Re the post on the hypothyroid mother I have hypothyroidism, dx'd 5 months after first baby born, Hashimoto's, to be exact.  I went in for lethargy and the doctor tested my thyroid. Apparently my levels were so out of whack, he couldn't believe I wasn't collapsed in bed all the time.  I was nursing Maddie exclusively, before diagnosis, and there was no problem with weight gain -- she had double and triple chins!!!  I, too, have never felt engorged  or leaked, but always attributed that to frequent nursing, right from the start.  Maybe there is a correlation, but I've always produced what my babies needed.  From what I've been told by my endocrinologist, the replacement thyroid hormone I take simply brings me the level at which  I should be.  Taking replacement hormone is completely compatible with breastfeeding and is necessary.  If this mom is not taking meds, as I understand it, her milk supply WOULD be affected.  But as long as she's taking meds, and her levels are normal, she should be able to produce normally.  Maybe her levels were really out of whack after birth and nobody bothered to test them?   Or maybe by the time she gave birth, her levels were still not normal, despite being on meds during pregnancy.  It does take a few months on the meds to get to the right levels.

--Julie Rosen

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