Re: Thirst, hydration and breastfeeding

[Guest guest]

Did she have actual thyroid testing (T3 and T4) or just TSH.  Postpartum TSH can be deceptive, and it is common for labs to still use an outdated range for normal.Lynnwho admittedly sees thyroid first btdt

 

PTP - a mom with a 8 month old baby, mostly breastfed, a few solids, growing beautifully. Mom drinks 1 1/2 gallons of water and 1 liter of green or black tea daily and feels thirsty/not hydrated,sluggish, fatigued, drained, doesn't wake to pee at night. Urine ranges from dilute to sometimes concentrated. " I feel like it goes straight to my boobs " . The doc ruled out diabetes, low blood sugar, thyroid issues several months ago.

Good diet, enough protein, prefers whole foods, cooks from scratch, gets exercise, still holding onto some extra weight as she did with her first until her daughter weaned. This is similar to her experience with her first - that daughter hit the end of the first year with few solids during the winter and with the recent hot weather mom is concerned about staying hydrated.

Suggestions made:

electrolyte replacement drink - mom doesn't like packaged stuff

dilute juice (1/3 juice 2/3 water)

" Emergen-C " drink

eating more juicy foods

I'm curious about a sub-clinical kidney dysfunction and wonder if herbs (dandelion, raspberry, nettles), homeopathy or acupuncture would be helpful. I feel like I've experienced this myself at times but don't remember how it went away.

Thank,

McCormick, BA, IBCLC

Vermont

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I don't think that this is the only answer- not sure what is going on here- but you said "Mom drinks 1 1/2 gallons of water and 1 liter of green or black tea daily and feels thirsty/not hydrated".

That is a lot of caffiene. And caffiene, they say, actually makes you urinate more. So she may be urinating quite a lot and still not be well hydrated.

I think she should see an HCP -and soon- because there may be some kind of other problem underlying this (was she tested for diabetes insipidus?), but also would recommend that she wean herself down to much less caffiene (no cheating- less tea but brewing it stronger, etc.- have experience with that one ;~) ). She doesn't have to go cold turkey and get the withdrawal headaches. She is probably going to hate this idea because she feels so tired- and she really needs to go to the doctor for that- so lots of support.

And yes, green tea has significant caffeine in it. And people may get more sensitive to caffiene as time goes on- so maybe it didn't used to be a problem for her.

Not sure why the dilute juice?

Good luck with this- probably not a breastfeeding issue. If no health problems- caffiene may be the answer.

, LLLL, IBCLC

[Guest guest]

Lynn, I see in Making More Milk that the levels for TSH should be within 0.5 -

2.5 mlU/L. Can you tell me what the T3 and T4 should look like?

Thanks,

- Did she have actual thyroid testing (T3 and T4) or just TSH. Postpartum TSH

can be deceptive, and it is common for labs to still use an outdated range for

normal.

Lynn

who admittedly sees thyroid first btdt

**

The doc ruled out diabetes, low blood sugar, thyroid issues several months ago.

[Guest guest]

Depends on the scale, but the 75th percentile is optimal. The most important thing is how she feels.

Lynn, I see in Making More Milk that the levels for TSH should be within 0.5 - 2.5 mlU/L. Can you tell me what the T3 and T4 should look like?

Thanks,

- Did she have actual thyroid testing (T3 and T4) or just TSH. Postpartum TSH can be deceptive, and it is common for labs to still use an outdated range for normal.

Lynn

who admittedly sees thyroid first btdt

**

The doc ruled out diabetes, low blood sugar, thyroid issues several months ago.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

We spoke about the tea and I'll discuss it again with her. Good question about

the diabetes, I'll ask her.

> Not sure why the dilute juice? (Just something I find useful on hot, sweaty

days!)

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Lynn! ~

> Depends on the scale, but the 75th percentile is optimal. The most important

thing is how she feels.

[Guest guest]

if you don't dilute juice, it's a lot of sugar... Beebe, M.Ed., RLC, IBCLC Lactation Consultant/Postpartum Doula www.second9months.comwww.facebook.com/thesecond9months--- Subject: Re: Thirst,

hydration and breastfeedingTo: Date: Sunday, March 25, 2012, 5:13 PM

Hi ,

We spoke about the tea and I'll discuss it again with her. Good question about the diabetes, I'll ask her.

> Not sure why the dilute juice? (Just something I find useful on hot, sweaty days!)

