Hello!
I have just given birth to my son on 20th Dec who was 9lb12 at birth. I have been exclusively breastfeeding but his weight had dropped to 8lb8 oz on day 6 and then another 1oz lost by day 8. Just wondering if anyone has any advice on whether it could be my hypothyroidism affecting my milk supply? They are now saying I may have to formula feed if we don’t get any weight gain soon, I’m feeling very frustrated as I breastfed my first son with no issues xx
Hi, hypothyroid breastfeeder here. Up to 10% loss for a breastfed baby is normal so if you can do the maths (I cant) it's a bit less than 1lb right? Also can I ask if you were given IV fluids during birth? There has been a study done to show that babies who's mothers had fluids during delivery lose more weight post birth as they were full of fluid. How is his nappy output, how many wet and dirty nappies are you getting?
Hello! He’s on just over 8% loss at the moment. I had to have an epidural after his birth due to a 3rd degree tear and I know I had a drip with various meds for a bit, not sure if fluids were included but it’s quite possible as my BP was low and they were trying to get it up. He’s doing several wet nappies a day and usually 1 dirty one but perhaps not every single day. He struggled with feeding the first couple of days esp at night but is now very slightly jaundiced. I feel his feeding is now a lot better but then they weighed him again today and he had still lost a tiny amount (although his cord with two clamps attached had also come off). We have seen a different midwife every time so there is no continuity and I’m feeling very deflated by it all. He’s very content and not screaming at all, he makes it very obviously when he’s hungry. X
All sounds good Sarah. I think it’s natural to fret, are you demand feeding? Making sure he’s feeding at least every 3hrs? No long sleeps in between? Jaundice babies can be more sleepy and should be roused to feed. You don’t have to wake fully just dream feed.
I don’t have much experience of the weight loss as all mine gained weight, I used to joke that it was because I ate so much chocolate! But on that note are you eating enough?
Will you be going home soon and so will get some peace from interfering staff? It is early days yet and I am sure it will settle down but not if they start giving top-ups of formula. Your baby should be deciding how much he wants, not a nurse. It drove me crazy when I had my three, all happily breastfed but I had to send a health visitor away when she was concerned about the number of feeds I was giving with “on demand” feeding. Keep on feeding as much as possible and stand your ground.
congratulations on your new arrival
If you are exclusively breastfeeding........your baby will need vitamin D, especially if your vitamin D isn't good
When we are hypothyroid, low vitamin D is extremely common
Have medics been testing vitamin levels?
Hello! No I don’t think they have. I did have a course of vit D a while back as mine was low. Will enquire with the HV tomorrow x
Thanks everyone! Yes I am demand feeding but now been told to wake him every two hours rather than about 3 hours which he is doing at the minute, I also have to offer him 3 courses which is difficult when he’s full after 1. I came home the next day. Im sure we will get there just hope I don’t have to switch to formula x
What does it mean ‘3 course?’
Basically she wants me to offer one side, then when he breaks wind him and offer the same side again, followed by the other side. We tried it this morning but then he was sick as he couldn’t take that volume in his little stomach x
🤔 she’s still going by the old fashioned view that there is ‘foremilk’ and ‘hindmilk’ 😩
I’d stick with the same breast for a feed. If he breaks let him have a little rest before offering the same breast again. Feeding is exhausting for newborns! They also shouldn’t really need winding, it’s not like bottle feeding. If you think he’s windy check his latch. I wouldn’t offer him the other breast. Feeding from one is good enough. Then ofcourse remember to feed from the other breast at the next feed. Tie a little bit of ribbon on you bra so you know what side to offer. Babies can ofcourse feed from the same breast fir every feed but you might get uncomfortable/mastitis or just uneven boobs!! Lol
Why not top up with formula and combi-feed until he's a healthier weight? It may not be helpful to view this as a 'switch' to formula when it's perfectly possible to use it to supplement your own supply. After that you can re-evaluate whether you want to continue to try bf or actually switch, but most mums I know who have tried this method have been able to continue bf.
Secondly, I'm surprised that nobody here has addressed your actual question.
Yes, an under-active thyroid is one of a number of factors that can affect your milk supply, and it's entirely possible this is the problem. What is more, childbirth and breastfeeding itself can interfere with your own levels, causing your T4 to drop further, so you will need to monitor that to ensure you're on the right dose. Take a look at this article for a bit more info: healthcentral.com/slideshow...
