Pregnant women feel tired all the time because the body goes through so many changes in the course of a pregnancy. Changes in blood pressure, hormones, and weight gain contribute to fatigue in pregnancy. Although it is normal to feel tired after you eat, you should know that being too tired is a symptom of something serious. Here are the reasons pregnant women feel tired all the time especially after eating.

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Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is a major downer during pregnancy. Pregnancy nausea and heartburn are caused by hormonal changes in the body. Many women experience morning sickness during the first trimester. For other women, though, morning sickness is more like all day sickness for nine months. Nausea can interfere with your eating routine and make you feel tired after eating. When you do not eat enough, your energy levels go down and you feel tired all the time. Severe nausea during pregnancy can result in hyperemesis gravidarum, which requires medical attention.

You can reduce nausea by taking ginger water, and ginger tea. Taking pungent foods such as ginger, lemon, vinegar crackers, and such can avert nausea. Eat small amounts of food all day to ensure that your stomach is never empty. As nausea reduces, you can regulate your feeding time. Take lots of water and healthy drinks. Teas, smoothies, juices, and shakes will help to prevent dehydration. Take bland or salty snacks to avert nausea. If you have too many puking episodes, you can ask your physician to prescribe anti-nausea medication for you.

Digestive Tract Changes

A pregnant woman's digestive tract goes through many changes. Things have to move around to create room for the growing baby. After eating, the system works extra hard to digest all the food. Sometimes the mom has to eat many small portions to deal with nausea. It takes more time to digest all the food since things move slowly. This can make you feel tired after eating since the gut is always at work.

To prevent post-meal gut exhaustion, you can eat small portions at a time. Take food that is easy on the gut. Stay away from large portions of proteins and hard foods. Have a feeding routine so that your gut can have a regular functioning system. Balance your meals to stabilize your energy levels.

Blood Diversion To & From The Gut

Pregnant women feel tired after eating because most of their blood moves to the gut area. When blood moves away from the other limbs, they experience exhaustion and fatigue. As the baby grows, the need for more blood to divert to the baby increases, too. After eating, the organs work hard to deliver blood to the baby, as well. Depending on your eating routine, you can use this to your advantage.

To avoid exhaustion after eating, you can schedule a nap a few hours after your meals. If you can't sleep during the day, stay active after a meal. You can take a light walk or catch up with some house chores. This will distribute blood all over your body and minimize fatigue. If you are too tired, you should visit your doctor and have your blood pressure checked.

NEXT: 10 Ways to Fight First-Trimester Fatigue

Sources: hellomotherhood.comhealthline.com, onlymyhealth.com