In this case, the weary one has been me. Dog tired, going on four years. So tired that I often felt like my car was driving me instead of me driving it.
At first I chalked it up to having a new baby who didn't sleep through the night 'til the end of his first year. But after his sleep improved I still didn't feel that much better. Then it was my schedule that was to blame - working part time, at-home mom part time, doing consulting work, and flying back to California once a month for an intensive lactation consultant training program. Then my schedule improved a lot, but the fatigue was still there. Would getting more sleep help? Not really. And our diet is pretty good.
By last year I had run out of reasons why I was so tired. I started to suspect that I had a thyroid problem, which is very common after childbirth. My hair had also been thinner and falling out more than usual - common after childbirth, but also a symptom of a thyroid problem.
I went to my doctor and did some blood tests. The tests came back negative for thyroid problems but, my doctor said, "you're definitely anemic."
I felt a little mad - at both myself and my doctors - for not catching something so common and so easily treatable earlier. I had been anemic during pregnancy, and the loss of blood at childbirth often results in anemia, so shouldn't someone have caught before now? How many blood tests and physicals have I had since then? I can see now that I should have been more assertive about the problem and not expect my doctors to pick up on these things, much as I wish they would. Perhaps I should change doctors.
Anyway, I tried a number of iron supplements and they all upset my stomach. Then I read, in a book called Anemia in Women, about Floradix, a liquid iron supplement. I'd also seen it advertised in Mothering Magazine. It didn't upset my stomach, and within a few weeks of starting it I noticed a significant change in my energy level. I'm thrilled that the solution was so simple.
Anemia is common after childbirth, which means that many breastfeeding women are anemic. Anemia can reduce your resistance to infection, and anemic women are more prone to recurrent mastitis (breast infections). Depression, including postpartum depression, can also be a symptom of anemia and thyroid problems. Thyroid problems can also contribute to low milk supply.
So, if you're experiencing serious fatigue, it may be a good idea to be screened for anemia and thyroid problems. If I've learned anything from this, it's that it often falls to us to advocate for good diagnosis and treatment.
