To be going to bed straight after the kids every night?

[BabCNesbitt]

Two DCs, youngest has just turned 3. They’re usually in bed by about 8 each night and when DC2 is finally asleep, I get into bed and crash out because I’m exhausted, every bloody night. I get up at 6am and work four days a week, but DH is great and does equal shares of getting the kids ready for school/nursery and ready for bed, and does most of the cooking too.

I went to the GP a few months ago because I was feeling so tired and bleh all the time and apparently blood tests showed that everything was fine but that my iron stores were a bit low (told this by the receptionist over the phone, no figures given). I’ve been taking Holland and Barrett iron supplements since then but I’m still bloody knackered all the time. Is this just normal for a mid-forties woman who gets up at 6am? Or WIBU to pester the GP again for more tests or something like that?

I have a two and five year old, they are exhausting I go to bed at 8pm and still wake up tired. It’s just life with small children.

32 and single parent and feel mostly the same but I expect it's the "single parent" thing! I used to feel like you describe and it was so frustrating. It was because I was so fed up of life. I was trapped in an awful relationship and I was so fed up of being a SAHM (still am, but it's changing!).

I tried all the vitamins and they made me feel worse. I walk around quite a lot, school run, dog walks etc but going to the gym and working out doesn't do it for me either. I end up a sweaty aching, disgusting mess and wish I hadn't bothered. The only thing that makes me feel better is having something to look forward to/be excited about. When I have this I'm really energised and happy. It doesn't have to be a huge, expensive treat (to be honest I always feel a scary pressure to "love" these anyway).

I'm over the moon I booked a weeks caravan Haven holiday for me and my boys at one of my childhood favourites, just as some good deals were released (snapped up within days), and I've also just been accepted onto an access course studying Healthcare sciences at an incredibly supportive college, then will be applying for a degree in mental health nursing. It's scary but so exciting.

You need things like this in life to keep the fuel burning I think.

@puds11 I didn't but if you're run down I think you're more likely to pick up everything going. I think I'd been feeling tired for years and put it down to small children but I was still feeling tired when they were sleeping through and I couldn't believe I should be feeling more tired than my elderly parents.

@HappySeven thanks. I think that’s definitely it. I’m just running back to back colds at the moment. I spent most of the weekend in bed and it just feels like a waste

Ferrous fumerate, more expensive but easier on the tummy, 210mg once a day will bring up iron levels in a reasonable amount of time. If you are anemic and only taking the usual dose in multivitamins or a less effective formulation, it just doesn't work as well. I tried everything including Spatone and Solgar gentle iron and the only thing that puts a dent in my anemia is the big dose of ferrous fumerate. Our periods take iron each month so we need more than men so the regular multivitamins don't do so much.

You should ask to be retested 3 months after your first blood test to see if what you are doing is helping. Otherwise you may need prescription iron.

OP wouldn't be getting 10 hours sleep though. I know for me, I could "go to bed" at 8, but by the time I shower and get ready for bed, read a bit, then close my eyes but take 30-40 minutes to actually fall asleep, I wouldn't be asleep until 10pm. Which is quite a reasonable bed time for someone who wakes at 6am.