talking point


ALL THE TIME Exhausted


BY MELANY BENDIX


Sure you are – you are growing a baby after all. Know what’s normal and how to fight the fatigue


F


eeling tired and a depleted during pregnancy is to be expected and, in most cases, will


pass soon enough. The trick to not letting it become a problem is to know the difference between normal fatigue and when it crosses the line to become full-blown exhaustion that needs treatment.


32 YOUR PREGNANCY


“What’s ‘normal’ really varies between


people,” says Dr


Etti Barsky, who is a sports physician and partner of Preggi Bellies South Africa. Women tend to battle with exhaustion in the first and third trimesters – for different reasons. “In the first trimester it is a physiological adaptation. Your body uses its energy to change and accommodate


is anything else going on,” advises Dr Barsky.


for both the mom and foetus’ needs. In the last trimester it is more a matter of mechanics. Your body is heavier and you’re not necessarily sleeping well. Throw into the mix one or two more children and/or a job, and you have a recipe for exhaustion,” says Dr Barsky. It’s when


this exhaustion


becomes constant that it’s time to get help. “Basically, if you are struggling to cope with the physical demands of day to day life, then that is your cue to visit your gynaecologist or doctor to check if there


WHY AM I SO TIRED? Your state of exhaustion could be due to any one or a combination of treatable causes, according to Chrisna Brand, a dietician and owner of Leap Moms and Kidz. This includes everything from stress to a regular cold, which can all deplete your immune system, making you tired. Not getting enough rest or sleep is also a cause for exhaustion. The reason you may not be sleeping is due to higher levels of the hormone oestrogen, which


has a stimulating


(awakening) effect. Your lack of sleep is also caused by the constant need to use the bathroom.


Other physical causes of exhaustion include low blood pressure, untreated hypothyroidism (underactive


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