UCB Parents Advice about Pregnancy & Childbirth
Postpartum Exhaustion
Advice and recommendations from the UCB Parents mailing list.
This page is brought to you by UC Berkeley Parents Network
Back to: Advice about Pregnancy & Childbirth
I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar problem with postpartum exhaustion. Since
delivering my baby one year ago, I have been significantly exhausted most of the time. I've
mentioned this to my doctors who dismiss the problem by saying that raising an infant is
exhausting. I had a thyroid function test and a complete blood work analysis, neither of
which showed any irregularities.
I get plenty of sleep (9-12 hours/night) and have a full-time nanny, so I don't think the
problem is related to childcare. In particular, I have been exhausted (almost to the point of
nonfunctioning) during my periods since they resumed about 4 months ago. My periods have
also been accompanied by night sweats, which I also experienced about 2 weeks postpartum
and when I stopped breastfeeding 3 months ago.
I'm 37, so I wonder if its common for older moms to have these problems. Any advice or
information about similar experiences would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Your question says you've had a thyroid function test. The most common
form of thyroid disease is autoimmune; it affects about 10% of women. It
can be hard to diagnose because (like most autoimmune diseases), thyroid
autoimmunity and resulting thyroid hormone levels wax and wane. Many
autoimmune diseases worsen subsequent to pregnancy, especially if the
woman is nursing (maybe due to all those extra antibodies being
manufactured).
I have autoimmune thyroid disease that was not detected at first by
regular thyroid-function tests. I persisted with second anbd third
opinions, because I felt crummy, I had other thyroid-deficiency symptoms
(in particular hair that becomes coarse and dry, and falls out
excessively). My condition was diagnosed correctly after an antibody
screen. Did your doctors also look for antithyroid antibodies? Did they
do the thyroid-function test more than once? You may not have been
effectively tested.
You need to see a different doctor, and right away. If the first one
doesn't figure it out, see another one. In my experience, doctors have blind spots and if
one doctor can't find the answer right away, he/she never will. Night sweats and being
exhausted after 9-12 hours of sleep is NOT normal, infant or not. I don't want to scare
you but you need to get pushy about your medical care.
Fran
Chinese medicine is good for many gynecological problems. I would get acupuncture
and herbs in your situation. Check out past recommendations from the list,
http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/medical/oriental.html. Some practitioners even
take insurance; two not on the list were Nancy Rakela, who takes Landmark (and
Worker's Comp), whom I see now. I'd highly recommend Kate Kemble in Berkeley,
whom I used to see.
Dana
Although you mention having a thyroid function test, there is a disorder -- Hashimoto's
Thyroiditis -- that can cause your symptoms. The tests for Hashimoto's are not thyroid
function tests, but tests that look to see whether there are antibodies in your blood.
Hashimoto's causes the body to react to the thyroid and the hormones it produces as
foreign bodies and to try to destroy them with antibodies. It can cause the exhaustion
you describe as well as other symptoms (i.e., depression, lability, concentration
difficulties, memory problems, sluggishness (both physical and mental), irritability),
and is generally easily treated with thyroid replacement pills (which are synthetic
thyroid hormones) which cause the thyroid to shut down, which in turn reduces the
antibodies that
cause the problems.
I don't have the names of the specific antibodies to be tested for handy, but I can locate
them if you wish. I would simply ask your doctor to do the new tests -- ASAP. The
statistics on the number of undiagnosed thyroid disorder sufferers (primarily women
over 35) is alarming!
Good luck! I had Hashimoto's for many (14-15) years and know how bad it can be. (I
use the past tense only because I was also one of the rare people who was untreatable
and ultimately had my thyroid removed six years ago (the BEST thing I ever did in my
entire life, but unnecessary for
most).) If you'd like more specific info or need the names of the antibody tests, feel free
to contact me directly (but I just had a baby, so it may take a few days for me to
respond).
Laurel
Hormone events can trigger changes in endocrine function, the one implicated in both
cases (also "Hair loss after childbirth") may be low thyroid function. You can easily
check this out by looking at Mary Shamon's super web site on thyroid:
http://thyroid.about.com/
You can check out Dr. Broda Barnes or Dr. Steven Langer's books on this topic. An
easy home test Dr. Barnes suggests is measuring your armpit temperature first thing
each morning for 3 days, beginning the 2nd day of one's menses. Shake down the basal
body temp thermometer the night before to minimize morning activity that could
confuse the results. That means doin this before getting up to pee. Leave the
thermometer in the armpit for 10 minutes. Average the results and if less than 97.8,
see your doctor who, hopefully, will not rely on blood tests to offer help. As Mary writes,
symptoms are everything.
Good luck!
