When 'new Mum tired' was something more.
My twin boys were born on 12 January 2026, six weeks early, by emergency caesarean section. I had developed an acute fatty liver of pregnancy and diabetes insipidus, and the boys needed care in NICU. The three of us spent five weeks in hospital. It was a frightening start, and alongside worrying about them, I was trying to understand what was happening to me.
Doctors quickly discovered that my cortisol was low. Initially, they thought it was related to pregnancy and would settle quickly. They arranged an MRI to be on the safe side, which showed significant inflammation and a small benign tumour on my pituitary gland. I was later diagnosed with postpartum hypophysitis, leading to panhypopituitarism. I left the hospital on several new medications, feeling scared and overwhelmed by the amount of information I had been given. I was recovering from an emergency birth and wanted to concentrate on getting the boys home. I was also trying to come to terms with the fact that I could not breastfeed. Because of hypoprolactinaemia, I did not have enough prolactin to produce milk. While the boys were in NICU, I felt guilty that I could not give them the milk I so badly wanted to give them. Knowing it was beyond my control did not stop me feeling that way.
At home, it was hard to know which symptoms were caused by my hormone deficiencies and which were part of recovering from birth and looking after twins. Of course I was tired. Sleep was broken, the boys needed me and I had been through a great deal physically. But I was also dizzy, weak and nauseous, with headaches and brain fog. I often talked myself out of taking those symptoms seriously because there was always another possible explanation. I ended up back in hospital with an adrenal crisis, even though the doctor at A&E was quick to dismiss my symptoms at first. That experience changed how I respond when something feels wrong. I am still learning the difference between an exhausting day and symptoms that mean I need to follow my sick day plan, whether that involves doubling my hydrocortisone or using my emergency injection.
The physical side of pituitary illness is only part of it. It is mentally and emotionally exhausting to keep questioning how you feel, particularly when you are a new mum. Because the condition is rare, I have sometimes felt like I need to be the expert in the room, even when speaking to medical professionals. That can be a frightening position to be in when you are already unwell.
I don't always get it right, and I still find it difficult to separate ordinary tiredness from illness. But I have learnt to trust myself when something feels different or worse than usual. After the boys were born, I kept explaining away my symptoms because I thought I had every reason to be exhausted. I wish I had spoken up sooner. If something does not feel right, please say so and keep saying it until you feel heard. You know your own body, even when you are still learning how it has changed.