Lauren Cooper

Lauren Cooper

Lauren Cooper, an elementary school teacher in Westchester, New York, recalls feeling so exhausted during her first trimester that she'd curl up on the floor of her classroom and sleep at lunchtime."It's beyond any kind of exhaustion you've ever felt," she says.

da, Davis Elementary School, third grade; Gayla Lawrence, Elliott Elementary School, art; Jennifer Howard, Farine Elementary School, special education; Kimberly Sypert, Good Elementary School, bilingual first grade; Virginia Chavez, John Haley Elementary School, bilingual first grade; Lauren Cooper, Thomas Haley Elementary School, fifth grade; Bonnie Causey-Richardson, Hanes Elementary School, physical education; Mary Beth Yockey, Johnston Elementary School, fifth grade; Marcia Cooper, Keyes Elementary School, third grade; Janice Jenkins, Lee Elementary School, first grade; Becky Renyer, Lively Elementary School, third grade; Obed Gonzalez, Schulze Elementary School, bilingual third grade gifted & talented; Vicki Carlyle, Townley Elementary School, special education; Melissa Abadie, Townsell Elementary School, instructional specialist; Renee Newry, Clifton Early Childhood Elementary School, prekindergarten media specialist; Melinda Rodriguez, Kinkeade Early Childhood Elementary School,

Pictured left to right, the academy-bound staffers are Sandy Turner, instructional specialist; Lauren Cooper, fifth grade teacher at Thomas Haley Elementary School; Jacque Garcia, elementary math and science Coordinator; Susan Rice, fifth grade teacher at John Haley Elementary School; Shannon Cole, fourth grade teacher at Brown Elementary School; and Mikie Kindsfather, fourth grade teacher at Paul Keyes Elementary School.

Lauren Cooper, an elementary school teacher in Westchester, New York, recalls feeling so exhausted during her first trimester that she'd curl up on the floor of her classroom and sleep at lunchtime."It's beyond any kind of exhaustion you've ever felt," she says."I'd get in the shower and by the time I got out I'd see my bed and want to lie down again.At any given time I could easily doze for up to three hours."

Throughout pregnancy, but especially in the first trimester, your body works tremendously hard.You're making the all-important placenta, your baby's life-support system, a process that won't be complete until the end of the first trimester.And your hormone levels and metabolism are rapidly changing while your blood sugar and blood pressure tend to be lower, all contributing to your sense of fatigue.

Lauren Cooper, an elementary school teacher in Westchester, New York, recalls feeling so exhausted during her first trimester that she'd curl up on the floor of her classroom and sleep at lunchtime."It's beyond any kind of exhaustion you've ever felt," she says."I'd get in the shower and by the time I got out I'd see my bed and want to lie down again.At any given time I could easily doze for up to three hours."

Throughout pregnancy, but especially in the first trimester, your body works tremendously hard.You're making the all-important placenta, your baby's life-support system, a process that won't be complete until the end of the first trimester.And your hormone levels and metabolism are rapidly changing while your blood sugar and blood pressure tend to be lower, all contributing to your sense of fatigue.

Lauren Cooper, a 53-year-old retired school teacher who lives in Carlsbad, is teaming up ...