Look After Yourself Even Though You Are A Parent!

The title basically speaks for itself. Even as a parent, we need to look after ourselves.

We really do get swept away with family and life and the next thing you know you are exhausted, ill and at the end of your tether. We have all been there. I think alot of parents end up like this. We carry on trying to be the best parent we can be and we push ourselves to the back of the line. Home, pets, work, partners, kids and family life comes first. It always comes first.

It is completely understandable that kids would come before ourselves. It happens in day to day life. We go to do something for us and the next think you know, you are watching 5 episodes of Peppa or playing with Lego! Only to realise hours later that you never did that thing for yourself.

Life does sweep us away. Time goes so fast and I know that everyone says that but it really does. We carry on without a second thought until our body tells us otherwise.

I have found this out first hand recently.

With the pandemic and family life, I just ignored how my body felt. It wasn’t until a month or two ago that I actually started to listen to it. I started getting migraines, rapid heart rate, palpitations, dizziness, there was so many random symptoms that I was having. It was strange. My heart rate was 130 and at its lowest it was 90 beats per minute. It started to scare me to be honest.

I finally decided to see a doctor who gave me a ECG and checked everything else over. I had a blood test too. A day later, I found out that my B12 levels were very very low.

I have had problems with my B12 before but that was before the kids were born and I had completely forgot to ever get it checked again. It seems that over the last year or 2, my B12 levels have been going down but I just carried on and didn’t ever get myself checked over.

B12 Deficiency can cause so many different problems from tiredness, difficulty thinking, depression to memory problems and rapid heart rate. It can really make you worry.

Over the last 2 weeks, I have been having my B12 injections. 7 injections over 2 weeks. It has been horrible, they aren’t the nicest injections to have but they are a must.

It means that I have to have injections every 3 months for the rest of my life now.

I can’t believe that I ignored how ill I felt for so long but like I said, being a parent just makes life sweep you away.

It has really opened my eyes and realise that I also have to look after myself as well as being a mum. It is something that we forget when we have kids but it is so important to remember that you matter too and we need to take priority sometimes!