Knackered and Can't Think Clearly

[almost40]

Hi, I don't know if this belongs in the breastfeeding thread or the health thread. DD is 6 months old. Aside from solids which she just started, she is solely breastfed. I work as a solicitor 3 days a week. When DD was 6 weeks old, I started the minipill. Ever since she was born, I feel really knackered all the time, but mostly in the early afternoon. I get so tired that I can barely think clearly. It is affecting my work performance. I express at work, sometimes twice a day, and sometimes once. DD sleeps through the night, and I haven't had unusual stress. Is this constant fatigue due to the breastfeeding, the minipill or both? What can I do to function better? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Almost40, were you really posting at 3am? no wonder you're knackered!

now I don't know whether to start taking my minipill or not. like you I've got pregnant while bf (intentionally) and no intention of having another so feel I should take it but am dithering after reading this thread.

Fennel

don't be put off bu the thread, like with the combined pill, everyone has different reactions, and even you cna change over time.

I took the combined pill for 10 years, but after having my daughter I started getting really bad migraines, tha's why I tried the minipill.

The fact that it did not work for some people does not mean it won't work for you!

Fennel - I agree with webmum - i had a great experience with the combined pill - except it put my BP up, but I know some people who have hated it and would completely agree that everyone experiences things differently. I have some friends who think the depo injection is wonderful, others who think it is dreadful. Hormones affect us all in different ways - my intention wasn't to put anyone off the mini-pill, but just to say that if you are on the mini-pill and feeling depressed, it is so easy to test out whether or not the mini-pill is the culprit (in particular in comparison to the depo injection where you are stuck with it until it wears off)

almost40, it is well known that the early afternoon is a time when people tend to feel sleepy - don't know exactly why but it is to do with the daily hormonal cycles of the body - that's why naptime and siesta time happen then. So there is a biological reason why your tiredness gets the better of you at that time. I have definitely experienced overwhelming and almost irresistable urges to sleep then, if I am at all tired, even though I may feel pretty perky at other times of the day. (and this predates kids - I could never manage early afternoon lectures for example!)
But I agree it would be easy enough to check out if the mini-pill is the problem, or at least making it worse.

Yep, elliot's right - that is the classic time for energy drops, though it sounds like yours is pretty pronounced. I had that in my first couple of months of pregnancy, so obviously it WAS hormonal! Other than getting your idea regarding the minipill checked out, there are the usual tricks for coping which I'm sure you know about already...lots of water, healthy snacks and avoiding the short but counterproductive energy bursts provided by sugar and caffeine.

Oh, and try not to sit up too late at night posting,

I just think you are tired because you are a mum, you go to work and it's just tiring. Early afternoon slumps are really normal - they are part of your internal body clock or circadium rhythm. You could try drinking a couple of glasses of water when you feel really sleepy, have a coffee, and try a brisk walk around the block for light and fresh air. Also have more protein at lunch and less starchy carbohydrate (ie bread/pasta). On the days you are at home aim for a 20 minute nap when your baby is asleep.

Also, go to bed earlier - aim for 10.30ish. And you do deserve one lie in a week.

All good advice again. Thanks. I forgot to mention that I'm in the US, so it's only 11pm here.

Hello almost40 - would you be able to try a 'me' day - when your dp looks after dd when she's not bf and you can just relax and do nothing. Handing over the responsibility and just have yourself to look after. A Lie-in, breakfast in bed, relaxation, whatever you would like to do. I find that just sometime on my own can really help me to replenish resouces. All the best

hi almost40,

I have to say I always find bf very tiring and have twice had a surge of energy when switching from fully feeding to half bf and half formula. So it could be the bf though lots of women say they don't feel that tired while doing it. I am interested if it's the minipill as I was about to start taking that, while bf dd3, so will be watching this thread with interest.

but then, new mothers who aren't bf are also knackered, it's so hard to tell what exactly is causing it even though I am convinced for me the bf makes a big difference.

