So, I've been having a rough time lately. My Supermom cape is becoming a bit weathered. As I felt about to unravel the other day, I thought, sadly, that I may have to wean my twins earlier than planned so I can get some sort of prescription to help me get through these rough patches. Before I started stocking up on formula, I decided to give the natural uppers I know of an opportunity to work. I took a double dose of chocolate, did about 20 minutes of cardio (to my awesome new workout playlist), soaked in the hot tub for 10 minutes, then took a shower washing my hair and even shaving my legs! Felt like a new woman. Life is still very very hard, but I felt better about my ability to face it.
So, since I do not want to OD or develop a "tolerance" to my methods listed above, what are some of your "natural uppers"? What do you do, or ingest, that helps get through the rough spots? If it is something you ingest, like an herb, is it safe while breastfeeding?
I have ordered the book. With hubby deployed, rest is far from sufficient around here. Working on it. I am planning to visit family the next couple of weekends, but it barely evens out with the stress and hassle. My PCM pretty much offered a prescription, but I want to try out natural remedies first. The exercise helped. It's just awfully difficult getting to the gym with this herd of kids. :-)
Oh, and how I did it was I took my twins to Stay & Play at the YMCA while my Autistic son was having one of him many weekly therapy sessions. Stay home and enjoy it? Hardly. Driving my kids to college? I dare hope. Some days the hope is just cruel. Those are the days I do my part to keep Hershey in business.
I call up a gf. Just talking, laughing and even a bit of gossiping can give me a boost I need to stay awake and make it through the day, even if it is just for a few minutes of chatting.
Vitamin D has helped me a lot. I take vitamins and try to get a little sun everyday.
If you are really emotionally struggling though, reach out to your OBGYN or your primary doc. Depending on how far postpartum you are, it cold be post partum depression or just depression period.
Breast milk may be 'best' but your babies need a healthy stable mom more than anything else.
Read The Mood Cure. There are tons of natural substances you can ingest to help your moods. Amino acids, tryptophan, vitamins, etc. The book helps you determine you're deficient in and then gives suggestions for supplements.
b12....none heme iron, st johns wort.vitamin c
anything green and healthy in juice form
i love the vitamins called "happy camper"
The best thing I've found is deciding on a day that is my day off. I don't cook, clean, or do laundry unless I actually feel like it. I know each Sunday that I get to hang out, read a book, paint my toes, and chill. I may go to the park with the kids, but I really get to enjoy it bc I'm not rushing back for anything. Since we're trying to save money, I make sure that I either have something ready to pop in the oven for dinner or we just make sandwiches (I clean up the kitchen after meals, but that's it). It really improved my mood and energy to know I have a day off!
"Free and Easy Wanderer" We purchase it at an herb bar. They are little tea pills.. They really help with stress and irritation..
Before taking prescription meds, I recommend having you vitamin D level, iron level, and thyroid checked. One of those could be causing your problems.
Hang in there mama!!
I also want to thank your family for all of the sacrifices you make for us all.
God Bless :)
Hi L., I am also a mother of twin girls, but mine are 2 years old now. I'm sorry I don't know of any sort of uppers, but I always found that sufficient rest helped a lot. If you have someone who is willing and able to give you an uninterrupted break then try that. Best wishes to you!
A million women are wondering where you found the time to do all those things in one day! Here's your upper-your husband is working and you get to stay home-a massive privilege-enjoy it-you will turn around and be driving your children to college-because you got to groom them for this success-with a partner.
Blue green algae supplement, wheatgrass juice, tons of greens-raw and cooked-kale, collards, dandelion, chard, spinach.
Also a supplement called Cell Food is great.
Those are all safe while nursing.
You might try flax seed oil, especially if you don't eat a whole lot of fish. There have been some studies that show a link between mood and consuming the omega-3 fatty acids in flax oil and fish. I found it to be helpful myself. Add some epsom salts to your bath once a week -- it helps to relax and unwind those muscles. (This seems to be very well accepted -- do some research on it and it's SO cheap, available at pharmacies in huge bags).
Check out flylady.net for some positive pep-talks about how to handle all the chores and still be a sane mom.
Definitely keep up the exercise -- with a work-out buddy is the best, because you can chat out your frustrations and get those emotional highs from the exercise all at the same time! When I exercise once a week, my moods are so even!
I've seen research that shows that journaling once every few days about the recent positives in life (could be a blog, or just a pad of paper) actually improves your overall outlook in life.
And SING! Singing is also supposed to be super duper great for mood. Something about having to breathe deeply, and something about the emotional expression. I sing TO my kids about why I am frustrated sometimes, and it helps. Then my kids actually sing out their frustrations sometimes which is so much better than yelling!
Wow - you've got a lot going on! I think you need to make time for yourself - yeah, right - I know that's not easy!
Be very careful taking natural & herbal products. Just because it's natural doesn't mean it is safe, particularly when you take a single ingredient (whether it's B12 or D or whatever). That's not how we are meant to get our nutrition. All vitamins and minerals are supposed to work together, and they need each other to work properly. You can do a lot of damage trying to self-diagnose. A friend of mine tried some natural sleep remedies - wound up having her blood pressure drop to zero and she hit the floor. Happened again in the hospital. The cardiologist said it was from taking a lot of a single nutrient. She couldn't drive or swim for over a month.
So, you can take a comprehensive supplement if you want but make sure it's patented and is not in pill form or a pre-mixed liquid. The pills aren't absorbed more than about 25%, and the pre-mixed liquids degrade during shipping/shelf storage if they contain any proteins. You want powder that is mixed in water. As a nutritional consultant, I recommend a high quality line to my clients.
Otherwise, I think you should continue to take some "me" time - shower, workout, some beauty pampering, brisk walks, run around the park with the kids (on not so hot days, that is!). Just mixing it up and trying something new should perk you up. Find some good, light summer reading. I like the Janet Evanovich books about Stephanie Plum - light, hilarious, laugh out loud books. The character is so incompetent and accident prone, she makes me feel like a superwoman!
