Labour and delivery is a physically and emotionally straining process that takes a significant toll on your body. Oftentimes, its rigours continue during the postpartum period as well. Plus, the added stress of caring for your newborn and tackling sleep deprivation can cause you to feel totally drained and fatigued, a condition better referred to as postpartum fatigue.
While it is totally normal for you to feel fatigued and exhausted during this phase, that doesn’t mean you have to suffer through all of it. Instead, you can try some remedial methods to cope with the exhaustion, and bounce back to your pre-pregnancy self in due time. Keep reading to know some of the most common causes of postpartum fatigue, and helpful methods to cope with new mum exhaustion.
What Causes Postpartum Fatigue?
There are a number of factors that contribute to fatigue in the postpartum period. The most common ones include:
- Childbirth: It can take you many hours and a lot of energy to push your baby out of the birthing canal. This can physically drain your body, and make you feel tired easily, weeks after giving birth. Additionally, a c-section delivery is considered major abdominal surgery, and it might take you a while to recover from that.
- Lack of sleep: Sleep is scarce when you have a newborn at the house, especially during the night when you have to wake up multiple times to feed and soothe your baby, and also change their diapers.
- Breastfeeding: While your breast milk is your newborn’s sole source of nourishment, the process of breastfeeding burns a lot of energy and calories quickly, thus straining you physically. Hence, make sure to prioritise your nutrition during this time, and watch your caloric requirements.
- Depression: In some cases, fatigue could also be a sign of postpartum depression. In fact, a study conducted by the Harvard Medical School stated that women who were reported to be extremely fatigued or tired after a week or two of childbirth were likely to show symptoms of postpartum depression within a month.
- Anaemia: Another prime cause of postpartum fatigue is anaemia, which results from the loss of blood at the time of delivery. This condition can be treated by rebuilding your haemoglobin levels with iron-rich foods or iron supplements. But if you continue to experience exhaustion even after your treatment, consult a doctor.
- Hypothyroidism: Some women develop an underactive thyroid gland within 1-4 weeks of their delivery. Postpartum fatigue could also be a sign of this condition, which needs medical involvement, a healthy lifestyle, and diet.
Apart from these reasons, a decrease in your hormones, colic in your newborn, or a poor diet and exercise routine can also contribute to fatigue during this time. Since postpartum fatigue is more of a symptom than a condition, you can try managing it with some helpful remedial methods.
How To Deal With Postpartum Fatigue?
- Try to sleep when your baby sleeps: Sleep when your baby does, even if that means sleeping during the afternoon or losing the time to catch up with housework. This will at least help you have a little energy to get through the night when you anyway have to wake up multiple times to tend to your little one. If you are concerned about sleeping for too long, set an alarm to wake you up.
- Share night duties with your partner: If you are comfortable with using a breast pump, then try expressing breast milk beforehand, and let your partner take over the night feedings. They can also help with changing nappies or dressing up the little one while you catch up on some much-needed sleep.
- Enlist help from family and friends: do not hesitate to seek help from your family members and friends with specific tasks like running errands, finishing household chores, cooking, or watching the newborn while you rest.
- Identify your baby’s sleeping patterns: As your baby grows older, they will stop waking up at night frequently and sleep for longer periods. Make sure to keep a track of their sleeping schedule, and time your work accordingly to get a few extra hours of sleep and rest.
- Try relaxation exercises: Practice deep-breathing exercises for relaxation for 5-10 minutes daily. This can make you feel refreshed, calm, and energised. You can start with some simple exercises like breathing in and breathing out, and then work on more as per your doctor’s recommendations.
- Exercise regularly: Exercise can make you feel less tired and more refreshed throughout the day. In fact, simple physical activities like walking can ease your mind and help you sleep better at night. Make sure that you don’t start indulging in high-intensity exercises just yet, give your body some more time to recover, and then slowly go back to your pre-pregnancy workout routine after your doctor’s approval.
- Prioritise nutrition in your diet: We get it! After your baby’s arrival, it might be difficult to find time for yourself, especially in the first few months. But try your best to make healthy food choices to tackle postpartum fatigue. Add proteins and carbohydrates to your diet, and also include vitamin supplements as prescribed by your doctor. Consuming nutrition-packed foods can help boost your energy levels and combat exhaustion.
- Drink plenty of fluids: Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to maintain hydration and energy levels in your body. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water or any other liquid like fresh fruit/veggie juice of your choice.
- Beware of the symptoms of postnatal depression: If you are feeling fatigued even after resting well, or if you are unable to sleep at night, chances are that you are going through postnatal depression. If you notice other symptoms like feeling low or hopeless, seek medical support, and try to relax as much as possible.
Childbirth is a physically and mentally exhaustive process and feeling fatigued and tired weeks or months after your delivery is pretty normal. However, how long postpartum fatigue lasts, depends on how you take care of yourself. So try to relax, go slow, and listen to your body. Additionally, consume healthy foods, take ample rest, and seek help whenever you feel overtired.
If your symptoms persist even after a month, or your fatigue is accompanied by other issues like constipation, and unexplained weight loss, then consult your doctor for further medication and treatment options.
Also read:
Common postpartum pains: Here’s a list of common postpartum pains and methods to deal with them.
Powerful postpartum foods: Incorporate these nutritious foods in your postpartum diet to bounce back to your pre-pregnancy health quickly.
Postpartum urinary incontinence: Learn all about postpartum urinary incontinence and helpful solutions to deal with it.
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