Looking for Ways to Help with Extrem Tiredness

Well first off let me say....... Nice B-Day (obviously mine is the same day)!! Although I am 39 years old :(
Anyhow, at one time I was a stay at home mom with only one vehicle and I can definitely relate to the extreme tiredness. It is due to a lack of physical activity. Well, that is what I have found out from the various professionals that I have visited. I had seen a great person at Harbor thinking that the tiredness was due to depression of some sort. He said that it was due to lack of activity of anything. Now I understand that taking care of a child, doing daily housework and the what-not is activity. BUT.... I am talking about getting the blood flowing. Get your child in a stroller and go for a walk (if it is nice of course), run up and down your steps a few times a day (if you have them)or even get some Velcro weights that you can get at a Big Lots store for maybe $10.00 and put the on while vacuuming the floor or even dusting the house. . Anything to get it going will work.
Hope my suggestions work,

P.
Sylvania, Ohio

I suggest you read this book! Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Paperback) by Marc Weissbluth

HI C., I was the same way when my son was born. I only got sleep in 2 hr intervolts. He was a colicky baby and then found out he had refulx. He slept w/me till he was 2, and still got up and I was gettin my daughter off to school and tryin to function normally but that wasnt happening. I finally got him to sleep in his own bed and I was still really tired. I went to the Doc and they checked my blood sugar and found out im just over the level limit and am a diabetic. Normal AC1 count is 5-6 I am a 6.5 and diabetics are a 7. I got my carbs undercontrol and I lost 20 lbs in the first 3 weeks and I have a ton of energy! I have more energy now then I have had in 15 yrs. I am 37 a single mom of 2 kids one a middle schooler and my dear old son just turned 3 last week. This last year I have slept some of the best sleep I have ever known. Also when you stop chopping your sleep up then it will be better, make it constant will help alot. Good luck feel free to write back if you need too. R.

Hi C.. I would ask your doctor to check your thyroid. Hypothyroid can make a person very tired like you are describing. I was feeling the same way and sure enough it was my thyroid.
I noticed you live in Portage, my husband and I used to live there for several years. We loved it there, it is a beautiful area.
Well, I hope you figure out your tiredness = )
T.
Also, I think the book, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer would help you. Our son had huge sleep issues and that book helped us a lot. I will say a prayer for you, I know how hard it is to be so tired. Remember, this will get better.

C., It's no doubt that you are tired with all you have going on. I kinda went through a tough time about a year ago and realized that all my physical tiredness, aches and pains lead back to the fact that I was depressed. I don't know if you have considered that idea or not, but if you have and would like to chat, I can tell you more. It took me a while to accept that I was in need of some help, but once I made up my mind to call my doctor and make that appointment, I started to feel a little better already. Well, that was all I wanted to mention, so I hope you figure out what is causing this. God Bless, Samantha

I agree with the other posts... change the baby's schedule. That within itself could take several weeks, but it's worth it. Design a schedule with your husband and the 2 of you need to follow it. Post it on the fridge where you will see it. Soothing bath, give the baby a rub down with Lavender lotion, (Lavender is a soothing herb) Rocking chair time with a bottle and quiet story, and then down to bed. The baby will cry a lot at first, but perserverance on your part will pay off. Go in and reassure the baby that you are there, but don't pick him up. In the meantime, exercise, watch what you are eating, drink lots of water and continue your vitamins. Don't forget to have a lot of floor time with the baby during the day. Tucker him out during the day so he will be more likely to fall asleep at a normal hour. If you are looking for a good sleep disorders doctor, I know of one in Toledo. Please email me if you are interested. He is fantastic and very compassionate.
I wish you luck during this rough time. I am what you would call a survivor. My boys are now 12 years and 15 years old. I've been through it, I understand.
S.

I would suggest moving your son's sleep schedule. I have a 3 month old and I just started doing this. We have a bed time routine - pj's at 9:00, time with mommy and daddy until 10:30, a cereal bottle, and then we read 2-3 books. She is now falling asleep by 12:00 a.m and sleeping until 8:30 a.m. I'd admit it is still late but I enjoy my time at night to myself and I love sleeping in.
I would also ask my dr.
Good luck.

Oh honey, first we need to discuss the sleep issues with you son. I know I've been there. Our second son has major sleep issues, he often doesn't wind down until 12midnight. He'll go through phases where he'll go to sleep just fine at 10pm then he'll be up for weeks on end until 2-3am. It just sucks!! I found that adjusting his daytime schedule as far as naps and meal times helps a lot. Second...is it possible that your Husband could take your Mom to work, or that she could find a way to carpool with someone who lives nearby? Getting uninterupted sleep is essential to being rested.

Also look for a B-complex vitamin that is time released, that should help with the fatigue during the day.

Dear C.

I hope your HB level is OK. It used to make to tired as it was low. The iron supplement helped.

Eat nutritious food (with protein). Well it is OK to be tired but the level you are talking is worrying. You have a 6 month baby whose needs are high. Try to take help from family members . Talk to doctor also.I hope this will help you.

Best Wishes C.

Exercise will definetly help out. Adjusting your son bed time as well is a good idea. At 6 months babies really have the ability to sleep through the night - it's just getting them to do it is the tough part.

Also you may want to have your iron level checked. If I recall correctly a low iron level can make you feel really tired.

