Hello moms,
I'm 36 with one baby. I still nurse our super active 14 month old about 3 to 4 times a day and take prenatals. I try to eat as healthy as possible but I probably don't drink enough, and don't get enough dark greens. I also know I definitely don't exercise as much as I should. I know those who have more than one baby would probably laugh at this post (two of my sisters have 6 kids and my brothers have 2) and wonder how I could be so tired with just one...but I am. I put the baby down at 7 and head to bed at 9:30...she wakes up once during the night and it can be difficult for me to fall back asleep...sometimes she is up for the day at 5...even if I can manage to get her to sleep another 30 minutes, I usually can't fall back asleep. I'm finding that when she goes down for a morning and afternoon nap, I usually want to take a rest, too. I'm just wondering if you have any suggestions? It's possible I'm pregnant...I had sex on 8-14, 9-1 and 9-4 so it's too soon to know---and I would assume even if conception did occur, I probably wouldn't be feeling the effects of fatigue so quickly (I took a pregnancy test 2 days ago, thinking I could have gotten pregnant on the 14th, but it was negative). I'm not so tired that I can't function...just general fatigue. We do belong to a local gym that even offers babysitting for a reduced fee, but I haven't felt motivated to go (yet). I have been assuming that my prescription prenatal vitamins have sufficient iron in them, but lately I've been wondering if I'm anemic...I've been having lots and lots of heart palpitations and in the past, that was always a sign I was low in iron. The only other thing I was thinking is that maybe I'm sleeping too much, as weird as that sounds. I've sort of gotten obssessed with napping when she naps...and so in the morning, rather than doing some yoga stretches, having a hot cup of tea, etc, I climb back in to bed. Perhaps that's a mistake and I should just choose one time to rest, either in the morning or in the afternoon...
Hello,
Thank you for your suggestions. I actually did get some lab work done and everything was normal. A day after I wrote the post, I came down with a virus so that would explain the extreme fatigue...I think in general, my tiredness has to do with interrupted sleep each night, as well as diet.
Thanks again.
In addition to prenatals I also take b-12, magnesium and iron. Then, if I'm still tired I'll eat a high protein snack like a string cheese and an avacado. It usually does the trick.
Please don't discount a real medical condition as a possible cause.
I say this often, but very few of the people on this site have medical training. While real world experience is important for the opinions we provide, only your doctor can provide an explanation.
Fatigue is a really ambiguous condition that can be caused by so many variables and factors. In my case, it was the only symptom of a critically serious health condition following my daughter's death.
My advice is to stay off the internet, call your physician tomorrow, see what they recommend, and go from there.
Good luck!
It is good that you are taking your vitamins but many are not formulated to allow you to actually absorb most or all of the vitamins and minerals that are in them and many increase the free radicals in you body therefore they aren't nearly as effective as we would like to believe. I don't know what kind you are taking but I would suggest Oligo (you can get regular women's or prenatal). They allow for maximum absorption and I have noticed I am not so chronically tired since I made the switch.
You should probably check w/ your doctor just to be sure there is nothing else wrong (no, you shouldn't be feeling the fatigue of pregnancy if conception just occurred...although I did start feeling very tired just about 1 1/2 month after...before I had taken the test).
It could be that you are not moving around enough...ever notice sometimes when you sleep in you are more tired then if you had just gotten up when you first woke up?
Sleeping a lot makes me think hypothyroidism,
but heart palpitations make me think hyperthyroidism.
Either way it wouldn't hurt for you to have your thyroid levels tested.
eat protien when you are tired i have had fatigue for years and just noticed recently if I am so tired iam about to drop I can eat protien and wake up quickly. I have always had sleep disorders till I started doing this and I started doing it by chance. try it see if it helps. I used to be unable to sleep at night the last 6 months I am on a human (normal human) sleeping scheduale.
hm..the celiac disease is a good answer. alot of people don't know that they are, and sometimes it gets bad enough to where they can't absorb any nutrients from food because their is so much inflammation from the allergies.
did you have your thyroid checked after you gave birth? a lot of women get postpartum hypothyroid. that can zap your energy quickly.
or when you sleep at night, is it quality sleep? like, i can sleep 7-8 hours and still feel like i never slept (course, doesn't help with a 9 week old waking up alot lol) but before my son, it didn't matter how much sleep. sleep apnea can make you tired, and you just need a sleep test to rule it out... anemia could be it, but i wouldn't think it unless you're very succeptible to it (like your body doesn't absorb iron very well) or you have extremely heavy periods...
Consider Vitamin D, lack of it can make you super tired! If you aren't out and about during daylight hours much then I would make a point to spend a little time outside during the day, it can do wonders.
I drink Yerba mate tea. it is a natural way to get your body going without putting a bunch of caffeine or chemicals in it. I am a single mother of one VERY active 3 yr old and I find myself going to bed with him at least twice a week around 9. Be kind to yourself and if you are tired at her nap time, NAP!
Another thing to think about (if you haven't already) is food allergies. My sister felt completely awful for a while, until she found through trial & error that she has celiac disease (allergic to gluten). She's TONS better now. Also, my mom wasn't quite as bad, but got tested for food allergies. She came home with a LIST, to include dairy & gluten, that's she's allergic to. She too feels better after avoiding what she now knows she's allergic to.
I plan to get tested myself as soon as I have the money. I am 26 with a 4 1/2 year old daughter and am always tired!! I hope I'm not allergic to gluten or dairy (those are hard!!), but hoping the answers will help me feel better.
Good luck!
