Masochistic Mommy

Experts now consider thyroid hormone one of the major ‘players’ in depression. Unfortunately, problems with the thyroid, which are more common in women, often go undiagnosed. Then, when a woman reaches her childbearing years, this can cause extra problems with fertility, pregnancy and lactation. For instance, did you know that thyroid hormones play an integral role in mammary function? During lactation, they aid in the regulation of both prolactin and oxytocin. Thus, excess thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) has been linked to inhibited letdown , for example. Depression and thyroid disorders are often quoted as reasons why moms quit breastfeeding. However, it doesn’t have to end that way, as this brave mother illustrates… “Back in 2009, I was very sick. The doctors diagnosed me with Graves Disease, an autoimmiune condition, and told me that I may not be able to have children . I wasn't even able to go on walks because my disease had started affecting my heart. To improve things, I h...

Recently, a study has found that women who struggle to breastfeed in the first two weeks after giving birth are more prone to postpartum depression . This finding, whilst hardly groundbreaking, gives scientific credence to what mothers have been saying for decades – we need more support and less sabotage, particularly in the early days. Young mothers are especially vulnerable to postpartum depression , as are those who did not plan their pregnancies . It would seem therefore that the odds were stacked against the young protagonist  in this story who unexpectedly fell pregnant in her teens. She was immediately launched into a battle against the very people that were under duty to care for her. Despite being sabotaged from every angle, she somehow managed to pull through, against all odds. Here, she explains how she did it: “ When I was 19, and I fell pregnant with my first child. Although I was married, the pregnancy was a surprise, to say the least. Induced without w...

When a mother is blessed with nipples the size of dinner plates, can this interfere with her baby's dining experience? Indeed it can. Very large nipples can make it hard for the baby to get enough of the areola into his mouth to compress the milk ducts and get enough milk. Fortunately, the latch for babies of mothers with very large nipples will improve with time as the baby grows. However it can take several weeks to get the baby to latch well. In the meantime, if your baby is losing weight and you're being bullied by relatives and health professionals, how's a mom to preserve her sanity as well as her breastfeeding relationship? This is the story of one anxious new mother. Her breastfeeding journey was so stressful that she ended up collapsing and being sent to hospital. If this story had a soundtrack it would surely be the Queen song 'Under Pressure', thankfully followed by their other great hit 'Don't Stop Me Now'. “From the start, my parents didn...