I'm 18 weeks pregnant and still working full time, and I'm feeling exhausted! But I feel guilty about wanting an afternoon snooze - is there anything I can do to boost my energy levels?
Katie, Chester
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Sarah Jarvis
Full-time GP and member of the Royal College of GPs
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Ask the GP
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Sarah says…
Why are you feeling guilty? Pretty much everyone feels tired during pregnancy - it's most common in the first and last trimesters, but it's not at all uncommon in the middle months. Women tend to forget that pregnancy is a huge change for their bodies, and it may just be your body's way of telling you to slow down.
It's worth getting a blood test done - anaemia is extremely common in pregnancy, but you could also be suffering from an underactive thyroid gland. You also need to have a test to exclude diabetes, which commonly starts in pregnancy and which can cause tiredness as well as needing to drink more and wee more often.
If those tests are normal, you may be surprised to hear that one of the best solutions to tiredness is regular exercise. Obviously bungee jumping is out, but most forms of aerobic exercise (do let your instructor know you're pregnant if you're taking up a class) are safe in pregnancy. Don't exercise too close to bedtime, though - it can cause a natural 'high', which will stop you getting to sleep.
If you're sleeping well at night, there's nothing wrong with a daytime nap. But if your sleepiness is due to poor sleep at night (yet another of the joys of pregnancy!) daytime naps can make sleeping at night harder. Put your feet up instead.
Every month, the new issue of Pregnancy,Baby and You has more questions answered by our panel of specialists.