So, you should also be getting your own levels checked ASAP as the chances are they have shifted considerably since your pregnancy.
Sorry to hear you suffered such a serious injury during the birth btw. It's shocking that this is considered a normal part of motherhood.
Thank you, they want me to have my dose checked 5 weeks post birth but it seems quite a while to wait x
Yes, I don't understand why you can't have one sooner, given that this can affect your supply. in the meantime, please don't be afraid to supplement if you continue to have this concern.
The beginning is always hard when establishing your supply. Try not to fret too much. I would say every 2 hours if you’re needing him to gain quickly. As far as thyroid, it can have an effect on your milk but a great way to check and see how much he is getting would be to buy a cheap scale (they sell baby specific ones on amazon just for this) and weigh him before he eats, then weigh him after to find the difference- which would be the amount he ate. Then look at the charts (online if your doctors didn’t give you one) for you baby’s age and amount they should be getting from the breast. Not from formula since those numbers are different. Babies digest breast milk faster than formula so they eat more frequently. That doesn’t mean they need more though. When I was 6 months in with my son my milk started changing a lot and having a lot less fat in it - this was when I got diagnosed with Hashimotos and hypothyroidism. That’s only what I know happened to me so keep that in mind and check your thyroid levels frequently while postpartum and breastfeeding. Good luck mama - you got this!!
Every 2 hours does not sound especially sustainable to me - particularly when the OP is recovering from a serious injury.
I had emergency c sections with both kids and 2-3 hours is sufficient
Sufficient, but not exactly optimal for mental health or recovery.
Hi Sarah, initial weight loss is normal. A baby has to establish feeding, maintain temperature, things that you do for him when in utero.
The main thing is that the weight loss had slowed down significantly. His next weighing may not show a large gain in weight but some gain would be expected. It sounds like you are doing fine but two hourly feeding does not allow you or your baby to rest or for him to acquire an appetite and is usually self defeating. A baby should feed 6 to 8 good feeds in 24 hours. As long as your baby is doing that and your milk supply is good your baby will thrive.
Should your milk supply dwindle then one cup of fennel tea a day will help.
At around 8 to 10 days babies get ready for a growth spurt so will naturally feed more frequently. Are there any breastfeeding support groups or counsellors in your area?
Good luck
Dr Barry Durrant-Peatfield mentions big babies in his book - The Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy. He says that when thyroid hormones are low in the Mother, the foetus produces it's own Growth Hormone to compensate. I only remember as I had big babies back in the 60's.
Have you had your levels checked recently ?
I think you are doing so well to feed a big baby - I couldn't. I have read your other posts and can see you have had a bumpy ride - so take good care and rest when you can x
Hi Sarah
I struggled to breast feed both of my babies, born 5 years apart. I wasn’t diagnosed with hypothyroidism at the same. I was diagnosed when my second child was 12m old but suspect I’d been hypothyroid for many years before that.
With my first baby I struggled to demand feed him. I found it exhausting and he never seemed full. When expressing I’d get 2oz max while friends were expressing 5-6oz! I always joked I was feeding him skimmed milk when it needed to be full fat! Inside though, I felt like a failure. Despite my son losing weight week after week, Heath visitors told me to continue exclusive breast feeding. By the time he was 10weeks old I was totally exhausted (physically and mentally) and my son continued to look like a newborn. I reluctantly took the advice of my Mum and Nan and switched to formula and he thrived and started sleeping for much longer stretches during the night.
By the time I’d had my second child, luckily health visitors advice had changed. After seeing how much I was struggling, they actually recommended I combi-feed (breast then next feed formula) which worked brilliantly for 6m until she moved to solids. This also meant my husband could share the feeding at night and I got longer stretches of sleep.
I’d say do what feels right for you and your baby as everyone is different. Don’t stress about it. The main thing is both you and baby are healthy. Good luck and best wishes x
Combi feeding is a great solution even without any health problems - it makes it a lot easier for parents to share the burden of night feeds.
But no formula is healthier especially prior to 4 months when the gut wall becomes less permeable. Otherwise allergies/sensitivities can arise. Plus, adding in formula reduces milk supply.
I'd stand by my suggestion even if I believed this.
Every 2hrs is very much sustainable, it’s not forever it’s just for a few days to get baby on track, if that’s even needed. Baby sounds perfectly content to me and yet again NHS staff are interfering and fretting when they can’t tick their boxes adequately.