Hi Almost40

Could you try taking a vitamin supplement - I know that when I take extra iron I have much more energy. BFing is very tiring I agree - are you eating enough, often enough and with the right combo of protein & carbs to give you more energy?

Hope you feel better soon, mit x

Thanks MIT and Fennel. The reason why I have started this thread is because I recently read that the minipill can cause "extreme fatigue". Also, when I breastfed DD1, I don't believe I was this tired. I did not take the minipill when I was breastfeeding DD1, thus the existence of DD2. But I digress. I'm trying to decide whether I need to consider an alternate means of contraception. I am taking prenatal vitamins still, and I eat a lot - primarily because breastfeeding of course makes me really hungry, and I give in to my hunger. If breastfeeding is the cause though, maybe things will change now that DD2 has started solids.

Almost 40 - I think it would be worthwhile stopping the minipill for a bit, in case that is the source of the problem. It should go out of your system really quickly (after all we get all those warnings about not taking it more than 3 hours late!). I had problems with PMT/depression on the minipill that cleared up really quickly after I stopped taking it. The other thing I would suggest next time you are at the Doctors is getting an iron count done to see if you do need extra iron. Best of luck

as well as the prenatals i also took extra iron and calcium...while bf the baby is using up all your suplies of calcium and iron (as well as everything else, but especially these two). my gp recommended this and it definatly helped. no matter how good your diet is its hard to get enough calcium your you and baby, especially as your body stores may already low after preg.

Thanks, mts. I really appreciate your candid advice. I know that my iron count was good when I had it checked a long time ago, but I'll get it rechecked. Do you know anything about the Mirena coil? My doctor recommended against it while I'm breastfeeding.

Gloworm, you are exactly right. I'm a walking example of the loss of calcium. I have had to have 2 teeth pulled since giving birth. My dentist said that my teeth decayed completely during my pregnancy!

Hello Almost40,

Breastfeeding shouldn't be making you more tired than it is possible to feel with a baby. I agree with mummytosteven in that you should get an iron count - also I'd suggest a thyroid test. Be sure that you are eating enough - more to do with rushing around leaving less time. Have you been losing some weight? are you able to sleep well - stress even the usual stress (motherhood can be stressful just for itself!) can effect sleep patterns. Do you get a proper break at work - many jobs involve a quick sandwich at the desk - see if you could take even 20 mins to relax - have a "power nap"! Help around the house can take some of the strain - even taking you work clothes to a laundry could save effort. Wishing you all the best

Hi almost40. Didn't mean to be candid . There are various threads on health about the mirena. On the plus side - my best friend has one and thinks its the best thing since sliced bread (nothing like reasoned scientific research for a recommendation). Also it is likely to make your periods lighter and is therefore suggested as a treatment for people with problem periods. On the minus side - it does contain progestogen hormones - although they are in a small amount and localised so should theoretically cause less side effects than progestogen in an injection or tablet form. But as someone who has experienced problems with progestogen in tablet form I personally am extremely wary of taking progestogen in any other form - although from what I have seen the side effects of the Mirena coil would cease pretty much as soon as it was taken out, having coils inserted and removed is a bit of a commitment, in a different way to taking tablets everyday - i.e. that if you get fed up with taking tablets, you just stop at the end of the pack, whilst having to get a coil removed is more of a medical procedure. I do not know the position on the mirena and breastfeeding. I am surprised that it is not recommended for bfing, whilst the minipill is, and suspect this may be because the mirena is so new the docs are being ultra cautious. The mirena can cause a lot of irregular bleeding the first few months you have it, until you get used to it - once this has ceased you may well have no periods or very light periods.

FP, I wish I were losing weight, but unfortunately, that is not the case. I'm one of the ones who loves the 'carrot chant' from the other thread - I'm constantly telling myself - if I'm not hungry for a carrot, I must not really be hungry. Or however the saying goes. I don't think my diet is the concern, and I actually have a cleaner. I know that I'm not overdoing it. Thanks though.
MTS, I believe that my doctor was concerned with insertion of the coil whilst breastfeeding. She said that it might be painful and literally bloody uncomfortable. In any case, she wanted me to try the minipill first.