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

As someone else has said, this mother is consuming a lot of caffeine and that may be a big part of the problem. But when my firstborn was 14 months old, I felt really tired all the time. The doctor tried to tell me it was because I was still breastfeeding. I just looked him right in the eye and said I was in LLL and therefore saw lots of other mothers of nursing toddlers, and none of them looked as bad as I felt and he better figure out another answer. Well, it turns out I was pretty anemic. I had gotten life-threateningly anemic during the pregnancy, because the OB (different doc) would not pay attention to me when I said I thought I was getting anemic (had battled it as a teenager so knew what it felt like). I lost an awful lot of blood during and after the birth. The next day, he put me on large doses of

iron. Kept me on that for two months when he said my hemoglobin was finally okay. Well, turns out he didn't test serum ferritin, for stores of iron, and at 14 months I was still very anemic because the stores had not been rebuilt. I went back on iron, though more tolerable dosing that time around, and in a month or two was feeling much better. Perhaps this mother is anemic, so drinking the caffeine because she feels so exhausted, and the caffeine is messing with her kidneys somehow? Anyway, maybe she should be tested for anemia.

Dee Kassing

Subject: Thirst, hydration and breastfeedingTo: Date: Sunday, March 25, 2012, 7:28 AM

PTP - a mom with a 8 month old baby, mostly breastfed, a few solids, growing beautifully. Mom drinks 1 1/2 gallons of water and 1 liter of green or black tea daily and feels thirsty/not hydrated,sluggish, fatigued, drained, doesn't wake to pee at night. Urine ranges from dilute to sometimes concentrated. "I feel like it goes straight to my boobs". The doc ruled out diabetes, low blood sugar, thyroid issues several months ago. Good diet, enough protein, prefers whole foods, cooks from scratch, gets exercise, still holding onto some extra weight as she did with her first until her daughter weaned. This is similar to her experience with her first - that daughter hit the end of the first year with few solids during the winter and with the recent hot weather mom is concerned about staying hydrated. Suggestions made:electrolyte replacement drink - mom doesn't like packaged stuffdilute juice (1/3 juice 2/3 water)"Emergen-C"

drinkeating more juicy foodsI'm curious about a sub-clinical kidney dysfunction and wonder if herbs (dandelion, raspberry, nettles), homeopathy or acupuncture would be helpful. I feel like I've experienced this myself at times but don't remember how it went away.Thank, McCormick, BA, IBCLCVermont

[Guest guest]

And caffeine interferes with the proper absorption of some minerals, doesn't it?Lynn

As someone else has said, this mother is consuming a lot of caffeine and that may be a big part of the problem. But when my firstborn was 14 months old, I felt really tired all the time. The doctor tried to tell me it was because I was still breastfeeding. I just looked him right in the eye and said I was in LLL and therefore saw lots of other mothers of nursing toddlers, and none of them looked as bad as I felt and he better figure out another answer. Well, it turns out I was pretty anemic. I had gotten life-threateningly anemic during the pregnancy, because the OB (different doc) would not pay attention to me when I said I thought I was getting anemic (had battled it as a teenager so knew what it felt like). I lost an awful lot of blood during and after the birth. The next day, he put me on large doses of

iron. Kept me on that for two months when he said my hemoglobin was finally okay. Well, turns out he didn't test serum ferritin, for stores of iron, and at 14 months I was still very anemic because the stores had not been rebuilt. I went back on iron, though more tolerable dosing that time around, and in a month or two was feeling much better. Perhaps this mother is anemic, so drinking the caffeine because she feels so exhausted, and the caffeine is messing with her kidneys somehow? Anyway, maybe she should be tested for anemia.

Dee Kassing

Subject: Thirst, hydration and breastfeedingTo: Date: Sunday, March 25, 2012, 7:28 AM

PTP - a mom with a 8 month old baby, mostly breastfed, a few solids, growing beautifully. Mom drinks 1 1/2 gallons of water and 1 liter of green or black tea daily and feels thirsty/not hydrated,sluggish, fatigued, drained, doesn't wake to pee at night. Urine ranges from dilute to sometimes concentrated. "I feel like it goes straight to my boobs". The doc ruled out diabetes, low blood sugar, thyroid issues several months ago. Good diet, enough protein, prefers whole foods, cooks from scratch, gets exercise, still holding onto some extra weight as she did with her first until her daughter weaned. This is similar to her experience with her first - that daughter hit the end of the first year with few solids during the winter and with the recent hot weather mom is concerned about staying hydrated. Suggestions made:electrolyte replacement drink - mom doesn't like packaged stuffdilute juice (1/3 juice 2/3 water)"Emergen-C"

drinkeating more juicy foodsI'm curious about a sub-clinical kidney dysfunction and wonder if herbs (dandelion, raspberry, nettles), homeopathy or acupuncture would be helpful. I feel like I've experienced this myself at times but don't remember how it went away.Thank, McCormick, BA, IBCLCVermont

