I absolutely love the babymoon phase. Nothing on earth is better than those first several weeks of a new baby. Full of cuddles of warm baby softness and the feeling absolutely in love with this tiny human you just barely met. Ahhh… I adore this phase. But what if those hormonal changes are waiting to waylay your thyroid. Post-baby hormonal changes are a force to reckoned with. A force full of health-hijacking changes ready to lay waste to your postpartum thyroid along with the desire to even get out of bed in the morning. But with a little knowledge, you can fear not. A little know-how and a keen eye can go a long way to preventing any old “hormones” from getting in the way of sweet baby snuggles.
In case you haven’t followed any of my thyroid story. I am recovering from hypothyroidism. No better yet I am recovered, not just managing hypothyroidism. I spent two years on synthetic thyroid hormones to feel barely ok. Then I said enough tossed out what all the doctors told me and decided to forge my own path to full health self-care and natural health.
Before thyroid problems, I would have never guessed thyroids can change so much! Man, that little gland rocked my world for a while. Needless to say, that makes a person a little gun-shy. Now I try to always keep thyroid supporting in the back of my mind.
When my thyroid first started acting up it was a few months after the birth of my third child. It was winter time, and we were not eating very healthy, but rather very cheap (our income was more seasonally based). When you combine low nutrient food, hormone changes, and low vitamin D you get a thyroid demolishing super combo!
Related Reading:
To heal a Thyroid Part 1
To Heal a Thyroid Part 2
To Heal a Thyroid Part 3
So I find myself in a similar situation again, but this time I have knowledge! Being postpartum in winter months when vitamin D is low. I no longer skip on healthy foods for money savings, it’s simply not worth the price your health will pay!
Shedding hair, and low energy is natural after a new baby but also signs of something more. So keeping alert that what the signs to keep an out for. These are several things to watch for:
- Shedding excessive hair
- Excessive fatigue (even with extra sleep)
- Frequent headaches
- Dry, dull, lifeless skin
- painful or achy thyroid (literally and figuratively a pain in the neck)
- Constipation
- Unexplainable weight gain
- Craving sugary foods
- Irritability
- Depression
Related Reading:
Healthy Lactation Cookies | Oatmeal Raisin
Breastfeeding Problems | How to naturally increase your milk supply
The thyroid healing plan
To heal my thyroid I include stress-reducing techniques, vitamins, supplements, herbs, essential oils, and foods. Keep in mind this is my full plan. Feel free to use, tweak or take out whatever you need to to make it work for you.
Morning
- Oil Pulling with Coconut oils (remove toxins)
- Quiet time/ meditation session (reduce stress)
- Herbal tea with 1 tsp Coconut oil. (coconut oil aids the metabolism kicking the thyroid back into action)
- Red Maca Root(find the best stuff here)
- L-Tyrosine and L-Arginine supplement
- Iodine supplement
- Amino Acid Complex supplement
- Hypothyroid Essential oil routine*
- Fermented Cod liver oil (high in vitamin D and does wonders on the mood)
Midday
- Herbal tea with 1 tsp coconut
- L-Tyrosine L-Arginine supplement
- Hypothyroid Essential oil routine*
- Meditation quite time (during kids nap time)
Night
- L-Tyrosine L Arginine Supplement
- Herbal Tea with 1 tsp coconut oil.
- Red Maca Root
- Iodine supplement (twice a day, till I no longer run low)
- Hypothyroid Essential oil routine*
- Meditation quiet time before sleeping
*Hypothyroid Essential oil Routine From
3rd Edition – Surviving When Modern Medicine Fails: A definitive Guide to Essential Oils That Could Save Your Life During a Crisis
Oral- Take 2 capsules filled with 2 drops each of Frankincense, Myrrh, German Chamomile and clove 1-3 times daily. Topical- 2 drops of myrtle, sandalwood, and peppermint over the thyroid and chest area 1-3 times daily. Apply 8-10 drops of orange oil on the feet once daily massaging into the thyroid vita flex area on the feet.
These are very obvious signs for me, I watch for them. Feeling tired and shedding hair is normal after a baby. However feeling like death warmed over with so much hair falling out the vacuum cleaner appears to have swept up a long-haired cocker spaniel, well that’s not normal. Having a baby is a big ordeal on the body, add to that most of our modern food is seriously lacking in nutrition and our lives are usually always in high stress, which can set a new mamas body into meltdown.
Postpartum time is best used for baby bonding time and not exhaustion, irritability and thyroid problems. The body is an amazing machine, give it what it needs and watch it work smoothly. New moms need rest, nutrition, health, and recovery. Keep the bliss in the babymoon period, for both you and baby♡♡♡
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Beth is a mother of 6 living on a handful of acres in an old farmhouse in central Kansas. Beth has a background in the military and health and fitness however her passions come from her homestead life. Beth is an enthusiastic homeschooling mom, avid organic gardener, chicken & goat wrangler, who is obsessed with herbs and natural remedies and maintaining an all-around Do-It-Yourself lifestyle. Beth loves to share all she has learned about and sustainable living. While striving for a healthy, natural life, family-centered life.
Hi there! Did yoU take all oF those supplements while nursing by chAnce? And what did yoU change (if anything) about yoUr diet?
I do take supplements while nursing. (however, I must say this is not medical advice) I do/did/will take supplements while breastfeeding (or at least what other people call supplements) however I try to make sure most of what I take is more like a food supplement. For example, Maca root is really just a highly nutritious root vegetable. It is just in the U.S. we call it a supplement whereas in places like Peru it’s just food women of childbearing age eat a lot more. Or other things like coconut oil, herbal tea, or cod liver oil. Other things like amino acids or iodine are things we should get in our food but that just maybe lacking due to lots of reasons. On that yes I do take them while breastfeeding, but I am careful only to use nature things (no colors, preservatives, stimulants, etc) that I feel safe passing onto my baby.
As far as diet goes I did have to make changes and for a thyroid, sugar is one that has to go. Past that a healthy balanced diet is always my go-to.