Thyroid and Vitamin D

Many of you know that I have had thyroid disease since I was 10.  I've been well-controlled until my postpartum with Buggy.  I have been checked VERY often this pregnancy and things have been smooth sailing.

I came across a fantastic article that I wanted to share with you.  Thyroid issues are more common that many people think.  I encourage others to get their thyroid tested regularly - at least every 5 years at a physical exam. 

Osteoporosis is also a very common condition.  Doctors have known that there is a connection between thyroid disease and osteoporosis, but the exact correlation hasn't always been clear.  Before I turned 30, my OB/GYN tested me with a bone scan and saw that I am considered as having osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis).  She suggested just starting on osteoporosis medication which I would need to wean from before becoming pregnant.  Instead, I went to my endocrinologist who diagnosed me as having low vitamin D levels.

Now, I just need to try extra hard to get plenty of vitamin D and to do weight bearing exercise.  At some point, when we are certain we are done having children, I may look into the osteoporosis medications.

This article has shed a new light on the importance of checking our vitamin D levels as well as thyroid levels.  Vitamin D helps with mood and helps boost our immune system as well - quite important!
Check it out and let me know what you think.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Update: 21 Weeks

I have had a lot of people ask me about how this pregnancy is going.  I haven't blogged about it much as we've  been so busy and there are so many more pressing issues to blog about.  To read about the past struggles plus the initial reaction to this pregnancy, click through to this past post.

In light of the issues after my last pregnancy, I am so pleased with how this one is going.  We are 21, nearly 22 weeks pregnant, so past halfway!  We are having another beautiful baby boy and already have a name!  He will be named after his grandfathers.  I have a lot of energy right now - which I don't really remember from my last pregnancy.  I think there was so much stress involved with our cross country move that I never really got to that energy point!  This time, I have energy to chase Little Man (though I do huff and puff a lot!), keep the house relatively clean, cook our meals, blog, write articles (I wrote one for our MOPS meeting today that I'll post soon), prepare and teach a couponing class at MOPS with a friend, and prepare for a Pampered Chef party!

I am in full nesting mode!  Tonight, while preparing for a Pampered Chef party I'm hosting tomorrow, I went through several boxes of hand-me-down clothes for Little Man.  My goal has been to get all clothes up to a size 2T washed and ready to go in the closet so I don't need to worry about his clothes during the difficult early newborn days.  Next step is to break out the old baby clothes and get them ready!

As for the thyroid problems and depression/anxiety, I honestly feel terrific.  My thyroid levels have been perfect all along.  I am being watched VERY carefully!  I have had no problem with leaving the house (anxiety issue I had last time) and am motivated to get things done each day.  I pray this continues and there is no issue postpartum this time, although I now know to be very watchful and to push for extra testing if I don't feel right.

Am I still nursing Little Man?  Sort of!  He is 15 months now and we still nurse 1-3 times a day.  The difference - I am completely dry.  Every so often, I think I hear a little swallow from him, so maybe the colostrum is starting to come in.  I do wish I had some milk to give him for immune protection (he has been getting colds since I've been dry and has had a hard time shaking them), but he's as happy as a clam with how things are going right now.  He loves his lactaid. 

Do I plan to continue nursing him after Baby gets here?  If he wants, most definitely!  After doing lots of research, I would love to tandem nurse.  I would love the brothers to learn to share that way!  I would love to go until Little Man is at least 2, ideally through the next flu season.  We'll see!

If you are interested in learning more about nursing while pregnant or nursing more than one, I have found one resource to be particularly invaluable.
Adventures in Tandem Nursing has helped me understand the wide range of emotions involved in nursing while pregnant.  It has helped me come to terms with my body's way of preparing for pregnancy by reducing and eliminating my milk supply.  I just can't recommend this book highly enough.

More Vaccine Info

Dr. Sears is a well-known pediatrician who advocates more natural methods of medicine.  He is not anti-vaccine.  He does research on the ingredients of each vaccine and makes recommendations on the different ways to vaccinate.  I have found his book, The Vaccine Book, to be very informative.

Dr. Sears has now weighed in on the controversial flu and H1N1 vaccines.  Read his thoughts to find which brands are safest (lowest mercury content) and how to divide the shots up.