This is exactly how we feel esp when seeing different midwifes all the time
I had to do a few days of 2 hourly breast feeds with my youngest at around 2 weeks old due to my son's continually losing weight, too. I was hypo then, but hadn't officially been diagnosed at that time, and in my case, my supply was low.. The thing with breastfeeding is that in normal circumstances, your breasts produce milk to meet the demand. So, by feeding more frequently for a few days, they will produce more milk to meet the increased demand (more out, more made, less out, less made). It worked for me (my son could not tolerate cows, goat, or soy formulas, so it had to be breastfeeding) and I was fortunate enough to breastfeed until he self weaned. Having said that, of my 5 boys, 2 had to be exclusively formula fed due to extreme reflux. I do have to wonder, though, if a contributing factor of it all could have been the hypothyroidism?
Congratulations!!
I was diagnosed soon after delivery but successfully breast fed (exclusively) until my daughter was almost 7 months old.
We gave up altogether when she was 2.
So hang in there 👍
apparently eating carrots and oatmeal help to boost breast milk production.
You can get oat milk from many places. Waitrose (and ocado) do a chocolate flavour one.
My daughter also expresses a small amount as a standby top up and that is helping her beautiful little boy get a little extra feed if they are out, or she’s needing a little rest.
Congratulations, sounds like you are doing very well with your little one.
I wish you decent sleep in the new year. 🤗
Thank you, will give that a go x
Dear Sarah,
I’m a midwife. It’s unlikely to be your thyroid causing the problem.
Feed your baby frequently, make sure you are drinking plenty, eating well and resting.
I know this is a useful forum for advice but I think you would be better off talking to your midwife or one of the breastfeeding helplines.
Giving formulae at this stage is not recommended so please don’t take that advice if you are committed to breastfeeding.
Best of luck. There will be a resolution to your issues.
It’s my midwife who has said if there is no weight gain by tomorrow we will have to add formula in too. Personally I would prefer not too, trying to up the feeds today but two days doesn’t give us long to make a difference. X
Your midwife can give you recommendations but she can’t *make* you add a bottle. From what you’ve said so far all seems to be going well, baby is eating sleeping and wet nappies. I would take all midwives and HV advise with a pinch of salt, they’re quite out of date with their advise, it’s so prescriptive! Mine caused me so much distress that I nearly lost my way! I was also told that I’d probably smother my baby as we co slept and that I’d make for very clingy children as we wore them in slings. The list is endless to everything I ‘did wrong’ Now mine are 12/14/16/18 and they’re very ‘normal’
Breastfeeding wasn’t always easy, I could never express, I’d get 1-2ozs at most so didn’t bother my baby was far better at getting the milk out.
I hope you’ve got the support around you to actually take to bed, eat, drink and relax (although be careful this can also make babies too cosy and sleep too long!! Lol)
If your baby is waking for feeds and is alert but also content after feeds with plenty of wet and dirty nappies, there’s probably not much wrong. Look at the soft spot on the baby’s head, if that is sunken it can be an indication that the baby is dehydrated which would be the case if he wasn’t getting enough.
The 10% is a guideline, the bigger the baby the more he can safely lose. Go on your gut feeling and by how your baby is. It’s unrealistic to expect him to make up the weight in 2 days.
Good luck, you are doing an amazing job x
If you start giving formula, you will destroy the balance of your breastfeeding, where the breasts will automatically produce more milk in response to the baby feeding. In other words, unless it is just a one off occasion, your milk supply will reduce, which is exactly what you do not want.
I had a brilliant breastfeeding counsellor who always said, when I called her wailing about my really hungry baby, “feed him again”. (He became huge but is now six foot and very slim). It seemed to be her answer to every problem and she was right. Midwives panic when faced with breastfeeding mothers, as it is so easy to guarantee the amount in a bottle of formula. Keep on feeding as much as you can and your lovely baby will be absolutely fine.
If you can find a local National Childbirth Trust counsellor, she will be a great support to you.
She can’t make you give your baby formula. Exclusive breastfeeding is so much healthier. Adding in formula would run your supply down, too. Stick to your guns, if necessary ask for more time, a week should do it. Good luck and congratulations. Hope you will soon heal from the birth too. Hope all goes well for you and your baby xx
Would you tell this to all the women that successfully combination feed (quite a few on this thread and many, many more who I know) and find it infinitely less stressful, have no problem BF as well and have perfectly healthy children. Also perhaps try and think about how this advice comes across when those who could not BF may read it.
