What I Wish I Knew About Postpartum

postpartum_thyroid

When I was pregnant with my first child, I spent a lot of time reading books on pregnancy, nutrition, breastfeeding and birthing, but virtually no time learning about what my body was going to need in the postpartum period. My birth with my daughter did not go how I envisioned it and we had quite a stressful week post-birth in the NICU, which didn’t leave any time to focus on rest or “laying in” or nourishing my body. Two months later I lost my grandmother and was hit with the worst flu I’ve had since I can remember. At the time, I never stopped to think that the way my body handled the flu might have been a sign that my immune system was struggling and I was emotionally and physically run down. I should have taken this as a warning sign that I was in great need of proper rest and recovery in order to support my immune system and my overall wellbeing. Not only that, a blood test to determine any deficiencies could have gone a long way in helping my recovery.

Through the first year after my daughter was born, it never even crossed my mind to ask my health care provider to check my thyroid. I didn’t even really understand what the thyroid was and how it impacted my overall health. Sadly, it wasn’t until I experienced consecutive pregnancy losses while trying for a second child, that I started diving deeper into what was really going on. The topic of thyroid dysfunction never came up at my doctors visits, and it wasn’t until I sought the advice of my Naturopathic Doctor where it was suggested we run a full thyroid panel and thus started my journey to try and rebalance my thyroid.

Immediately after reviewing my results, I started taking herbal thyroid supplements and removed all caffeine, gluten and dairy from my diet. Through making these changes and taking time for recovery, we were able to conceive again and I am currently 9 months pregnant. Removing gluten and dairy from my diet, I can tell you has been a struggle, especially through another pregnancy, but it’s so worth it.

I wanted to talk openly about this topic as we often put so much focus on pregnancy and baby (which we should) but not enough on helping mom properly rest, recover and nourish herself in the days, weeks and months after baby arrives.

Studies show that thyroid dysfunction affects 25% of new mothers, compared to only 3-4% of the general population, alarming I know, right? So, why do we not talk about this more?

There are three categories of thyroid dysfunction:

  • Hypothyroidism - insufficient thyroid hormone, not producing enough hormones (most common in postpartum, but most commonly caused by Hashimoto’s disease)

  • Hyperthyroidism - excessive thyroid hormone, producing too much hormone (most commonly caused by Graves’ disease)

  • Hyperthyroidism, followed by hypothyroidism

So, what the heck is a thyroid anyway? The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that sits low at the front of the neck and produces thyroid hormones responsible to control our metabolism. Note - the size and the shape do increase over the course of a healthy pregnancy.

As part of the endocrine system, thyroid hormones also regulate the heart, digestive function, muscle control, brain development and much more. Your body uses iodine from foods you eat to create two main hormones; Triiodothyronine (T3) & Thyroxine (T4) which travel in the bloodstream to reach almost every cell in your body. Regulated by the the hypothalamus and the pituitary, it is important that these hormones are not too high or too low.

The tricky part in determining thyroid disorder postpartum is that symptoms are extremely similar to general feelings you may experience being a brand new mom:

Hyperthyroidism:

  • Anxiety

  • Irritability

  • Restlessness

  • Nervousness, or excessive sweating

  • Hair loss

  • Thin skin

  • Weight loss

  • Missed or light menstrual periods

Hypothyroidism:

  • Trouble sleeping, tiredness, fatigue

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Dry skin and hair

  • Depression

  • Constipation

  • Fatigue

  • Joint and muscle pain

Because thyroid disorder can be difficult to distinguish from general symptoms of becoming a new mom, it is so important as part of your postpartum care to request a full thyroid panel (typically completed through a functional medical doctor or a naturopathic doctor).

Untreated, thyroid disorder can:

  • Increase your risk of postpartum depression and mental illness

  • Increase your risk of miscarriage, premature delivery and preeclampsia

  • Increase your risk of infertility

A healthy thyroid creates functional regulation of so many body systems, as well as provides increased energy and mental, physical well-being, making it vital to be aware of your thyroid health, especially in postpartum.

The journey to rebalance a dysfunctional thyroid, is not a quick one, nor is it simple. Through my experiences, I have learned about the following protocols and recommendations that help regulate thyroid dysfunction and are worth speaking to your healthcare provider about:

  • Limit high glycemic foods (sugars, white carbs, tropical fruit, fruit juice) as blood sugar regulation has been shown to play a role in managing thyroid health

  • Eliminate wheat/gluten as it has been shown to interfere with thyroid function

  • Iodine supplementation or adding seaweed to your diet, as iodine is an essential trace mineral that is required for thyroid hormone synthesis, as well as selenium supplementation

  • Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to improve thyroid function

  • Proper consumption of iron as it’s required for thyroid function and deficiency can lead to hypothyroidism

  • B-complex supplementation as it’s important for normal thyroid hormone production

  • Avoid eating raw goitrogenic foods like broccoli, soy products, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, radishes as they inhibit the assimilation of iodine (cooking these foods significantly lowers their goitrogenic quality)

  • Include adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha, Siberian ginseng, holy basil and reishi into routine as they have been shown to normalize thyroid levels

Herbal support including: adaptogens, hepatics (supporting liver function), lymphatics and immune-modulating herbs have also been studied to support hypothyroidism and are great options to speak with a trained herbalist or Naturopathic Doctor about.

Some of these herbs include:

  • Ashwaghandha (adaptogenic)

  • Gotu Kola (adaptogenic)

  • Siberian Ginseng (adaptogenic)

  • Reishi Mushroom (adaptogenic)

  • Oregon Grape (hepatic)

  • Milk Thistle (hepatic)

  • Turmeric (hepatic)

  • Cleavers (lymphatic)

  • Astragalus (immune modulating)

  • Panax Ginseng (immune modulating)

I want to stress that my suggestions above are not medical advice, and simply a reflection of my experiences and protocols I have found helpful through my own personal journey. I share my experience to encourage other women to be mindful of this and to consider having an open conversation with their healthcare provider about their thyroid health.

I will provide an update on my thyroid health after the arrival of my second child, due May 10, and share insight into protocols to help balance your thyroid postpartum.

I wish every women a peaceful, blissful postpartum experience, but if you experience any of the symptoms discussed in this post, I would highly recommend that you request a full thyroid panel from your healthcare practitioner.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22312089/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26757834

https://www.americanherbalistsguild.com/sites/default/files/sinadinos_christa_-_herbal_support_for_hypothyroidism.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049553/

Postpartum, Babies & Motherhood, Self CareKate Portwoodmotherhood, postpartum