Beyond Tired: The Deficiency Nobody Tested You For

Because “Just Get More Sleep” Isn’t the Answer and We All Know It

Let’s play a fun little game I like to call: Postpartum or Perpetual Exhaustion?

Here’s how you play:
✅ You wake up tired
✅ You go to bed tired
✅ You’re tired while brushing tiny teeth and refereeing snack negotiations
✅ You drink coffee like it’s your full-time job
✅ Your blood work comes back “normal” (Insert eye twitch here)
...but somehow, you feel like a hollowed-out version of your former self.

Spoiler alert: it’s not “just motherhood.”
It’s not because you “need to be more grateful.”
It’s not even because your baby still isn’t sleeping through the night (although, yes—send help).

You might actually be… depleted.
Not tired.
Not burnt out.
Depleted.

Wait, So What’s the Difference Between Tired and Depleted?

Being tired is what happens when you skip a night of sleep to binge a show or nurse a sick kid. You nap, you bounce back.
Being depleted is what happens when your body’s nutrient stores have been slowly siphoned off for months—or years—without ever getting fully refilled.

It’s like driving your car 10,000 miles and only topping off the gas once. Eventually, your check engine light isn’t just going to blink—it’s going to scream.

Common Postpartum Nutrient Gaps Nobody Told You About

Especially in the 1–3 years after having a baby (AKA when everyone thinks you’re “all good now!”), your body is still clawing its way back to balance. And it can’t do that on gratitude and green juice alone.

Let’s talk about the frequent flyer deficiencies among moms:

• Iron – If you lost blood during birth (hi, everyone), and never replenished it, hello fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, and that “I’m dizzy when I stand” vibe.

• B12 – Needed for energy production, mood, and nerve health. Deficiency = you feel like a walking nap.

• Vitamin D – Not just for bones. This is your immune system and mood MVP. Low levels = higher risk for depression, anxiety, and just feeling…blah.

• Magnesium – The mineral that regulates stress, sleep, blood sugar, muscle cramps, and your will to live. Most of us are deficient.

• Omega-3s – Crucial for brain health and mental clarity (aka mom brain rehab). Breastfeeding? You’re even more likely to be low.

• Zinc – Important for immune health, tissue repair, and skin healing (yes, even years after delivery).

And here’s the kicker: most conventional docs don’t test for half of these unless you demand it (or show up dragging your limbs across the exam room floor).

How Did I Get So Drained?

Picture this:
You’re pregnant. You give, give, give.
You birth a baby. You lose blood, tissue, hormones.
You nurse. You give some more.
You skip meals, reheat coffee six times, and call hummus a food group.
You get four hours of broken sleep and call it a win.
You stress about getting your body back, your house clean, your kid into the right preschool, your marriage nurtured, and maybe—just maybe—yourself feeling normal again.

And that cycle of stress + poor sleep + skipped meals?
It’s a nutrient black hole. No kale salad is gonna save you.

Food-First Rebuilding (Because You Deserve More Than a Multivitamin and a Pat on the Back)

Here’s what you can do—and no, it doesn’t involve a $400 supplement stack or a Himalayan detox ritual.

 1. Eat Real Food, Often

That means meals with protein, healthy fat, and carbs. Not a bite of your toddler’s cold waffle followed by coffee.

• Protein: Eggs, chicken, grass-fed beef, beans, collagen powder

• Fat: Avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil

• Carbs: Roasted sweet potatoes, squash, fruit, oats

Make friends with batch cooking. Meal prep like you’re feeding someone you love (because… you are).

 2. Re-Mineralize, Baby

Your adrenals are screaming for minerals after birth + stress + caffeine overload.

• Add a pinch of sea salt to your morning water

• Try a daily electrolyte drink without added junk

• Sip on bone broth or throw some greens + lemon + salt into a blender and call it a mineral mocktail

 3. Get the Sunshine D

Vitamin D is a hormone more than a vitamin. Low levels = energy tanked.

• Get 15–20 minutes of sunlight on your skin, preferably before 10am

• If supplementing, aim for D3 + K2 (ask your provider for dosage guidance)

 4. Consider Targeted Supplements

Food first, yes. But let’s not pretend we can chew our way back to full health when we’re this far in the hole.

Start with:

• A quality prenatal or postnatal multivitamin (yes, still)

• Iron bisglycinate (if tested low—not the constipating stuff)

• Magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate at night

• B-complex (especially if you’re still breastfeeding or vegan)

• Omega-3s (from fish oil or algae)

Pro tip: Don’t play supplement roulette. Work with someone who knows what they're doing—or at least Google smarter.

The Bottom Line: You’re Not Lazy, You’re Low

You’re not a bad mom because you’re tired. You’re not doing it wrong because you’re not bouncing back.
You’re just running on an empty tank. One that nobody thought to check.

So no—you don’t need to “try harder.” You need to replenish what’s been drained.

And that starts now. With food. With support. With the truth that being a mom doesn’t mean being a martyr.

Let’s normalize healing, not just hustling.

From the Blog:
Feeling like your brain is soup? Don’t miss this one: “Mom Hormones 101: Why You’re Still Tired, Bloated, and Yelling at the Dog”

P.S. Ready to stop Googling symptoms and start rebuilding your energy for real? Preorder my book Mother F*cked for exclusive bonuses (because this kind of truth-telling? It belongs on your nightstand).