Re: Thirst, hydration and breastfeeding

[Guest guest]

Most docs would just look at hemoglobin, not ferritin. But ferritin can explain a lot, as you’ve just described. I’ve been on the low end with ferritin for a few years. I have never gone over to the anemic side (my hemoglobin levels were “fineâ€), but I know how tired you can feel just with low ferritin. It’s important to know, too, that low ferritin goes hand-in-hand with hypothyroidism (which I have). Many women with hypothyroidism have trouble absorbing minerals due to low hydrochloric acid in their stomach. I tried supplementing with iron for over a year and it did very little to boost my ferritin levels, because I just wasn’t absorbing it. What finally helped me was to get an IV iron injection. Boy, what a difference that made! Peirce

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[Guest guest]

Dee, Do you recall what iron you took? What do you mean by tolerable

dosing?

Ellen Simpson

…….high 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. .

[Guest guest]

I would love more info on what specialty your doc is that helped resolve the problem, and how. I am severely anemic, Breastfeeding and most if the time dehydrated as well. I have a GP and hematologist both of whom say you are anemic take iron retest in 6 months take iron not working You can private message me. Thanks, Hartshorn

Most docs would just look at hemoglobin, not ferritin. But ferritin can explain a lot, as you’ve just described. I’ve been on the low end with ferritin for a few years. I have never gone over to the anemic side (my hemoglobin levels were “fineâ€), but I know how tired you can feel just with low ferritin. It’s important to know, too, that low ferritin goes hand-in-hand with hypothyroidism (which I have). Many women with hypothyroidism have trouble absorbing minerals due to low hydrochloric acid in their stomach. I tried supplementing with iron for over a year and it did very little to boost my ferritin levels, because I just wasn’t absorbing it. What finally helped me was to get an IV iron injection. Boy, what a difference that made! Peirce

_______________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

Does she actually feel thirsty (and unusual thirst can be a symptom of blood sugar issues) or is it just because she's "concerned about staying hydrated' ? Sometimes mothers aren't listening to their bodies, and with the best motives, are forcing an unnatural amount of fluids. (Remember also that we get fluid from our foods)..It's good to be well-hydrated, but any good thing can be overdone. Someone was mentioning electrolytesand that would certainly be an angle to investigate -- maybe the times when she doesn't pee (which is hard to picture) is her body desperately trying to hold onto enough sugars and salts to be in physiologic balance. Or that there's been an unnatural burden on her kidneys, or some underlying kidney

problem.While Wikipedia isn't a citable reference, this was a nice article about the dangers of over-hydration, and some of the symptoms, which sound similar to what she's describing.. (Babies have less body mass, and that's why extra water, without the necessary sugars, salts, electrolytes, can be dangerous for young babies. Breastmilk has such a perfect balance, and is about 90% water, so breastfed babies stay well-hydrated)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxicationMargaret Wills, land

[Guest guest]

I am chronically anemic as well. diet and supplements don't work for me. I get iron IV's once a year or so. it has made a huge difference in my life! iron affects everything! Beebe, M.Ed., RLC, IBCLC Lactation Consultant/Postpartum Doula www.second9months.comwww.facebook.com/thesecond9months---

[Guest guest]

I was raised to believe doctors were "god". But when only mildly speaking up for myself (asking to be retested for anemia but accepting it when I got told no) got me to the point of being so anemic that if I had needed an emergency C-section, I would have died, I changed my ways! I realized then that no one was going to advocate for me but *me*.

Dee

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

[Guest guest]

It was an ND who helped me out. My MD didn’t even believe I had hypothyroidism. <rolling eyes> My experience has been that if you need nutritional therapy of any kind, you have to find your answers outside the realm of allopathic medicine. Peirce From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of cindy@...Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 12:00 PMTo: Subject: Re: Thirst, hydration and breastfeeding I would love more info on what specialty your doc is that helped resolve the problem, and how. I am severely anemic, Breastfeeding and most if the time dehydrated as well. I have a GP and hematologist both of whom say you are anemic take iron retest in 6 months take iron not working You can private message me. Thanks, Hartshorn

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[Guest guest]

The iron I took when my son was a toddler was Slow Fe, which is still on the market today and does not require a prescription. I took it with dinner so that there was food with it to slow its absorption even more than its formula is already designed to do, and then also bedtime would be coming around in a few hours, which helped to slow it down even more. That way, I didn't have the digestive problems I had during the original (incomplete) treatment in the two months after his birth. Right after he was born, I was on large doses of iron (don't remember what). They completely stopped me up. I did not have hemorrhoids from the birth, but I got them terribly from the iron treatment. I got so constipated I was nauseated; even an enema did not relieve the constipation. That's why I got such bad hemorrhoids. I was really miserable. So when they said my iron count was high enough and I could

stop treating, I was thrilled. But of course, they did not measure the ferritin and I really was still anemic, which I did not discover for another year.

