several reasons why you feel tired quickly during pregnancy, such as:

Fatigue, followed by constant hunger and thirst, can signal gestational diabetes symptoms
Fatigue that doesn't go away even after resting
Fatigue followed by symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and swollen glands
Severe fatigue followed by nausea, vomiting, and frequent urination. This can indicate the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy, aka pregnancy outside the womb.

Fatigue during pregnancy that doesn't go away may be a sign of depression

Tiredness from most activity will generally disappear within a few days or after you have had enough rest. However, fatigue during pregnancy that doesn't heal you should be aware of. This may be a sign that you were depressed while pregnant.

Simply put, depression is a body reaction that can be triggered by acute stress due to the body overproducing the stress hormone cortisol. The amount of the hormone cortisol in the body is read by the brain as an external threat that needs to be resisted or avoided.

To prevent running out of energy, the brain orders the body to rest. As a result, you become very tired and exhausted. In fact, people who are depressed are not actually facing threats that must be physically resisted or avoided.

Depression indirectly asks you to pause from things that are weighing you down mentally. Whether it's family problems, financial problems, or trauma from losing a loved one. However, because your body can't "talk" directly to you, one of the signs it shows is fatigue. A person who is depressed often does not want to do any activity, feels tired throughout the day, loses his appetite, and feels hopeless and miserable.

How to control fatigue during pregnancy?

Don't underestimate rest. Pregnancy is a special moment in a mother's life. If you are not able to do all the work like before you became pregnant, do not ever force it. Naps can be the right routine for pregnant women to get around feeling tired even if it's only 15 minutes.
Adjust work schedule. Reduce hours of work to rest more.
Do light exercise, such as walking, or swimming.
Schedule regular breaks such as going to and getting out of bed at the same time
Make sure to eat foods that are nutritionally balanced. To eat more than before pregnancy, according to the recommendation of the Indonesian Ministry of Health in 2013, at least pregnant women in the first trimester increase their intake by 180 cal, and in the second and third trimesters it increases to 300 cal. Pregnant women food must contain carbohydrates (rice, potatoes, vermicelli, noodles, bread, macaroni, etc.), building substances (chicken, fish, meat, eggs, liver. Milk, nuts, tofu, tempeh, cheese), and regulators ( fresh vegetables and fruits). Try to eat small, frequent meals.
Make sure you are not dehydrated, drink lots of water, pregnant women need an increased need for water during pregnancy. Based on the recommendation of the Indonesian Ministry of Health 2013, both in trimester 1,2 and 3, the adequacy of pregnant women water should be added at least as much as 300 ml from the usual 8 glasses per day.
Manage stress and emotions during pregnancy