Hi almost40.
Just a couple of thoughts - with dd (now 2.8) I found that it took almost a year to feel that I could think clearly again, and with ds (now 6ms)I reckon the same will be true. I fed dd until she was 10 ms but by then she was just having a suckle morning and evening, ie it wasn't really a 'feed'. Ds is just coming onto solids now. he is a rubbish sleeper, but to be honest I don't think it's just the fatigue or the physical effects of bf, i think it's in large part the result of having to let your mind adapt to an entirely different load.
Becoming a mother means to me being constantly responsive whilst anticipating the next moment, it means living in the present without the opportunity for analytical or reflective thinking, whilst (for me at least) it also delivered a set of anxieties and emotional responses which were at odds with the detached and analytical person I have to be at work. At home it's desirable to be endlessly patient, calm, to connect on an emotional level, to communicate in the most simple way, and to live at a fairly slow pace. At work it's better to be decisive, quick, and more sophisticated. I just couldn't be both people at once, and I certainly didn't have room in my mind for remembering to get more nappies etc etc whilst at the same time remembering the latest developments in the CPR. Does this ring any bells with you?
Also, if your nickname is literally true...might this have something to do with it? I'm 40 next year and I am really feeling my age at the moment. joints, back, legs, all aching. the other advice on this thread about diet and iron sounds excellent, I really must get around to doing something about it

Hi hovely, thanks for posting. Yes, I'm almost 40 - 38 yo. I actually have a very ideal situation working 3 days a week, and lots of help (nanny and cleaner). DH is not the most helpful of husbands, but at least he is not too demanding. Since this is my second child, I don't feel like the fatigue is associated with being a new mother, since I didn't feel this way when DD1 was born. I feel much more like this is hormonal - so I'm trying to determine if it is associated with the minipill or breastfeeding. I don't feel the effects of being almost 40 - the fatigue I feel doesn't feel like it's related to my age, ifysim - I don't know if that makes any sense. Anyway, this has been extremely helpful. I feel as though a lot of what I feel may pass after I stop breastfeeding - since I can also switch off the minipill then.

I have a Mirena, which was inserted, umm, a week earlier after birth than the Dr. normally prefers to do them as he was going on holiday the next day. I think I was 11 weeks postpartum. He had no issue whatsoever with doing the Mirena while breastfeeding, thought the mini-pill was OK but the Mirena better as there is less drug wandering about your bloodstream. The insertion was much less painful than the smear he did at 6 weeks.

I'm also tired (DD is 4.5 months and I'm working part-time mostly at home while taking care of her) but I haven't got any good ideas as to the cause.

Hi almost40,

Have you been back at work for a while, or just started? I too am on the mini-pill, breastfeed my DS and work 3 days a week. Unlike you however, you lucky thing, I don't have a cleaner or a nanny, , and the housework's all mine!
Shortly after I started back at work, I too was hit with extreme fatigue as well as a series of nasty bugs. Whether this be coincidence or no, I started to feel a lot better after taking a liquid iron (plus other vits) supplement (I use Floradix 'Floravital', an all-natural type from Holland and Barrett). I think settling back in to working may have helped as well, as the travel was a real strain to start with (I have to lug the baby to a childminder first, then trek across town with expressing equipment and a laptop!) Certainly in my case I don't think hormones were a factor, but if that's your gut feeling it's worth investigating. Hope you feel better soon.

Finding this thread interesting as I am bf DS who is 7.5 months, am on the mini-pill and am very tired. Feeling a bit as if it could be depression as well so seeing mummytosteven's comment is making me wonder whether the mini pill is the best thing for me to use.

And I am taking a multivitamin, and had my iron levels checked a while ago.

Really glad I'm not back at work yet though....oh well September will come too fast I am sure