Feeling crap 6 months postpartum

[Peggles]

Not sure if this is completely normal but I almost feel worse 6 months in than I did a few weeks after giving birth. Belly looks bloated every day, hair is falling out in clumps and I've got absolutely no energy. I love being a mum but I just feel like I'm not myself anymore, think I just assumed I would be back to normal by now like lots of other people seem to be and I just look and feel like a mess. Is this just a normal thing?

Hey! I’m not sure if it’s normal or not but I feel you - my LO is coming up to 6 months and I feel EXACTLY the same.

I mentioned it to some of my mum friends and got blank stares back…

It’s my first baby so I have nothing to compare it to, I keep going to the doctors for tests because I’m sure something is off but I think they are beginning to view me as a drain on resource because they’ve started to just fob me off a bit.

Hopefully for both of us this is just a season of life that we’ll get through!! xx

Pop to the GP and get some bloods done -
likely you are lacking in some vitamins.

Really sorry to hear you're feeling that way too but have to admit it's nice to hear I'm not the only one. First baby here too so I get exactly how you're feeling, it's all just new. I have the feeling the same thing will happen when I go to the gp but I have an appointment booked for next week and hopefully get some answers. Have you not had anything come back on your tests? X

Thank you both for your replies, I'm hoping it is a lack of iron or something but its just leaving me feeling really down

Please do speak to someone about how you are feeling x

I’m 11months pp and have been through a couple of phases like this and wish I’d got bloods done earlier!

3 months postpartum I was running 10k steadily but easily, now I’m struggling with half that, I have alopecia areata and my joints are painful - been to the doctors and currently waiting for blood tests and taking all the vitamins I can get my hands on my it’s really frustrating!

I would get to the GP and just see if you can get a blood test - might just be hormones settling but if it’s something that needs fixing it’s worth knowing.

are you or have you been breastfeeding? Mine seemed to coincide with my baby wanting less breast milk/stopping feeding.

@Peggles my results came back as a ferritin deficiency (but not anemic) so I’m now on iron tablets. However, my dr has said that we’ll do more bloods in 6 weeks time if I’m still not feeling “normal”…

I hope your GP visit goes well and you get some answers! It’s tough actually, not quite the blissful maternity leave I imagined while I was counting down the days at work lol

@Werewolfnotswearwolf No, I haven't breast fed at all. I've got an appointment next week with gp so fingers crossed I can get bloods done and get an answer. I always put off going gp in case anything is wrong (which sounds silly) but you're definitely right, it's better to know. I hope you get some answers from bloods and can start feeling better soon too!

I would say do the necessary checks with your GP but do not compare yourself to other mums... we're all different. I react to hormones massively and it takes me 9 months to feel normal again. I know mums who host dinner parties with a 3 week old... and that's fine. We're all different and that's ok!

@WeeRunnerGirl Thats what I'm suspecting I'll be told as I have been on iron tablets before but they never seemed to help, do you find they help you? I don't know what feeling 'normal' is anymore haha. I'm back to work tomorrow and already know I'm going to be feeling like a zombie all day 🙃

@Mamoun I know you're completely right, just sometimes can't help but compare, especially when feeling so rubbish

@Peggles did you lose a lot of blood giving birth? I had quite a big haemorrhage and had iron infusions for a while after and still take iron tablets now but I wonder if anaemia is still the cause of mine!

The other thing I had a blood test for was my thyroid - oddly I lost almost all the weight other than about 3kg within a month or so and now whatever I do it won’t come off which I’ve never experienced before which makes me thing that might be a reason!

I hope you feel much better soon. It’s so much harder when you don’t feel yourself and you’re right, it’s so hard not to compare!

@Peggles I can’t really tell if the iron tablets help me or not…I still feel tired the whole time, and now I’m constipated too haha.

oh goodness, let me know how that goes!! Hopefully it’s not too bad. At least you’ll be able to go pee without balancing a baby/having them watch you in the bouncer (or is that just me that does that?! Haha)

let me know how your GP visit goes! I’m half tempted to go private and get a full health check. Anyway, at least it’s comforting knowing I’m not the only one feeling like this, as much as I don’t wish for you to feel rubbish!