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Dee, this is helpful. I like the way you advocate for yourself! ~

[Guest guest]

Caffeine and tea also blocks iron absorption.www.BirthingWisdom.comSent from my iPad

As someone else has said, this mother is consuming a lot of caffeine and that may be a big part of the problem. But when my firstborn was 14 months old, I felt really tired all the time. The doctor tried to tell me it was because I was still breastfeeding. I just looked him right in the eye and said I was in LLL and therefore saw lots of other mothers of nursing toddlers, and none of them looked as bad as I felt and he better figure out another answer. Well, it turns out I was pretty anemic. I had gotten life-threateningly anemic during the pregnancy, because the OB (different doc) would not pay attention to me when I said I thought I was getting anemic (had battled it as a teenager so knew what it felt like). I lost an awful lot of blood during and after the birth. The next day, he put me on large doses of

iron. Kept me on that for two months when he said my hemoglobin was finally okay. Well, turns out he didn't test serum ferritin, for stores of iron, and at 14 months I was still very anemic because the stores had not been rebuilt. I went back on iron, though more tolerable dosing that time around, and in a month or two was feeling much better. Perhaps this mother is anemic, so drinking the caffeine because she feels so exhausted, and the caffeine is messing with her kidneys somehow? Anyway, maybe she should be tested for anemia.

Dee Kassing

Subject: Thirst, hydration and breastfeedingTo: Date: Sunday, March 25, 2012, 7:28 AM

PTP - a mom with a 8 month old baby, mostly breastfed, a few solids, growing beautifully. Mom drinks 1 1/2 gallons of water and 1 liter of green or black tea daily and feels thirsty/not hydrated,sluggish, fatigued, drained, doesn't wake to pee at night. Urine ranges from dilute to sometimes concentrated. "I feel like it goes straight to my boobs". The doc ruled out diabetes, low blood sugar, thyroid issues several months ago. Good diet, enough protein, prefers whole foods, cooks from scratch, gets exercise, still holding onto some extra weight as she did with her first until her daughter weaned. This is similar to her experience with her first - that daughter hit the end of the first year with few solids during the winter and with the recent hot weather mom is concerned about staying hydrated. Suggestions made:electrolyte replacement drink - mom doesn't like packaged stuffdilute juice (1/3 juice 2/3 water)"Emergen-C"

drinkeating more juicy foodsI'm curious about a sub-clinical kidney dysfunction and wonder if herbs (dandelion, raspberry, nettles), homeopathy or acupuncture would be helpful. I feel like I've experienced this myself at times but don't remember how it went away.Thank, McCormick, BA, IBCLCVermont

[Guest guest]

Hello, Celina.

When I got my anemia under control when my first was a toddler, I never had trouble with it again. I also had to give up dairy for him. I had fought anemia off and on since puberty. But I also loved milk and drank 3-4 glasses of it a day, as well as eating cheese, ice cream, etc. Well, I figure I must be one of those people who have microscopic intestinal bleeds from consuming dairy. Although I still like cheese and ice cream, I have never gone back to drinking milk. And I have been squarely in the middle of the range of normal for iron for 30 years--ever since I got it under control when he was a toddler. And I don't take extra iron. I haven't needed it.

Dee Kassing

Dee, have you had your b12 levels checked? You can take all the iron in the world, but if you are deficient in B12, it will only help to proliferate the undesirable bacteria in the gut as well as disease states (we know this about baby's gut, right?)

I take a sublingual b12 supplement which bypasses the gut which, after mid 30's or so, many persons are not absorbing through, especially in our society. I take methylcobalamine with folic acid and b-6. When I last had my homocysteine levels checked (low levels are important for cardiac health and B12 is what keeps them low), they were excellent. When I was in my mid 20's my iron levels would not rise no matter what until I had b12 shots. I can keep them at a normal level now with the subl. tabs.

Celina Dykstra

La Leche League Leader,

Lakes Region LLL, NH

IBCLC

celiner_d57@...

Helping Moms and Babies Meet Their Breastfeeding Goals