Lets talk weight gain
Last Monday G weighed in just a tad over 10 lbs. He had no weight gain in a week, and two weeks prior he lost a bit of weight. As his sole source of food this is giving me complexes you can’t possibly imagine. He has PLENTY of diapers each day, so I know he is eating enough and is hydrated enough, so I don’t know what gives.
It doesn’t help when I hear friends casually mention their 18lb 4 month olds or 10lb 1 month olds. G is coming in at the 3rd percentile for his age group, and whereas I’m keen on the idea that my child is a rare diamond in the rough, when it comes to physical development I’m really happy for him to be very average.
I did have an epiphany this morning though, which after a tad of internet poking around (seriously, what did people do prior to the internet?) I think my idea may have some merit. Last year, amids our fertility testing, I was diagnosed with a thyroid disorder. Hypothyroid to be precise. I’ve been on medication ever since and will most likely stay on it for the rest of my life. Within a month of being on it, I did notice my metabolism leveling off a bit and I noticed long desired weight loss in my body. All this was good… back then. Now, I started to wonder if it’s possible that the medication transfered to G through my milk, or if it impacted the content of my milk, such that it is delaying G’s ability to grow. Turns out there is some merit to this and I’m not so crazy after all. From my internet research I found this:
The likelihood is, if you are hypothyroid, and taking the proper dose of thyroid hormone replacement, you will be able to nurse your baby. However, La Leche League’s Breastfeeding Answer Book says, “Women with a history of thyroid problems may need to be retested if their nursing baby is slow in gaining weight, as changes in metabolism can affect milk production.”
Although I had my OB retest my thyroid levels a few weeks after birth (since my thyroid got a bit wacky after pregnancy), I’m going to ask to check it again. Also, I will be bringing this up to G’s pediatrician. We had weight gain conversations, and attributed his slow progress to his reflux. I never thought to mention my prescription regimen.
I may be grasping for straws here. I just want my little guy to be healthy and happy. I’m not thrilled about the idea of transitioning to formula, and even the idea of supplementing makes me feel inadequate, but I have to keep reminding myself that this isn’t about me.
However, in ME news, as of today I’m only 3 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. My body shape is a different matter, but we’re getting there 🙂
In summary: weight loss in mommy? Good. Weight loss/stall in baby? Boo!
Interesting…. I had to take my thryoid out when Izzie was 4 months, so I’ve been perma-hypothyroid since then. It might be definitely worth it to look into checking your levels again. It took a loooong time for the doctors to get my Syntheroid levels correct – and I’m pretty sure the reason was because nursing threw everything off. Good luck!
I just wanted to make sure you’ve heard all the other things that are supposed to increase milk supply too… the main thing is to let him nurse whenever he wants to and even take away the pacifier and nurse him when he needs to suck… it’s a feedback loop, more sucking = more milk. Also Guinness is supposed to work really well (drink half of one, I’ve heard other beers work as well)… Oatmeal, fenugreek.. some other herbs are supposed to help too. If you’re interested I’ll try to look up the herbal remedies for that too.
Sorry if I was one of the ones casually mentioning my giant baby 😉