'Mother Food: A Breastfeeding Diet Guide with Lactogenic Foods and Herbs - Build Milk Supply, Boost Immunity, Lift Depression, Detox, Lose Weight, Optimize a Baby's IQ, and Reduce Colic and Allergies' by Hillary Jacobson.
This was the best book for improving my milk supply and its fat quality/content which really helps with babies weight gain. It's not a big book. Just enough really.
'Herbal Nursing Tea for Breastfeeding Mothers stimulating Mother's Milk 40 Tea Bags by Apotheke Pavel Vana' was was extremely potent for stimulating my milk supply!I found it on the same shopping website as the book, name begins with 'A'. Not sure if I am allowed to say exactly.
Best wishes
Hi Sarah, the same happened to me (20 years ago!)
As soon as they lowered my thyroxin dosage my baby started to put on weight and I continued breast feeding without any problems.
They had been overmedicating me, and it obviously was passing to my baby, although they denied it. I think in those days nobody knew much about it.
Hope this helps.
Don't give formula! Persevere - you are doing fine! Breast is best by far and your baby sounds quite content to me bless him! Sometimes we rely too much on advice from so called 'professionals' many of which haven't even breastfed themselves! The only Bible I used and I fed all four of mine for a year each - was 'Breast is Best' by Doctor Penny Stanway - who did have personal experience of breast feeding and would give positive encouragement to anyone wanting to do it! In fact they make you convinced you cannot fail - marvellous book! She would never recommend formula! amazon.co.uk/Breast-Best-Pe...
Urgggh - I remember the stress of it all and the health workers made it hellish as they stick to a one model fits all and tell you everything you're doing is wrong. Every one is different and they simply just don't take that into account. My baby was piling on weight but was only feeding 3-4 times a day and quickly went into a long 8-10 hour sleep at nights by five weeks. They kept telling me this was bad and to force her awake but I ignored them whilst feeling crap at the same time.
She had a preference for one boob which chucked milk out at a fast rate and would empty within two minutes flat with little effort. Was a pain as not normally quite enough and she couldn't be bothered with the other boob as too much effort and the speed at which she drank from the other gave her bad colic but what can I do about that lol?? You could literally hear it gurgling down from a mile away like someone necking a pint. They continually gave me a hard time and said not normal to eat so infrequently even though she was as bright as a button and piling on weight. It was only when I began expressing and seeing how much that one boob gave before emptying that I realised she was drinking the same quantity as a 6 month old could each feed (a whole large bottle) plus a bit from the other which is why she needed less feeds and slept through the night. It turned out that she just had an extraordinarily large stomach which did cause alarm with the doctor a short while later but a scan showed just very large and nothing else wrong and hopefully she would grow into it (she did finally at age 8). If I'd have listened to them, we would have been miserable with me forcing her to wake and eat more often than she needed and wanted.
In regards to the thyroid, I did start struggling to produce enough milk between 2 and 3 months and it became hell for a month whilst I was being stubborn and very stressed with constant expressing just to feed her enough and was forced to add in formula to top up as it was quite clear she was hungry. Wished I had supplemented earlier and not listened to all those saying it was bad and that she'd stop breast feeding - if she was hungry, she'd take it from whatever I offered her (apart from effort inducing boob). Turned out too late that I was actually very hyperthyroid as no one had bothered to check my thyroid bloods and was still on the extra dose required for pregnancy and I wasn't so knowledgeable back then.
She also required solids earlier than most as always had a large appetite (but slept well lol) but I left that to her to decide - she showed interest in my food when she was ready to eat more than just milk. I stopped breast feeding entirely once she was more on solids and then she bit me with her first teeth with a wicked giggle. I was like great - we're done 
Literally everyone is different and it takes a while for everyone to get the hang of it including the baby and I wish they would stop with the one model for all babies/boobs stuff. All I've seen with others is a lot of misery with friends/family trying to force their baby into that mould.
Get all your levels tested and then trust yourself and moreso trust your baby unless they appear to be suffering 
I think breastfeeding is another one of those things the medics don't know that much about. I know I got a lot of bad advice. Dr. Jack Newman is invaluable. He's a Canadian paediatrician and breastfeeding campaigner who runs lactation clinics and has written a few great books. Have a look at his Facebook page m.facebook.com/DrJackNewman/ and his website ibconline.ca has a lot of articles.
