Breast feeding and knackered - help me please!

[Firsttimer7259]

So my baby is 5 months old now. She was exclusively breast fed until 4 months old. Since then she has had the occasional bottle of formula when her dad looks after her. I dont like expressing.

I feel worn out, had a difficult pregnancy and the usual baby tiredness. Baby girl is big and thriving (4 kilos at birth). I would like to start to feel a bit better physically. I am tired and unfit and still quite over weight. I dont want to stop breast feeding but wish I felt a bit better, I cant seem to get well while breastfeeding, and getting a bit fitter is tough, I eat badly because I get soo hungry. I cant wait for 6 months to roll around so I can introduce more solids but I guess that initially her eating wont decrease how much milk she needs. How can I make this easier on myself?

I have also just got my period back and feel like crying about having yet another drain on what feels like my very limited physical resources...My periods are very heavy and usually I take medication to reduce the flow as I get anemic...

I know I am being a bit over demanding on myself regarding the 'i must exclusively breast feed' Its silly but I have this ingrained and thught I would just live with it for another month. On the other hand would just introducing a little formula make a big difference in how hard I am finding this? It could just be a growth spurt, we have had one almost every month where I think this is impossible and then feeding becomes easier again, except its been a week and a half now...

I dont know, I suspect I am too tired to make good decisions just now. I am worried that I will feel I have failed somehow if I introduce more bottles. Please dont get angry with me I do tend to think that other mothers who have had difficulties breast feeding have done the right and courageous thing when they stop because its detracting from enjoying their babies, but.....somehow I am worried I will feel bad if I do it...

ok this is very rambly and confused. Sorry please help..I am tired..would like to feel better physically. How can I make the breastfeeding easier on my body?

Firstly well done for getting to 5 months.

It will get easier once you give solids. I felt similar at 5 months will DD and was advised (HV) better starting to have solids (homecooked fruit veg and some babyrice) rather than formula.

I found that giving solids took the pressure off....

My DD's 5.5 months and we've been giving her solids for a couple of weeks now since she passed the 5 month mark. Solids definitely took the feeding to a more reasonable level and BF-ing while solids is being introduced helps with digesting the food.

Some links here on benefits of introducing solids between 4-6 months and on-going research:
Pediatrician's advice

On-going research

preventing celiac disease

Is it actually breastfeeding that's making you feel so tired and run down? Maybe you need more rest, if you are tired and over doing it, I don't see that formula feeding will help necessarily. Or is it the fact that breastfeeding is so time consuming that it's making you feel worn out? Are you going to bed early enough or getting a rest in the day? Get some easy meals and snacks to keep you feeling strong during the day. Muller rice, smoothies, snacking cheese, milk shake are all sustaining me at the moment. Although given half a chance I will eat vast quantities of cake and chocolates. I reckon now is not the time to worry about being over weight.

I'd strongly suggest getting your iron levels tested - pop along to the docs. Particularly if you're prone to anaemia anyway. I also felt absolutely shattered when my DS was younger (now 6 months) - then started iron tablets and it was like magic - tipped me from that dizzy tiredness where you feel like you physically can't move, to just normally tired. Worth a try anyway?

Also get thyroid tested whilst you are at GP, low levels can cause exhaustion.

I find breastfeeding exhausting too. With my dd's the exhaustions went away almost as soon as I stopped feeding, and my extra weight dropped off very quickly too.

If you are worried about feeling bad about giving up, just take things one feed at a time. I have tried to 'make a decision' about stopping before and find it such a wrench. So I just take one feed at a time, and if I want to give an expressed bottle, or formula then I do. I got to 7 weeks with dd1 and 10 months with dd2 and don't feel bad about stopping with either of them, but I did miss it a little at the time. Currently at 7 weeks with my ds, who has an expressed bottle once a day usually.

For me I think part of the exhaustion is because I don't like people to demand things of me and it stresses me out, If you are stressed over deciding whether to stop or not then that is probably making you feel tired too.

Do make sure you are eating and drinking enough too though,

Breastfeeding was exhausting in the early days for me too and I found that it helped hugely to build an extra meal into my schedule - so I had afternoon tea every day. It coincided with my afternoon drop in sugar/energy and also fortified me for the whole supper/bathtime routine. Otherwise I found that I was eating at 1pm, then nothing else until after 8pm which is just too long when you have a hungry baby.

Sometimes cake, but often something healthier - a sandwich, a bit of pasta etc. Just knowing that I had the extra meal made it easier to stave off cravings for rubbish and I snacked less.

Oh, and I have lost weight, but by focussing more on exercise than reducing what I eat. So I eat what I want within reason and then find I have the energy to go for a run or a swim, or a decent walk.

Good luck!

I would get your iron levels tested too. I was really run down a few months ago and a lovely mumsnetter recommended I try spa tone and it worked really well. So maybe an iron supplement would help, but it's worth checking with your GP.

Spatone is great if you are running low on iron/energy. Also can you do less of other things and just look after/feed baby?

Thanks for all this advice. Maybe its not so much the breast feeding as ensuring I have some healthier (still high cal) options to eat. It was driving me crazy that I keep rushing out to buy chocolate at 4pm. and wolfing it down in giant bars.

I ahve started on iron supplements and will see if that helps.

Miraculously I have had a full nights sleep and feel so much better so it may well be lack of sleep rather than breast feeding that is so hard.

Anyone with any other tips, espcially things to tempt me away from a serious chocolate/ice cream addiction please post.

Enjoy the eating - I didn't lose any weight until after 6 months. And then it dropped off. If you're hungry, eat and don't feel guilty. (I was very much one of those bosemy mums and now I'm quite svelte!)

Starting periods is hardwork - I had terrible periods at about the 9 month stage after both dds were born. They should - hopefully sort themselves out.

Look after yourself! When you're BFing sit on the sofa and read/watch tv. If your baby falls asleep on you, close your eyes too!

Weaning is quite hardwork so - even it can be avoided for a bit longer, avoid it! (Messy, time consuming, mucks up babies sleep for while!)

I was very anaemic after DS2 was born but didn't get it diagnosed until he was 2 by which time I looked and felt like a zombie/ghost.
I don't get on with iron tablets so take Floradix liquid iron instead, which is also a bit of a general tonic
www.multipharmacy.com/shop/customer/Salus-Floradix-liquid-iron-formula-500ml-pid-7675.html

I feel loads better taking this and my periods have got much lighter too, ironically anaemia can cause heavy periods and pregnancy and breastfeeding are also very iron depleting.

And do take care of yourself generallt, try and rest when your DD sleeps and chill out when she is feeding.

Snacking on nuts/seeds/cheese is more sustaining than chocolate which will give you blood sugar highs/lows, which can make you feel very tired.

Remenber that it won't last long - you're pretty much at the peak of your milk supply now and it is a big drain on your body. I feel sorry for all you guys that are told not to wean until 6 months - I had mine back in the bad old days when we were told 4 months and I remember EBF at that age just before weaning started as being quite draining.

I remember that as very hard too. Buy a breastfeeding vitamin supplement (actually helped me) and take them religiously. Also concoct lovely juice's for yourself and keep in fridge. I used dehydration satchets (can't remember name but get them at chemist) and popped one satched into water/juice mix, it helps bring your salt and other mineral levels up. Apart from that just try to eat high energy but slow release energy food. I was adivsed to eat a big bowl of porridge a day so I had one for breakfast everyday, really helped me not snack. Have raisins and dried apricots around. Their full of b vitamins too so very good for you. Hang in there!