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Infant feeding

Why am I so shattered??

14 replies

sweetjane · 19/06/2007 20:17

Been bf for nearly 6 months now and doing fine after a shaky start, but in the past month or so I have just started to get so tired all the time and my baby weight has suddenly started dropping off me.

Ds doesn't seem to be feeding any more than usual or for longer, but I think I read somewhere that your milk gets fattier as your baby grows, could this be why I am so tired and craving chocolate all the time?? Has anyone else experienced similar? I just don't have the energy to do anything and have started to get worried that there's something else wrong with me! Reassurance please!!

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colditz · 19/06/2007 20:22

Not pregnant are you>?

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sweetjane · 19/06/2007 20:54

Unlikely!! No AF since I gave birth. And pretty sure I would be putting on weight rather than losing it .. still trying to get rid of the 4.5 stone I put on with last pg!!!

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potoroo · 19/06/2007 21:03

I'm with Colditz - are you sure? You don't need to have had AF to get pregnant...

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colditz · 19/06/2007 21:18

You ovulate before you have a periood

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sweetjane · 19/06/2007 21:19

Would be extremely unlikely. Maybe just interrupted nights getting on top of me but I did wonder if it was to do with the way your milk matures over time? Or is that a myth?

(If one more person tells me to "sleep when the baby sleeps" I will scream.)

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MissGolightly · 19/06/2007 21:21

I did really crave sweet stuff as DS got towards 6 months - I don't remember feeling particularly tired (or at least any more tired than normal) but he was never a good sleeper so to be honest the first 10 months are a haze of knackeredness.

I suppose it's logical that as they get bigger they take more milk and that takes more energy for you to produce. I am sure you will get your zing back when he starts to cut down. Eat as much and as often as your body wants, and hopefully that will help!

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MissGolightly · 19/06/2007 21:23

and btw the length of feed is not necessarily a sign of how much they are taking - they get much, much more efficient at feeding as they get bigger and your breasts get better at not leaking, so it can feel as if you are making less milk when in fact you are making more.

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mears · 19/06/2007 21:23

Tiredness is nothing to do with breastfeeding IMO. It is an accumulation of broken nights and mothers continuing life during the day without catching up on sleep. Bottle feeding mothers are shattered too. Look at your diet - are you eating well or snacking on crap. Do you get any decent exercise such as swimming or keep-fit class? You may well be in the routine of looking after baby and house and not looking after yourself. Breastmilk does change as your baby grows but I really do not believe that it makes you any more tired than you are.

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sweetjane · 19/06/2007 21:37

I am eating well in that I have healthy meals and snacks, but that doesn't stop me having unhealthy ones as well! No energy for exercise.

Should really get some early nights but need to stay up until half 10 to feed ds so is always after 11 when I get to bed, then up again at some point in the night.

Sorry this is turning into a moan, it really was meant as a genuine question!!

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colditz · 19/06/2007 21:39

still night feeding - ahhhh. guaranteed to make obne feel like the walking wounded.

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mears · 19/06/2007 21:42

but do you try and get a sleep in the afternoon? The trap is thaty when babies are sleeping, mummies are knocking their pans in cleaning the house or wasting sleep time watching day time TV ot on mumsnet

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potoroo · 19/06/2007 21:46

I used to go to bed earlier (around 8 ish) then get up to do the 11pm feed - rather than stay up. At least I got an extra couple of hours sleep that way.

I didn't find BF making me tired as such, but I often found it difficult to get back to sleep afterwards.

Also, it sounds strange but I actually found that as DS slept longer, I actually felt tireder. Don't ask me why!

Fresh air - even just a walk around the block, and making sure I was eating good food, including lots of iron, helped a bit.

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sweetjane · 20/06/2007 19:56

Thanks, and sorry for the moan! Sleeping when ds sleeps doesn't work as he has 3 short naps in the day and can't seem to get him to take 2 longer ones. Off to bed early tonight and hopefully will feel more human tomorrow...

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MissGolightly · 20/06/2007 20:16

Sweetjane, the good news is that they do seem to start napping longer around the 7 month mark. All my friends babies either took long naps from birth or else magically grew into it at 7-8 months (DS was one who NEVER napped for longer than 30-40 minutes but then suddenly developed the knack at 7.5 months. He suddenly started taking a 2 hour nap at lunch times and it was bliss!)

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