The post partum shift
I’ve shared with you how I was hit pretty hard after becoming a mum. There were a whole bunch of things that I wasn’t prepared for when it came to looking after my mental health and how Mindfulness has helped me to stay in the driver’s seat (read all about it here).
Now I want to talk about the physical side of things, because that absolutely floored me. I’ve posted about this and written about it in bits but it’s worthy of a dedicated post. I knew that there would be physical recovery involved after having a baby. I was a Health Coach, I had the connections to specialists so wasn’t too worried. How wrong was I! I had no idea what was about to hit me. I felt low, physically low all the time. To say that I was constantly tired, doesn’t do it justice. I would find that I would spend 99% of my time talking about how exhausted I was the minute that anyone asked me, any question! I couldn’t focus or concentrate. I was a fuzzy, very tired, mess. Oh, then there was the getting sick. After having Emilie, I got hit with so much sickness, including the worst chest infection that I had ever had and pneumonia. I was sick, all the time.
Luckily I had been seeing Jessica (BSc) a Holistic Nutritionist before baby #2. She had helped me by running blood tests and checking out how I was really doing. She managed to get me into a good place health wise before I had my second baby so I naturally turned to her when things started to fall down again after Arch. I wasn’t sleeping. The tiredness was extreme and back with a vengeance and so was the fogginess. The problem that I had was that I just didn’t feel right or myself.
Anxiety, childbirth, pregnancy, breast feeding and sleep deprivation all take their toll on a new mum's health and fitness. I knew it would take a little time but thought that it would be months. Talking to Jessica had me reassessing. It could be years to get back to where I was and I’m not talking about weight here either. As I said, hormones, sleep, the stress of pregnancy and childbirth take a toll. I have also needed to be a lot more conscious around how I look after myself. Looking after your mental health is great but when you are physically depleted then you will find yourself on an uphill battle. I needed to add supplements into my diet. I needed to overhaul my diet as well! I needed to take another look at my sleep and evening habits. I needed to exercise.
I speak to a lot of mums and they have the same story. The one where they physically don’t feel right after birth but don’t know where to turn. I know that I tried turning to GP’s and other health professionals but unless I was in a horrific state, I was ignored. I started to feel like this was my reality now, feeling fuzzy, bone-tired and like I would inevitably all the colds / viruses that were out there - and this was pre-covid! A lot of parents feel like this and the message that I want to get out is that it doesn’t have to feel like this. I know when I am falling through the cracks. I get myself tested and check where I am at with things. Sadly, what I am talking about does seem to be a luxury, which blows my mind but I won’t get too deep into that.
What I will say is:
How do you feel right now, today?
How is your sleep?
How are your energy levels?
If you don’t feel right, please, turn to the professionals to get answers and ask for help. Knowing the right questions to ask can be tricky and I know that I got a lot from reading The Postnatal Depletion Cure - By Dr Oscar Serrallach and most importantly from working with Jessica (Wellness by Jessica). It isn’t necessarily an easy path but oh my gosh it’s worth it on the other side. Trust yourself and trust your intuition. What is one thing that you wish that you knew about life after childbirth?