Nori
A friend of mine had symptoms similar to the ones you described and after many tests
and appointments with various doctors was ultimately diagnosed with lupus.
Boy can I relate! I have an almost 3 year old and an almost 1 year old.
I'm exhausted too. I honestly can't say that I have been getting enough
sleep so I don't know how I would feel if I were but when I read your note I immediately
thought you should go see an acupuncturist. I went for an
unrelated issue (shoulder bursitis) but also discussed my ongoing exhaustion and he
talked to me about the amazing strain on the body of pregnancy and nursing and
childrearing and gave me an overall mother oriented tune up and some herbs and I
must say I felt better! I went a few times and really felt the difference, plus he
completely cured my bursitis in about 4 visits! I wasn't religious about taking the herbs
but if I were as miserable as you sound I would definitely give it a go. Are you having a
chance to get mentally rested as well as physically? Good luck. Laura
You have my sympathy -- for more than two years after my own daughter's
birth, I was so tired I could barely function. There were days when I was
literally walking into walls and could barely remember my own name. Sleep
deprivation was partly to blame (my daughter's very "high need" and still
doesn't sleep for more than a few hours at a time), but it doesn't sound like that's the
culprit in your case. My mother and grandmother both have
underactive thyroids, and I've had a thyroid function test every year of my adult life
since fatigue has always been an issue for me. For years, the results were within the
normal range, even after my daughter was born and my exhaustion increased
exponentially. Finally, this past fall I had another test that was "borderline," and a
follow-up a few months later that was much worse. I'm on Synthroid now and feeling
better. My advice would be to keep getting those thyroid tests, perhaps as frequently as
every few months. My doctor said that my thyroid has probably been faltering for
years, just not enough to be picked up on a routine test, and that a "normal" thyroid
level for me perhaps is different from the textbook definition. If your doctors continue
to brush off your concerns, think about changing doctors! The other thing that you
might want to consider is postpartum depression. This can bring on the sort of fog
you're describing, and can linger for a year or more after birth. Sleeping up to 12 hours
a night sounds like a red flag for depression. Please find a more sympathetic and
proactive doctor to discuss these issues with. Best of luck!
Leah
I am an older mom who had a difficult delivery and didn't experience the kind of
exhaustion you are talking about, after the 3rd month or so; though there were various
effects of pregnancy and delivery that took a long time to heal. What you are
describing, given your childcare and sleep situation sounds more like depression. I
would ask your physician to check further to rule out less-common physical causes
(pregnancy/birth triggered MS-like symptoms in one of my sisters.) If she doesn't find
any physical cause, then it would be worth talking to a psychiatrist to see if some
combination of therapy/antidepressants would be helpful.
Being exhausted all the time and trying to function as a mom (and wife and
woman) must be very hard. I would suggest a visit at a homeopathic
practitioner, as they seem to be less prone to dismissing mom's difficulties if they don't
fit in with the norm. may I suggest the wonderful homeopath that has been treating
our whole family for the past 10 years- Christine Ciavarella at the Hahneman Clinic in
El Ceritto phone no. 510 524-3117. Let me forewarn you that it isn't always easy to get
into her practice and she is not cheap but her help is worth its weight in gold. Good
luck.
Ksenija
It takes a long time to get past the exhaustion of having a child.
I myself have a 13 month old and every day i surprise myself if i have
enough energy to get out of bed and start the day. I didn't start to get my energy back
until the first year mark. The sweating is normal but i would suggest sleeping 7-8 1/2
hours at night and taking an hour or two nap in the afternoon if possible. Exercise is
also helpful in getting back a certain amount of stamina and energy... Good luck.
Liz
It sounds to me like you may have a chemical imbalance in your body. Maybe
you're deficient in some nutrient and merely need a change of diet and the
right supplements. I think it's awfully late to consider your symptoms post partum
exhaustion. When my first son was 6 months old I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism.
I had every symptom in the book and the Drs.at first told me it was the stress of a new
baby. I went to another doctor who gave me a thyroid test right off the bat. You maybe
should consider another thyroid test just to check. I see a nutritionist named Julie
Devin 652-5014. She's gotten me on the right tract many times in the last years
through change of diet and use of supplements.
Good luck. I hope you feel better soon.
June
You should investigate CFIDS, chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome,
here is a web site
http://www.cfids.org/
I believe this site also mentions some other causes of fatigue to be ruled out for a
diagnosis of CFIDS. You also need to find a doctor who understands the
difference between ordinary exhaustion and
medically significant fatigue.
Sally
The opinions and statements expressed on this page
are those of parents who belong to the
UC Berkeley Parents Network and
should not be taken as a position of or endorsement by the
University of California, Berkeley.