@Werewolfnotswearwolf Nope, no complications with the birth and honeslty for the first month or so I felt absolutely fine. Thyroid is something I hadn't even thought of, I suppose there's just a whole host of things that could be wrong. This is the first time I've spoken to anyone who feels even remotely the same.

@WeeRunnerGirl Ahhhh yes the constipation, I remember that well lol I hope you feel they start to help soon though. I'm dreading leaving my bubs to be honest. She is an angel baby really which makes me feel even worse about feeling so down, I feel guilty for not feeling tip top all the time. Hopefully this is something we can look back at in a few months and feel totally different. I agree, it's not that I want to know other people are suffering but it's comforting to know I'm not alone. Thank you for responding, I'm knew to mumsnet and wasn't sure whether to post or not lol

I've had two babies and whilst the newborn stage is obviously extremely tiring, I do think you're sort of running on a rush of hormones - oxytocin or whatever. I remember having quite the post birth glow and although tired, I felt in control and generally in quite good shape!

But 3-6 months in I was much more tired, sleep deprivation was taking its toll and I definitely felt more run down.

I'm not trying to trivialise your position and of course get checked over as other PPs have suggested, but I also so think it can be quite normal to feel like this. And it will get better with time.
My second is now 13 months and I'm feeling much better with improved sleep, better diet and a bit more exercise (the latter two being direct result of the improved sleep!)
All the best!

Hello All,

just wanted to some thoughts or experiences on how I’ve been feeling. 7 months postpartum and I started feeling really unwell. First it was a signus infection, then abdominal pain, pain whilst eating generally, back pain and pressure in my bum. The tummy pain improved but the pressure in my bum didn’t, boiled down to being an Anal Fistula and inflammation. Around 8/9 months postpartum I felt soooo fatigued I couldn’t do anything, I was having night sweats as well. Now almost 10 month postpartum I’m having heart palpitations when I lay down to go to sleep or wake up in the morning, panic attacks for no reason, out of breath, light headed and cold tremors, like I was freezing even thought it’s 23/24 degrees in the room at the time. It’s awful! I’ve been to the dr’s they have done bloods, all fine apart from slightly low iron and vitamin D. They keep saying ‘ever so slightly’ so apparently not a big deal. Im on over the counter iron and vitamin D. They checked my T3 and T4 thyroid and they said that’s all fine. I’m just sooo confused and feel like I’m being made to feel like there is nothing wrong with me. They also did an ecg but they do it at times when I don’t have the palpitations, during the day. But I usually get them at night or early hours of the morning. Has anyone felt anything like this? Is it hormones? I’m breast feeding still as well, twice a day and sometimes at night. Thank you all in advance!

@ZSA this is me almost exactly, relieved to read I'm not the only one though sad it's happening to you. I'm 6 months pp, about a month or so ago I had a uti and since then had shakes, night and morning palpitations, fizzy arms and legs at night and generally felt a bit crap. Drs think anxiety and hormones. Similarly had ecg and bloods and nothing abnormal... Hoping it will all pass eventually but hate not knowing. Still doing some bf so maybe once I've stopped fully it'll be better... I had an easy pregnancy and have never felt unwell like this before so it's pretty unnerving. Hope you feel better x

Get your bloods taken. I developed post partum thyroiditis at 6 months. When I went to my GP they dismissed the idea as my 2 month post partum bloods had been fine. However they did test me and swallowed their words when my results came back. Could be this, or anaemia or other post partum problems that can flare up later. May obviously also just be tired with a 6 month old but ask to get your bloods taken incl your thyroid levels just in case x

God just realised how old the original post was!!!

@zsa Just seen your post and going through the exact same symptoms, with a few additional ones, swollen glands😕 had all the tests under the sun, full gold standard cardio work, gastro etc but came back normal.
Would love to know how you're faring now?