Hi. I'd start by getting on a set schedule and not letting the baby stay up until 2am. The baby should be in bed at 8pm. That way you have time for yourself and your husband. Kids like to be on a schedule. It gives them stability. I'd also try staying up after you take your mother to work. Try taking your shower after you take your mother to work that will wake you up. A body in motion stays in motion. The more you sit on your couch the more tired you will be. Find stuff to do with your day and with your baby. Try to keep yourself busy and moving. Maybe you could consider taking your husband to work so you can have the car. I know it sucks being stuck in the house all day. Also maybe you could let your mother use your car with no heat so you don't have to get up so early. If you still feel tired during the day take a power nap when the baby does. Going back to sleep after you take your mother to work for 3- 4 hours is bound to make you tired as well. I struggled with being tired and wanting to sleep a lot too for a long time. Also bananas give you energy. Good luck.

Best regards,

J.

C.,
I can understand your fatigue. I too have a small son and it is extremely tiring... With your inconsistant sleep schedule, that also makes it tough. Can you nap when he does? How old is he? The one thing that worked for me was a WONDERFUL Safe energy drink I found. It is call XS Energy and is only sold online. It has no sugar so you don't crash after you drink it. They have 8 flavors and they taste great.... I started drinking them after I had my son and actually lost 11 pounds just by switching to from pop to these. A lot of the drinks on the market are not very good for you and are loaded with sugar and caffeine. This drink has an abundance of B vitamins which help with energy and alertness. You can check them out at www.vlefevre.qhealthzone.com look under health and fitness and you will find them..... Good luck!

i started my daughter (now 5) on a 7:30PM sleep schedule from the time she was 6 weeks old and i had to go back to work; i found that constant routine was key in teaching her to fall asleep on her own, and stay asleep for longer stretches, i didn't rock or feed her or do anything else to get my daughter to fall asleep and then place her in bed... i put her to bed 7:30 every night after she was fed, changed, and put into pj's, and i did it the same exact way every night and she fought me tooth and nail the first week; she would cry herself to sleep sometimes taking up to a good 45 minutes to drift off, but i kept at it; going into her room and not picking her up, and just kinda stroking her tummy to let her know that yes i am there, but that this was something that she was going to need to learn. and it's worked wonders for us. consistancy and my stubborn constitution have really paid off for the both of us. i was able to get more rest after she was asleep and the sleep from 8pm to midnight i noticed is more quality sleep for me; also to help i set up daytime nap routines as well; she woke every morning with me at 6 am, ate, was changed, and i had her stay awake until 8am; then fed and put down for a nap from 8-10; 10 am fed, changed and up until 1pm and down for a nap until 330 pm and then woke up again, and fed changed and up until 730..... it takes a good week for a baby to get into a good routine, but i am a firm believer of scheduled naps, feedings, bedtimes, and i've read and noticed that my daughter and a lot of my friends children have thrived wonderfully on a system like that. (babies don't like not knowing whats going to happen and they just generally appear more secure and happy when there is a schedule in place.) and the few of my friends that didn't develop the routines had the same problems as you do with fatigue and tiredness, and then came the issues after about a year old of discipline problems and resentment and just generally unhappiness for the whole family. not only that scheduling blocks of naps and such are an awesome way for you to get some alone time and a good nap in as well. good luck and my schedule was my schedule.. developing one that will meet your families needs may be completely different. just don't give up and things do tend to get easier. good luck!!

The only thing that helped with me was getting excercise. the more physical I was the more energy I had. The worst thing for me was being stuck inside so try for walks outside or at a store or mall if it's too cold.
However if nothing seems to be helping I would definately go to a doctor and make sure it wasn't medical.
Good luck!
K. SAHM w/4 month G and 2 year B

First of all, why is the baby up until 2 am? Have you tried changing his schedule? Maybe shifting everything back an hour would eventually get him to bed at a decent time. Is it possible for your Mom to ride to work with someone she works with? I know she's your Mom, and you wanna help her, but maybe if she had a ride you wouldn't have to get up so early. Do you take a nap during the day? That seemed to help when mine were little.Maybe your husband or Mom could spend time with the baby so you can have a nap. Even an hour would probably help.
Good Luck and I hope you feel better!

I would advise to get your son to bed earlier and get on a set schedule for you and him. If after a few weeks, you still feel as tired then I suggest going to see a doctor. I am not sure what your pre-child sleep schedule was like or if you were as tired on that schedule. Take a look at how much you were sleeping before, what hours and if you felt rested. I remember being tired when my son was that old too, but it was not excessive. Right now it sounds as if you are getting 6-7 hrs of inturrupted sleep which is much less helpful than sleep that in not inttruppted. I also heard that the hours before midnight are better for sleep than the hours after, it was tied to a study done on people who worked the midnight shift having worse sleep than the people who slept at night. Good luck.

I would try getting your son to bed by 9:30pm. I was tired all the time too with my 20 month old. I started getting B12 shots at my Dr andthey have REALLY helped!

First, why does your son keep you up until 2am? My 8 month old goes to bed at 8pm. Probably you need to look at fixing that problem so that you can go to bed at a decent hour. I've read that the hours of sleep we get before midnight are worth twice what we get after. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer and BabyWise are a couple of books that use a flexible routine to arrive at good sleep habits. There are also other books that you could read about helping babies get good sleep. Exercise is a great help also. Schedule that into your day! And take a nap when he does. That always helps. If you think there is something really wrong with you, don't hesitate to call your doctor. Good luck!

It sounds like your sleep schedule isn't allowing you to get enough real rest at one time. Is there anyway your mother could take the car without heat to work, or your husband could drive her? You would probably feel much better with less sleep all at once then more sleep broken up in sections.

You may also want to make sure your thyroid is ok. It can be affected by pregnacy and one side affect is being tired.