Hypothyroidism and Breastfeeding?

Question

Hi all,
I come from a family of women who had extreme difficulty with breastfeeding. My mom physically was unable to breastfeed, my sister had to supplement, and with my first I barely produced any milk....even then, the nurses.even said how difficult it was for them to get my milk out, let alone my baby- so I formula fed and tried to pump as much as possible. I would pump both sides throughout the day and barely get 3 oz TOTAL! It was discouraging to say the least. I was a working mom at the time and felt a tremendous amount of pressure to return to work so I didn't pursue anything else to assist in nursing (I went back to work when my midwife cleared me at 5 weeks). When my daughter was first born, her little lip and possible lip tie made it very difficult for her to eat...we had to work with her a lot just to be able to drink from a bottle. It was a really rough first couple of months.
This time around, my situation is changed and I'm now a stay at home mom. I told my hubby I want to do as much as I can to try and nurse...cookies, teas, seeing a lactation consultant frequently, etc. In doing some research this morning, it appears hypothyroidism may affect a women's ability to breastfeed. 
Does anyone have any experience with this? Or have have any other recommendations for being successful in nursing this time around?

Answer

Thank you for the responses, ladies. I'm relieved to know I'm not alone in this...I've gotten told "your body produces more milk when there is a demand" (or something similar) but its not the case with me. It makes me feel so defeated and like my body is broken! Will be doing as much as I can to help with milk production, seeing a lactation consultant frequently and following up with my doctor to make sure my TSH levels are where they are supposed to be. Will definitely be giving this baby whatever milk I AM able to produce...even if it's just a few ounces.

Answer

I've had hypothyroidism for the last 10 years. I didn't realize it could hurt your milk supply but that probably explains why I'm having issues. I tend to only get maybe 10oz on a good day when I pump at work. And that's after I eat lactation cookies. We have to supplement formula a couple times a day at daycare and then I breastfeed LO when we are both home.

Answer

I’m right there with ya mom. I’ve had my hypothyroidism since I was 8 years old. I am a FTM to a beautiful 3 month old girl 💕 But exclusively breastfeeding was clearly not an option for us from the very beginning. My LO also had difficulty latching because I have very, very flat nipples and so feeding was painful at first. If I do nurse it has to be with a nipple shield. After I took my baby to her first pediatric appointment post birth that’s when they told me she had lost greater than 10% of her birth weight and that I had to supplement with formula to get her weight back up. Ever since that appointment I have given my LO at least 2 bottles of formula a day just to make sure she was gaining weight. If I didn’t she would not produce enough wet diapers and not gain appropriate weight. Throughout this process I went to 2 different lactation consultant and they did their best but I don’t think there was any way to EBF my LO. I just don’t produce enough. Now, my thyroid levels have been kept under control with my medications but I still feel like it’s because of that I can’t produce the correct amount of hormones to maintain an adequate supply. Now I just latch her as much as I can, pump every 3 hours, and still give her 2 bottles of formula a day. I too just started going back to work and I fear that it will make my supply disappear entirely but you know what? ANY amount of breast milk is better than NONE. That’s what I keep telling myself so I can be at peace. It’s tough mom, and certain supplements can react with your thyroid too so you have to be extra careful. Fenugreek is one of them!!

Hypothyroidism and Breastfeeding?

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