Fatigue and raising children

[laughingeyes2013]

One of the troublesome symptoms of illness like multiple sclerosis can be extreme fatigue.

Not the sort of tiredness that you get from a busy day at work, but the sort that leaves you feeling like you've climbed a mountain every day and can barely find the energy to blink, much less talk!

In a situation like this, raising children, especially young and physically very dependent babies and toddlers, can be extremely difficult.

I wanted to hear from people who have experience in dealing with children when constantly tired like this. How did you manage both physically (any tips?) and psychologically (coming to terms with feeling like an inadequate parent and how this may impact on the children).

[Firsttimer7259]

Hi sorry to hear you are in this situation. My h has ms and suffers from fatigue. We have a disabled child - it's very hard. Get help any way you can or write up concrete help plans for bad periods - lists of childcare and household help. Look into any organizations that can help. Getting practical help can take weeks so try not to do what I do and bury your head in the sand until it's too late and everything is dreadful - although I am getting better at planning for the down cycles.