I’ve had to give myself a lot of grace this past week. I’ve been drained. Exhausted. Not sleeping well. Down on… well, down on everything really.
My workouts have been blah. My sleep has been blah. My energy has been mega blah. I’ve had a pretty constant headache and nagging feeling of dread.
I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I mean, I had my cycle last week, but I normally don’t feel THIS awful.
And then it hit me. I had stopped nursing.
I didn’t really think about how it would make me feel stopping, but boy, that letdown of hormones is no joke.
I mean, I nursed for 2 years and 9 months (my original goal was 6 months, so there’s that, lol). And I was pregnant for 10 months prior to that. And while I’ve progressively weaned over the last several months, we still had our nighttime feed…right before bed.
And in my mind, that wasn’t enough to have a huge letdown. It couldn’t be… right?
Ha! Boy, was I wrong!
No matter how much sleep I get, I wake up feeling drained. And don’t get me started on the night sweats. And the headaches. And the overall down and out feelings I’ve had.
And when my workouts have suffered this week, it’s been all I could do to give myself grace and know this isn’t my normal nor will it last forever. But darn if it isn’t hard in the moment!
And I’m over the darn crying! I mean… I cried a lot before but goodness!
Y’all – being a woman is hard work. So be gentle with yourself. Give yourself grace as you go through each period of your life… whether you’re trying to get pregnant, are pregnant, postpartum, nursing, weaning, or just in your regular monthly cycle.
And if you need help, ask for it. It’s okay to not be okay. And it’s okay to not do it all yourself. And it’s okay to need and ask for help.
I’m truly thankful for Nick and all he does to step up when I’m not feeling 100%.
Here’s to hoping this period of craziness doesn’t last for too long. I’m ready to feel like my normal crazy self again! lol.
Have a great week, y’all! And be gentle with yourself, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
With love,
Whitney
