“I’m part of ‘the new normal’, says Liz, a creative copy writer based in London. “You've got your career, you took a little bit of time to find the right partner because dating is a nightmare but we get there eventually. Things often move quicker in your 40s and within three years I’d met my husband, got married and had a baby.”

She’s right, women over forty are the demographic having more babies right now, and in the UK nearly one birth in five is a woman over the age of 35. The bracket of first-time mums in their 40s and 50’s has spiked massively and become a wide global trend. Statistics aside though, the reality of having your babies later in life, can create a very different motherhood experience.

There are plenty of benefits to having a baby later in life when you have a better understanding of yourself and your career is more established. The downside though is the sleep can hit harder, energy flags and the increased physical toll that new motherhood takes. “It's just not fair that by the time you finally have a baby in your 40’s, you end up too exhausted to enjoy it, but that's how it felt,” explains Liz. “The first few months of Harrison's life went by in a blur for me, I was shocked at how exhausted I was and hanging on by my fingernails. Having never been so tired in my life, my mood became low, I was very anxious and resentful of my husband who was still sleeping just fine.”

Knowing these feelings were the toxic combination of sleep deprivation and being in an older body, neither of which she could change, Liz felt stuck but she never doubted her decisions. “I yearned for a baby for years, I was prepared to do anything to have that in my life and it's all worth it because now we have a happy, healthy, turbocharged baby who is so loved.”

Harrison was waking in the night as any baby does but Liz found she couldn’t sleep in-between his wakings. “I was lying there thinking, I must go back to sleep now but I simply couldn’t and then this negative inner voice would come up saying, “Liz, you're so stupid, why are you not sleeping? Why are you thinking about that thing that happened at work last year? Why are you thinking about the songs they forgot to play at your wedding ceremony?” I would just lie there and torture myself with these completely pointless thoughts.”

As the weeks of sleep deprivation progressed, more intrusive thoughts started to form and Liz fell into constant catastrophizing. “My mind was scurrying to these dark corners and the adrenaline was pumping and just as I’d convinced myself that everything was fine and focused on my breathing, Harrison would wake and the cycle would start over again. Sometimes his waking cycles would happen two or three times and I still hadn't slept.”

Two months after she started taking LYMA, Liz’s situation hadn't changed and yet her nights had transformed. “It happened pretty instantly, something shifted; my thoughts cleared, my mind became calm and I could just go back to sleep. I no longer lay there stressing about getting back to sleep or having intrusive thoughts about the million things that could go wrong but I’ll admit at first I thought it was just a fluke.” Yet still Liz kept taking her four LYMA capsules every morning.

“I slowly started to realize that this was the new normal for me and it’s amazing. I don't think, I just sleep and that has changed everything.”

A new category of evidence-based nutraceutical, consisting only of peer-reviewed ingredients dosed at their clinically proven levels, LYMA is the gold standard of health supplements addressing sleep, mood, performance, anxiety and inflammation throughout the body.

Running her own business and with clients awaiting her return, meant that Liz needed to restart her career sooner than some. “I was starting work with a new client and sometimes you can have that anxiety when you start a new job; new people to navigate and a new brand to get to grips with but with LYMA improving my sleep and my mood, I felt ready and I could take everything in my stride. I felt excited rather than anxious, I felt engaged, curious, and my brain had a new capacity to get stuck into the new material.”

The added bandwidth LYMA created even enabled Liz to complete a creative writing project on the side, “I felt inspired to finish my first picture children's storybook. I’ve already sent it out to agents and I'm waiting for a response. Who knows what will come of it but it's been such a rewarding feeling to complete something that’s so hard to find the time for.”

“The fact that a few months ago I was broken and now I’m able to be creative as well as work and be a good mother, is testament to the power LYMA gives you.”

“The reality is that I'm going to be a 50-year-old with a six-year-old and that's a bit scary. Harrison is joyful and jubilant and everything is super exciting for him, so I am going to be running around for years to come and need to be on my A-game to keep up with him.”

Which is why Liz sees taking LYMA as a way to ensure her future health. “I need to stay fit, healthy and mentally sharp, especially because it's like living with a real life Pokemon crawling around your house. It's a dream to feel more empowered to be my best for him and for myself. Obviously I want that to continue.”

LYMA can help any new mum especially when they're in their 40s and 50's with better sleep, aiding muscle recovery, lifting mood and improving mental clarity. “There are all these ways that the proven ingredients can benefit you but I think, definitely, it can give you the extra boost that we need. I got pregnant at 42, had my first baby at 43 and now at 44, I am better, stronger, faster than ever I’ve been. Even my reflexes are better. I'm playing and chasing and catching my child and I've never missed him yet. LYMA’s made me into a ninja mum.”

Always consult your medical professional if you have a medical condition, or existing health protocol, before beginning any new supplementation regime.