by Melanie Denyer

Created on: November 20, 2007

A newly pregnant mother will often be told how exhausting kids are once they're born, hearing one horror story after another about colic, frequent night feeds, mastitis and all the other joys that await her at the end of her pregnancy.

If you're the pregnant mom in question, you may be wondering how on earth you cope with all that when you're already so exhausted. Pregnancy fatigue is one of the most common symptoms in the early stages and can hit as early as 4 weeks - indeed, for those moms who already have children, that unmistakable exhaustion may be the first clue a new pregnancy is under way.

The idea that pregnancy is just one long period of blooming womanhood and radiant skin is largely a myth: for most women, the second trimester is the most enjoyable, as baby is no longer sitting right on your bladder, morning sickness may finally have eased, the kicks you feel are exciting rather than painful and there's enough bump for the world to see you're pregnant without feeling you've a bowling ball strapped to your belly. It's a time of wonder and expectation and a much-needed break between the most difficult stages of your pregnancy.

Pregnancy fatigue generally hits hardest in the first and third trimesters. In the first trimester, morning sickness, raging hormones (causing major mood swings), disturbed sleep and your body's physical preparations for the new life inside you all leave you drained of energy. Your body has a lot of work to do in a short space of time, and the fatigue will hit like a sledgehammer if you don't have a strategy for dealing with it.

And in the third trimester, not only is your heart pumping some 50% more blood around your body to provide your baby with all he needs, you're carrying more weight from both baby and amniotic fluid, your appetite might be seriously reduced as your baby takes up more space and you're constantly compensating for that bump, which surely can't grow any bigger!

So if you, like most expectant moms, are feeling the strain, here are a few tips to help you adjust:

1. Eat little and often - even if you don't suffer from morning sickness, a big meal is more likely to send you to sleep, so five or six small meals will help you keep energy levels up.
2. Avoid sweet, sugary foods and emphasize complex carbohydrates - while a sugar rush may give you a temporary energy boost, the ups and down this causes are actually more tiring. Better to go with complex carbs like cereals.
3. Power nap whenever you can - while working moms

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