How I Helped This Mom Go From Needing Coffee to Get Through The Day and Feeling Irritated by Her Kids to Naturally Energized and Feeling More Calm & Joy in Motherhood
This client first started working with me, it was because she was tired of her symptoms interfering with her life and especially, motherhood. She was dealing with:
Overwhelming fatigue that had her needing coffee ASAP after waking up and again during the afternoon to keep her going til bedtime
Constant sugar cravings for quick “energy” boosts to help her get through the day
Feeling easily irritated and overwhelmed by her kids
Intense brain fog- she would start sentences, then forget what she was saying half-way through
But after working with me in my functional nutrition practice, she now:
Has tons of stable energy all day- without any caffeine or relying on sugar for a quick fix
Is more patient with her kids, feels less reactive, and is experiencing more calm and joy
Is more resilient to stress and confident she can handle everything on her plate
Has increased capacity for motherhood and caring for herself, too (yay!)
(Please note that this article is just sharing one client’s experience working with me and is not personal medical advice.)
Here’s what we did to make this happen for her:
1) Increased her calories and focused on blood sugar regulation:
Many of this mom’s symptoms were actually signs of under-eating and imbalanced blood sugar. Plus, she was breastfeeding a new baby around the clock, which we know increased her calorie and nutrient needs, and her appetite felt insatiable.
Together, we not only increased her food intake but also adjusted her macronutrient balance and meal spacing (especially her first and last meals of the day) to improve her blood sugar handling for better energy management and mood.
2) We created simple routines that felt good + she could stick to:
Like many moms, this client was feeling overwhelmed and even lost when it came to caring for herself- especially with a new baby and very full days.
So we prioritized creating more realistic routines that she could stay consistent with including:
Morning and evening to bookend her days with some self care
Eating and food prep especially for meals and snacks she struggled with most
Movement to support her mental health and build strength
The most important part? With all of these habits and routines, we had her start small. She prioritized the lowest hanging fruit first- what felt good and helped her make progress- and then increased only according to her capacity.
3) We replenished and balanced her body’s mineral stores:
Since she’d recently given birth, was breastfeeding, and had a toddler, too, I suspected there may be some imbalances driving her symptoms- so we ran a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA).
This is my absolute favorite test to run with clients- especially moms- because it gives such important answers about real root causes of symptoms like how many mineral resources the body has to support metabolic activity and how the body is handling stress!
Just some of what her test results showed?
She was a Slow 4 metabolic type (meaning her body was releasing energy slowly but also she was very dysregulated)
She had elevated sodium and potassium (showing acute stress)
Her sodium to magnesium ratio was elevated (showing overactive adrenals)
Her calcium to potassium ratio was low (showing increased thyroid activity)
Based on the results, I had her focus on things like: foods rich in minerals she needed, adrenal cocktails, magnesium, and certain herbs.
(See her first test compared to the next one a few months later? This shows amazing progress in rebalancing her body!)
4) We supported her adrenal glands and nervous system:
A major initial focus with all my clients but especially this mama is reducing overall stress load. We began doing this by:
Creating more safety for her body (through sufficient food intake and blood sugar balance)
Integrating movement that helped her relieve stress and build resilience, not burn her out more
Weaning off caffeine entirely
Based on her HTMA results, we then added supplemental stress-handling support like adaptogen herbs + specific minerals for her adrenals.
This all helped her increase her energy and capacity, which allowed her to add more stress-management in, especially nervous system regulating practices.
If this client’s story has inspired you to pursue a functional approach to wellness in motherhood and finally seek expert support to reclaim your health, apply to work with me below!
As a functional nutritionist specializing in women’s health through motherhood, I have a variety of highly customized services to help you find and finally address the root causes of your symptoms so you can stop just surviving and start thriving.