It hit me this week. Exhaustion. No nap could cure it. I was (and still am) one tired mama. I took advantage of having Jonathan home on the weekend and tried napping but could never shake it. I honestly felt more rested when she was a newborn than I do now. Seems a little delayed for the whole circles-under-the-eyes sleep dep to kick in. It reminded me a little of pregnancy fatigue, and how before you know it sleep had overtaken you and you wake up an hour later wondering how that happened and more-so how you felt just as tired as you did before you fell asleep. It was so similar, in fact, that I panicked and took a pregnancy test. Negative. *phew*
I couldn't figure out what was causing it. Was it the stress of Lucy's recent fussiness? Lack of sleep? Then it hit me: breastfeeding. Makes sense, considering the average mama burns around 500 calories per day by breastfeeding. I have lost a total of 2.6 lbs in the past 2 weeks (woo hoo!), and I assure you it was not from exercising. I think I looked forward to all that weight that I've heard just melts off while breastfeeding, that I never stopped to consider how much of a drain it can be on the body. Also with all the running around with the little one, I don't eat as much as I should. In fact I often find myself forgetting to eat or even forgetting to go to the bathroom until Jonathan gets home and realize, "Oh, yeah..." Not good, I know. In a sense, I'm still eating for two and should have increased my caloric intake by about 300 calories a day, but I'm barely even eating for one. I guess it just caught up with me, especially with Lucy wanting to nurse so much more frequently this week with her teething (or whatever is ailing her). I also don't want to attribute it all to breastfeeding either. Mommydom in general can take a lot out of even a well-nourished mama, I'm sure.
So lesson learned. Here's what I'm going to try to change:
~Have more 'grazing' friendly food options in the house
~Make a point of having a solid breakfast and lunch every day.
~Have my water bottle filled up and on hand throughout the day
~Order a new multivitamin and start taking it again daily
It all seems very commonsensical, huh? But I never thought I would suffer from eating too little. My, how life has changed.
Do you drink smoothies? I try to make one every morning. I can get 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies into one. I always add kale, spinach, or swiss chard to mine, along with some protein powder. I find it easier to get more fruits and veggies in that way and the portability of a smoothie is good for *this* busy mama.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carissa! I DO drink smoothies, but I haven't been making my own since we moved. I think I've found the initiative now to bust open that box and dust off my blender. I may try doing some of those premade smoothie mixes, I think it's from Nature's Gate...I know they have a green goodness mix that might be similar. Premade = more likely to be consumed by me right now. (Plus, portable as you say....we may be on to something!) Thanks!!!
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