Tuesday, November 28, 2006

I'm not crazy

Much of my complaints during these three months of my pregnancy is my constant fatigue. This fatigue should wear off for the second trimester. I was talking to my mom last night, and she mentioned an article that a doctor that she works with forwarded to her. She sent me the link today and I checked it out. (http://www.sleepfoundation.org/hottopics/index.php?secid=17&id=173) This part I found particularly interesting:

The rise of progesterone, one of the hormones essential for the maintenance of pregnancy, may be one of the reasons pregnant women feel drowsier than before they were pregnant. The soporific (sleep-inducing) and thermogenic (heat-producing) effects of high progesterone secretion from the placenta are known to cause fatigue and earlier sleep onset.

Mhhmm.. And the article continues by saying that women cannot sleep as well due to feeling uncomfortable with their body such as breast tenderness, frequent urination during the night, nausea (in my case, going to bed feeling nauseated, waking up in the morning feeling nauseated and waking up during the night feeling nauseated).

I take my naps because I have to and my schedule is busy. If I do not take a nap, I am a zombie and non-functioning. I hope that this offers insight as to why women are often fatigued during their pregnancy.

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