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.

message withdrawn

Try everything, but babies are bloody knackering. I hate to sound like Old Crone person but they really are

hmmmm, almost 40...you're 38, you've got 2 very small children, you're working in quite a demanding position, you're expressing twice a day at work.....I'm not surprised you're knackered! I know you feel you shouldn't be tired but really, give yourself a break and think how much you are doing!
I'm in a very similar situation, just returned to part-time work with ds's aged 2 and a half and 7 months. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed - and certainly MUCH more tired than after the return to work last time. MI is right, babies are just tiring.
As for the bf, with ds1 I jsut decided that I would have enough on my plate once I went back to work and so I stopped. This time I wanted to prove that I was superwoman(!) who could keep on bf as long as she wanted....after one day back at work I realised that expressing just wasn't going to work out (too much time, I wasn't any good at it anyway) and I felt great relief at putting my pump away. I'm still feeding am and pm and pondering when to stop - I'm sure that it will be part liberation, part sadness when the time comes. But I digress, for you the expressing may feel easy and continuing may be one of your priorities. But certainly for me, I've found life easier once they were 'independent' in terms of feeding.
Do you get any chance of sharing lie-ins at the weekend? Or regular time off when dh will take the kids?
can't really advise about the mini-pill and fatigue , but I'm sure you could use the mirena and still bf - lots of my friends have.

I should add that I often nearly fall asleep in the afternoon at my desk. Maybe a quick stroll to clear the head? And I invariably doze off during the bedtime feed....you are not alone!!

I took the minipill for a few months while b/feeding and did not feel any sideeffects really, but I then took for several months as an alternative to the combined pill and I was starting to think I was terribly depressed when it occurred to me it might be the pill, and sure enough a few weeks later I was a different person altogether.

Hormones can have all sorts of effects on different people so do check with gp.

I think even if you only have a remote suspicion that the mini-pill is making you depressed it is well worth going off it - it clears your body so quickly that it makes a difference nearly right away, and it is easy to go back on again if you don't think that is the culprit.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your advice. To answer some of your questions, Aelita, I have been back at work for 3 months now. Elliott, I do not get to share a lie-in with DH, as DH is the type who works late and will make me feel guilty if I ask him to deal with the children in the morning. It's just not worth the hassle. My relief doesn't come from DH, but rather from our nanny. I don't complain because oddly enough, I feel a surge of energy in the morning and also in the late evening. I don't ever feel like I'd like to stay in bed in the morning. The extreme fatigue seems isolated to the afternoons, but is so extreme that I cannot think clearly. It's hard to explain exactly - such a strange phenomenon that I feel like it has to be something hormonal or aritifically induced, not just caused by the daily activities of being a mum of 2 little ones, iyswim. In any case, as I mentioned earlier, I started this thread because I do feel like I need to sort out my contraception. Another issue though which I haven't mentioned is that these feelings make me feel like I could never have a third baby. I know I don't want one now, but I was dreaming of having another little one in a few years. I'll start a thread again when it comes time. Thanks again and good night.

have been on minipill a week and not yet knackered or depressed. in fact I think it has increased my libido! from post-natal total non-interest to eyeing up strangers! anyone else found this? DP v happy

just proves the point that we all react differently to all sorts of medication (ADs and contraceptives more than a lot of things, it seems)

Almost40 and Piccadillycircus, are you around?

how do you feel now about the minipill and fatigue?

I've been on the minipill a month and have been experiencing extreme tiredness in the last couple of weeks which I was attributing to still fully breastfeeding until I remembered this thread last night. I've just stopped the minipill to see if the energy comes back (it's that or stop the bf). would be interested to hear how you both are doing.

Bump to try and catch the attention of Almost40 in a different time zone... are you there?

I am still on the mini pill and still doing a bit of breastfeeding (trying to convince DS he still wants to )

I am tired almost all of the time which I can't really attribute to bf anymore. I am thinking of not using the mini pill any more, although not sure what else to use.

Hi Piccadilly circus

I haven't really decided what to use instead but have been so tired lately I wouldn't have the energy anyway.

Maybe that's why the mini pill is a contraceptive - you end up too worn out to comtemplate anything but sleep

Although I did manage to get vaguely in the mood for our postponed wedding anniversary celebrations...

Piccadillycircus LOL

it's very effective in my case then!

Hi Fennel and PC, I'm here - and still knackered!! More importantly, I still can't think clearly, although DH attributes this to my personality in general. I am still on the minipill. Contemplating the Mirena. I am also still breastfeeding 4-5 times a day. DD2 is teething now, so she is crying in the night. Bad combination right now. My friend says she thinks that the reason why I am so tired is because of the lack of REM sleep or something associated with estrogen. I didn't really understand what she was saying. Hope you are both well.

hi almost 40,i empathise with you cause i feel exactlt the same ,i am 37 and have 3yr old and 15 week old, i cant really c the computer screen properly cause i am so shattered! i def think it is the boob feedong,OH FOR A LIE IN!! good luck!

Have only just caught up with this and maybe what I'm about to say is way off the mark - but have you considered that you might have an under active thyroid gland which may be contributing to your fatigue?? I know of two women - both friends who have been diagnosed with this since giving birth to their first child...and their symptons sound very similar to what they were going through. Both have been prescribed thyroxin and feel a millions times better.

As I said - it may be completely wrong - but it doesn't do any harm to get in checked out??

HBA, I've actually had my thyroid checked twice, but I agree it couldn't hurt to have it checked again. I think it's a combination of the breastfeeding and the minipill. The few times I could lie in, I haven't been able to because I can't go back to sleep. Menace, I wonder if younger mums get this way too. Goodnight!

At the age of 40 I b/fed my dd for the first 6 months and have to say I was absolutely knackered and brain-dead until I stopped. From that point I gradually returned to "normal". I just think how can b/feeding not be tiring?