Another reason for MamaBake

Forgive me for a pity moment if you will....

I have always been anaemic - always. I cannot remember a time when I have had normal B12 and Iron Levels - basically I get through each day with the use of the addage 'fake it til you make it' - I do not recommend this way of doing things at all.

I have had to push through days, because I have a husband who works long hours, so by default a lot of day to day things do fall to me.

Then the big two started school - and I thought awesome, 6 hours a day where they are with someone else and I don't have to worry. Err wrong answer on that one. Due to a severe lack of parent help I am now helping at their school three days a week (each day that Miss 3 is at daycare for obvious reasons). On Tuesday I have one other parent doing home readers, on Thursdays I am doing everything, on Friday there is another parent doing one classroom - which is a help at least.

Then I started with Benevolent Society - working on the MADD Action Group - a group very close to my heart in terms of the areas we are covering and trying to ensure that the avenues for assistance are more well known (being Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Domestic Violence) - and my time became even more precious.

Add in there the general day to day things, speech therapy x2 and I was starting to see the flashing fuel light coming on.

No surprise then when I saw my GP last week and found that both my B12 and Iron stores are depleted to almost zero - my GP's words of 'how are you even walking' still ring in my ears - and I realised something, in my desire to ensure everyone else's needs were being met I had neglected the most important person in the food chain that is my family - myself. I have been left at the point where I have put Miss 3 into daycare 4 days a week (as opposed to the three she was previously) because Master Nearly 1 still sleeps in the day so I can sleep with him then without worrying about where Miss 3 is (and her needs are being met), it simply is not safe to have miss uber active around at the moment whilst I'm trying to regather my strength.

Now how to resolve this dilemna. The easy suggestion is to say 'just stop volunteering' but I cannot do that - I have made a commitment and I will see it through - that and in the case of school if I am not there, then it will not be done, and the children suffer, and I'm not a fan of that happenening.

I am currently having weekly B12 and Iron jabs (which honestly aren't as painful as you think/have been told - well not in my experience and I've had 5 different people over the years give them to me) and started prioritising what needs to be done v what I want done - at the moment it's all about the bare minimum and self preservation.

So what is to learn from this? Don't think you are super woman, don't think you have to do it all, lean on those around you and let them carry the load sometimes - if you aren't looking after yourself, how can you even begin to look after anyone else?