He is also contactable with questions.
Congratulations and enjoy this time.
I also have a thyroid condition (partial thyriodectomy due to a large nodule) and I had a large baby too, who lost weight at the beginning. I think for me, my milk supply took a little bit longer than usual to establish and my little man had a huge appetite because he was so big. We had to supplement with top ups of formula, but after 3 weeks my milk supply got to where it needed to be, and I exclusively breastfed to 7 months, and we stopped breastfeeding at 18 months old. It took a lot of breastfeeding at the beginning to get my supply where it needed to be. He was on the boob non stop for hours at a time. I could dedicate the time to this as he was my first baby. Good luck. Know that even if you do decide to supplement with a little formula, you may still be able to cut the formula in the future after your supply improves
Good advice
My first question would be why are you hypothyroid? Are you not receiving thyroid meds? As being hypo slows down absolutely everything it could slow down milk production too. My daughter who took thyroxine had some breast feeding problems (baby was slightly prem and she had a C-section) but he had formula top ups which were gradually reduced as he got more used to breast feeding and milk flow improved and he continued with successful breast feeding until nearly two! One thing though was that the formula top ups were tiny ‘sips’ from a small cup or spoon not a bottle ...seemed to work and so he never had formula from suckling. Not sure if any of that helps?
I’m on 125mcg levothyroxine x
I’m sorry if my posts have upset you. I simply wanted to encourage Sarah_37, who is hoping to avoid formula top-ups. I think the thing is that for people who do want to breastfeed, it can be difficult to establish if they don’t have lots of good, timely, well informed support. It’s especially difficult if a health professional or well-meaning friend or family member casts doubt on their ability to make enough milk. Yes this can happen, but it’s very rare. I was a breastfeeding counsellor for many years and helped to run a breastfeeding clinic in my local hospital, which was a real lifeline for many mums. I always supported mothers in making their own choices, while making sure they had correct information, in the light of the latest research, and plenty of practical help. Scazone is a midwife and I think what she and others are saying is in line with the WHO and UNICEF guidelines on breastfeeding and the Baby friendly Hospital Initiative, which you can read by following the link below. I’m sure none of us would want anyone to feel guilty, as what would that achieve? As a mother myself, I know that we simply do the best we can in the light of what we know at the time. And that babies are mostly pretty resilient and tend to survive despite what we do, thank goodness! Here is the WHO link: who.int/maternal_child_adol...
You haven't upset *me*, but if I did happen to be a mother who had been unable to BF and was reading all this advice as if using formula was somehow a terrible last resort that could cause harm, or perhaps a gay father or a young baby like my friend who obviously couldn't BF due to not having breasts then, well, yes I think I'd be pretty saddened to see what's been said on a few replies here. These people don't always tend to speak up because the guilt and 'breast is best' (can't believe someone actually said that!) mantra is so strong that they don't feel able to.
WHO and Unicef guidelines are as you say, but I understand they were designed to apply to developing countries where access to clean water makes the use of formula a VERY different proposition. As you've worked in this area, you will know as well as I do that their stance is not universally supported by those who work in this area.
IMHO, The BFHI is equally causing untold misery with its dogmatic promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, especially when attempted in a stretched healthcare system where practices such as enforced "rooming in" can be incredibly stressful for exhausted new mothers.
Case in point: a friend of mine was recently so annoyed and flustered by all the fussing and heavy-handed BF 'support' she had to ensure on a BFHI postnatal ward that she discharged herself and gave up altogether - she will now never breastfeed her baby. So I really do think it's the hard line thinking and 'exclusive' approach that is itself resulting in more women giving up.
Many, many mothers and parents I talk to are also very concerned about the way these guidelines are being enforced at the expense of mothers' mental health and in some cases the overall health of their babies. The best approach is CLEARLY a flexible one that doesn't 'promote' anything but ensures safety and good mental health. Yes, the OP did say she wanted to BF, but in my experience the focus on exclusivity is what's not helpful.
Nevertheless, we now know the gut wall is permeable to proteins up until the age of around 4 months, so if a mother does plan to breastfeed, and is happy with her choice, and the baby is doing well, it is better not to introduce formula before this time, especially if there are allergies in the family.
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