Will vitamins make me feel "better"?

Well it looks like you just had a baby. I would definitely go ahead and take a general supplement of vitamins. Like Centrum or something. Definitely take it with food. Vitamins don’t necessarily pump you up either. There’s also nothing better for the body than walking. Take a 20 minute walk around the park, around the block and clear your head. Humans were designed for walking :) Nice happy little endorphins will give you happy feelings too.

Are you breastfeeding, @ItalianPrincess1217. The baby is adorable, btw.

You might be best off by examining your diet. How and what you choose to eat is the place to start. Most young, healthy adults don’t need supplements.

The exceptions are vitamin D3 (the sunshine vitamins), and B12 if you are not a meat eater.

Get your doctor’s opinion on iron supplements; which kind and what dosage.

As I recall, you are not breast-feeding.

@bkcunningham No, I’m not breast feeding.

@gailcalled I admit my diet isn’t the greatest. I always have the best intention to eat healthier but I forget how much time and energy a new baby needs. I barely have time to eat, let alone plan out my meals :-/

I would take the prenatal vitamins. It won’t hurt anything and might make you feel some better. Make sure you eat a balanced diet and supplement it with extra foods rich in iron. This is an exhausting time. Sleep when he sleeps.

Cream of wheat is good for you and your baby. Rich in iron. Eat a bowl in the morning with some buttered whole grain toast when you feed him his cereal.

@bkcunningham For the most part I sleep well. He’s been an angel most nights and he only wakes up once to eat! But even with sleep, I feel like I’m drained of all energy. I’ll get an idea to, for example, scrub the kitchen floor, and it’s almost as if my body is so heavy I can’t work up the motivation to do anything! I’m not overweight and other than the iron thing, I don’t have any health problems I’m aware of. I had a c-section but I’m pretty much recovered from that too.

If you are not taking the iron I think you should. My mom had an iron deficiency and she felt so crappy. Her doctor recommended to take iron pills and she felt a lot better. Also, I feel drained when I’m not getting enough exercise. Walking is a great idea because it can steady our breathing and have calming effect. I also take a multivitamin every day and I think it makes some difference. If anything, I don’t get sick as often as people around me. I have not gotten sick yet this year. I take a vitamin C in addition to the multivitamin. Vitamin C is water soluble so if my body doesn’t find a use for it, I is passed in urine, so no danger of overdose. Vitamin D is not water soluble so it builds up if it’s not used and can actually make people feel exhausted if they get too much. I had that happen so I quit taking the extra vitamin D, plus it’s already in my multivitamin. I would take the multivitamin just for the vitamin D, especially if you don’t get a lot of sunlight. Best wishes.
you should check here; it really sounds like it’s the iron..
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/iron-deficiency-anemia/DS00323/DSECTION=symptoms

The thing with pre-natal vitamins is that it is designed to help the development and functions of a fetus. Not that they are no longer irrelevant, but there are some vitamins now that might not have been good for the baby because they would act as a teratogen against the fetus. For instance, some of the more metal based minerals might not have been good for you during pregnancy, but now they will help build your bones again with a normal type of Centrum vitamin dosage.

Start with the iron. Your doctor mentioned it to you a while ago. Did your doctor give you a solution to that?

If the vitamins do make you feel better IMO it will be a placebo effect. Eat whole foods to be healthy and exercise to feel better.

Has anything been done about the low iron? If it’s still low, I strongly recommend taking some iron. Anemia can make a huge difference in how you feel.

Also, if I recall correctly, you had a C section? How long ago was that? That is major surgery; I would expect it to take about 6 weeks to start feeling normal again.

I recommend getting a blood test for iron, B12, and vitamin D. Of the three low iron is the most significant to feel instantly better if you are currently low and get your numbers back into normal ranges. Iron testing out of pocket usually costs about $15. If you only do one, do that one and take a multivitamin plus a separate iron pill for extra iron. Slowfe is highly recommended by many doctors, it is over the counter iron. Best to take on an empty stomach or with OJ if you tolerate the pill well. Or, you can take your pregnancy vitamins which should have high amounts of iron if you have some left. I used to take prenatals regularly instead of separate iron.

A regular multivitamin for women has 18mg iron, pregnancy vitamins at least double that in iron. I take over 100mg a day of iron and I can barely stay in the normal range, and I didn’t just have a baby. Babies suck the iron out of you and bleeding also zaps the body of iron.

It usually takes me about two weeks of taking iron to start feeling much better, but it would matter how low you are, if you are low, and how much you are atking, and how much your body is absorbing. Too much iron is very dangerous, so don’t just take bunches of pills.

My OB told me to continue taking my prenatal vitamins for a full year after having the baby, even though I’m not breast feeding to help my body regain all the nutrients the baby took from me. I’d start with taking those and then see if your doctor will check your blood levels to see if you need more than just the prenatal vitamins.