Birth & Baby Network

 OMG the tiredness! I vividly remember that feeling of overwhelming exhaustion from those first few weeks, when I woke up as tired as when I went to bed and struggled through the day longing to get back to bed again.
But it’s a normal part of pregnancy, so what can help?

Rest & sleep…Give in to those early nights, snuggle up to watch tv, read a book or just snooze. Chances are you are at work all day, or looking after a toddler, so if your body is asking for rest, let it have it and don’t feel guilty about it.
Naps at the weekend are great too!

Prioritise…what needs to be done while you are feeling so tired. Depending on how much of the household chores you normally take care of, maybe your partner can pick up the slack and do the shopping and the cooking, especially as your heightened sense of smell may put you off handling some food.

Eat well…depending on how nauseous you feel and how much energy you have, you may not fancy making or eating big meals so light and quick is perfect. Fruit, cereal, something on toast and jacket potatoes will give you energy and keep you going.

Exercise…for some pregnant women they continue with their exercise or start a gentle exercise program to help them feel strong and healthy. This can also help to give you more energy.

Iron levels…you will be seeing your midwife, so check with her if you feel concerned about your lack of energy. It may be that your iron levels are low and your midwife will check this for you.

Going to the loo…you may notice that you are waking up more in the night to go for a wee. This is simply because your growing womb puts more pressure on your bladder. If it is disturbing you, you can try to reduce the amount of drink you have in the evenings to see of that makes a difference. It can also be worth seeing if you can manage to get safely to and from the loo without putting on a main light, that way you are less disturbed by bright lights and you may be able to drop asleep again with ease.

So you’ve got a new baby, chances are you are feeling pretty tired! Babies are demanding little creatures simply because they need you to provide them with security, comfort and food. New babies need little and often food – their tummies are the size of a walnut – so regular calories are important.

Sleep when your baby sleeps – very common advice but I know very few women who do this, simply because they could be out and about or, if at home, all they can see around them is stuff that needs doing! Ideas to help can include – ignore any mess or try to keep your bedroom space clutter free so you can switch off and grab some sleep.

Go to bed earlier in the evening – it can go against the grain for us to go to bed early and lose our evenings, especially if we are used to spending time with our partner. But, for a few weeks, life can be about getting as much rest and sleep as possible and if that means going to bed at 8pm, then that could be the thing to do because it could make all the difference to how you feel.

Work as a team – when dads are on paternity leave, they can provide a great deal of support and spend a lot of time with their baby. But when dads return to work, this is the time to work out how to work together to look after your new baby and each other. As tired as dads can be when they finish work, many want to spend time with their baby when they get home from work, so this can be the opportunity for some dad and baby bonding time – bathtime and endless cuddles – giving mum the chance to enjoy some me time or to catch up on some sleep.

Acceptance – this is a huge part of the transition to being a new parent. Eventually we have to accept that life has changed, we can’t continue as we were before baby arrived in our life. It’s a steep learning curve and getting some support and reassurance along the way can really help.

Prioritise what you have to do – because you are not superwoman and you cannot do it all on your own, well you could but then you really might end up feeling exhausted, stressed and not on top of anything at all. Work out what needs doing and leave everything else, it’s not the end of the world if your house is a little chaotic and messy or if you fall behind with the washing, or if its beans on toast for tea.

Ask for and arrange some extra help to help you rest – it could just be a case of asking your partner for more help, either with your baby or around the house, or from friends or family. You could benefit from a cleaner, because housework may have to go, or a postnatal doula could make a big difference with practical help around the house – tidying, changing the bed, washing, making food & snacks, taking baby for a walk so you can rest and just being on hand for extra support and reassurance as you get to grips with your new baby.