Being a Mom is not a diagnosis…

I see a lot of Moms in my practice struggling with fatigue.  They bring it up to their family members or their doctor and are often told “you’re a mom, that’s normal”.    

But is it? I think we need to dig deeper.

There are many underlying causes of fatigue: anemia, poor nutrition, interrupted sleep, thyroid concerns, insulin resistance, lack of support, stress/anxiety, depression, restrictive diets, ADHD, nutrient deficiencies (B12, Vitamin D, Iron), blood sugar dysregulation, unbalanced mental load of the household, etc. 

While many of these underlying factors can be a common experience in motherhood that you may not always have control over (hello interrupted sleep!); others can be improved quickly and easily if we know about them.  

Iron deficiency, for example, is VERY common postpartum (and not just in the first few months!).  

The blood volume increases that happen in pregnancy dilute iron storage significantly and resources are being shunted to baby.  You may not have been told you’re low in iron in pregnancy because the standards are so low but the vast majority of people are.  Blood loss in delivery and postpartum bleeding further deplete those stores.  Low iron impacts your energy, can negatively impact sleep quality, and makes you significantly more likely to struggle with anxiety and/or depression.  

Before we blame these concerns on ‘motherhood’ - let’s test your levels!

Poor nutrition is another factor too… your body needs fuel to function.  If you’re not eating for large chunks of the day, if you’ve cut whole food groups from your diet, if you’re drinking coffee all day and not a lot else - your body is going to feel that!

And we definitely can’t forget the mental load.  

Society asks a lot of us, there’s a lot of pressure on parents to ‘have it all’.  We see the highlight reel in others’ lives and fall victim to busyness.  We create unreasonable expectations on what our home should look like, how our baby should be sleeping, and what activities we should participate in to support their development.  We need a reframe!

And so… is it motherhood? No! 

Is it a common experience for Moms, absolutely.  

Are there places to start? Yes!  

Get some bloodwork done and seek support, you deserve more!