Dee

Dee, Do you recall what iron you took? What do you mean by tolerable dosing?

Ellen Simpson

…….high 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. .

[Guest guest]

It sounds like she is actually thirsty, also tired. This mom is pretty

athletic, works full-time, does medical research for a living so was

knowledgeable about T3/T4 levels, serum ferritin levels and diabetes insipidus.

As we spoke yesterday, she seemed able to recognize that caring for a very young

baby and a 4 year old, working full-time, and working out are all tiring. She

will try cutting back on caffeine.

Thanks for your comment,

Margaret Wills wrote:

Does she actually feel thirsty (and unusual thirst can be a symptom of blood

sugar issues) or is it just because she's " concerned about staying hydrated' ? 

[Guest guest]

Ditto what has been said re: caffeine. Caffeine drinks are diuretic. Diuretics cause the body to dump potassium. Human milk has a ration or 1 to 3 sodium to potassium.. few people eat that much potassium rich food. Plus she exercises, could be dumping more potassium. She may try eating a better balance of potassium/sodium foods, start weaning off of caffeine slowly (I accomplish this by replacing caf with decaf slowly over a period of two weeks or so) and get her potassium/sodium levels checked. She may need to consider food allergies as a potential drain on her energy, especially gluten.Re: caffeine and iron.. caffeine inhibits the absorption of iron. Drinking a lot of caffeine is seriously going to impact some

women's iron levels including ferritin levels - which is not always tested. Especially if this moms cycle has returned, she may be seriously anemic. Lots of moms have success with increasing b-vitamins as caffeine interferes with the absorption of them as well. If she is a vegetarian, methylcobalamin (a more well absorbed form of B12) is something to consider. If its combined with folic acid and B-6 it is even more effective (called brain B12 by some and helps lift that fatigue induced brain fog). She may look at researching tissue salts (ferrum phos 6x, for instance, reportedly helps the body take up iron more effectively). She may be successful replacing some of that caffeine tea with nettle tea or a combination of nettle leaf and dandelion leaf tea (both good blood builders) and/or red raspberry leaf tea... and may wish to consult with an herbalist on best how to do this. And I only know this

stuff because I had to learn the hard way :>) and have high blood pressure which I have successfully treated by reducing caffeine and juicing, which really helped increase the amount of potassium in my diet. I am now off all herbs for bp and since I started following a strict gluten free diet, I have little or no joint inflammation as well as my digestion improving dramatically. I had been suffering from a lack of ability to absorb nutrients for many months before I figured out what was going on and am still having to work hard at supplementing.. and I eat better than most people on this planet! One can have a great diet but if they are eating foods that make them sick they will always feel sick and tired. And if their gut is a mess, same applies. Best energy level I ever had was when I was on a "Candida diet" with added greens, homeopathic remedies prescribed by a classical Dr. of

Homeopathy, off of caffeine, gluten free, sugar free, yeast free, b-complex and b12 as well as an iron complex and digestive enzymes and probiotics. I lost 55 pounds and went from sleeping most of the time, feeling sick all the time to being super energetic and focused. The second time I went through this I was sleeping 18 hrs a day, in excruciating pain which was worse from exercise and seriously depressed (who wouldn't be!?). Again, I lost about 40 lbs, began running 3 days a week, working part time, homeschooling, cooking everything from scratch (Candida diet again) and my house was spotless most of the time, even with 4 kids and NO caffeine!..and I liked doing housework for the first time in 10 years.. Dietary changes and the correct balance of support changes lives. But baby steps sometimes need to be taken to get there.Celina DykstraLa Leche League Leader, Lakes Region LLL, NHIBCLCceliner_d57@...Helping Moms and Babies Meet Their Breastfeeding Goals