Mother so tired she is struggling to stay awake holding her cup of herbal tea

Dear Brilliant Mothers Everywhere,

Around 10 months after having my son I started suffering from chronic unexplained fatigue. This was even after my son had started sleeping through the night. I had dreamt of this moment but didn’t think I would feel so frankly rubbish when I was given the chance to get a good nights sleep, every single night!

So, knowing something wasn’t right I visited my doctor and asked for a blood test to rule out iron deficiency and vitamin D deficiency, amongst other things they could test for.

Once my results came back, they did infact show I had low levels of vitamin D and iron. 

Both were lower than is considered healthy and within the normal range, and a deficiency in either nutrient can cause tiredness. What was especially low though was my iron levels. For me it was specifically my serum ferritin blood levels, which is a protein that helps store iron in your body.  

Looking back, I could pin point exactly the three main reasons why my iron levels were so low:

  1. A large amount of blood is lost when you give birth.
  2. I then had a 5 week post-partum bleed (also known as ‘lochia’ which consists of blood, tissue shed from the lining of the uterus, and bacteria).
  3. My periods returned to their normal regular 28 day cycle pretty much straight after my post-partum bleed had finished.

I was not shocked that my vitamin D levels were also low given that even though I was taking a high dose during pregnancy, a lot of my stores were constantly being donated to my growing son in the womb, coupled with the fact that I spent most of my pregnancy during the winter and spring months where UVB rays are not actually able to penetrate the atmosphere to allow for us to produce vitamin D in our skin.

So to all the Brilliant Mother’s everywhere, I urge you, that if you too are experiencing extreme tiredness after giving birth, be sure to get your blood tests taken closely after and rule out low iron and vitamin D levels as the cause. As it is a simple fix to low energy levels, and a deficiency in both can lead to chronic health problems for you and will leave your baby deficient and also vulnerable to health problems if you breastfeed. 

It was within a week of taking two good quality supplements (see below) that I noticed my energy levels came right back up to normal! It was quite amazing really that I felt so good so quick, and really highlights the importance of making the time to look after yourself properly after giving birth, as well as your newborn baby.


vitamin D 4000iuhema-plex

 

One thing I also strongly recommend is that you go for a follow up blood test after three months of supplementation if you were found to have low levels of any nutrient during a blood test. This way you will be able to monitor just how well your supplements are working, and will be able to see if you are taking the right dose or if you need to possibly increase any of them slightly. This is because we are all unique and there is no one size fits all when it comes to supplementation as our diets (and the health of our digestive systems) can vary substantially.

Until my next letter aimed at offering helpful natural health and wellness advice for all the wonderful mummy’s out there… I wish you heaps of happiness and great health!

Amy 

P.S. You are doing a fantastic job!