Question: I’m in my last trimester and I’ve heard that women should feel terrific at the end of pregnancy. So why do I feel so tired all the time?
Answer: “Should” is a word that must be taken out of a pregnant woman’s vocabulary. There’s no one way you should feel at any point during your pregnancy. Although some women feel less tired in their last trimester, many continue to feel tired or feel even more tired. Really, there are more reasons to feel tired than terrific during your third trimester. You’re carrying around a lot more weight, and may have trouble sleeping because of that. You may also be losing sleep due to your mind been crammed with baby concerns and to-do lists. If you are taking care of other children, have a job, or both, the fatigue can multiply.
Being tired is a normal part of the third trimester of pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean you have to ignore it or resign yourself to being constantly exhausted. This tiredness is a sign from your body that you should slow down, so take the hint. Make your rest time a priority as much as you can and reduce non-essential activities. You’ll need this saved-up strength for labor and delivery. If you have severe tiredness that doesn’t get better once you get rest, make sure to see your doctor. Anemia, which can set off such tiredness, sometimes hits at the beginning of the third trimester.