Suggestions On Conceiving W/cd & Hypo-thyroid

[pugsnapps]

I am 30yrs old - diagnossed w/Hypo-Thyroid 2yrs ago & w/celiac disease about 1 1/2 yrs ago. I have been maintaining a gluten-free diet and taking Levoxyl thyroid replacement.

My husband and I are looking at our 10th wedding anniversary next year and no kids (atleast none w/out fur). We haven't really "tried" yet, but I am wondering what I should be doing to prepare my body to be at the most optimum. We are planning on really "trying" in the next year, so I feel I really need to take this time to get my body to that "optimum" point. I have never been pregnant, but several members of my family have had both miscarriges & difficult pregnancies.

Your suggestions and past experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lisa

"Pugs-N-Apps"

[Canadian Karen]

Hi Lisa,

I was also diagnosed hypothryoid just after my 30th birthday and have had celiac for many years now.

When I was in my early 20's, my OB GYN told me that I would have a 50/50 chance of ever conceiving children due to having endometriosis. I am now 41 with four children, including twins!!!

First and foremost, if you are planning to conceive, start taking folic acid right away. Folic acid is incredibly important to the development of the fetus in the very early stages.....

When my husband and I got married when I was 29, we figured we would start trying to conceive right away because we figured it would take a couple of years to be successful. Well........ 4 months later I was pregnant.

Another point I wanted to make is that even though I have never been able to gain weight above my average size, when I was pregnant, I never had a problem gaining weight, actually, for my first pregnancy, I gained 70 lbs.!!!! When I asked my GI specialist about this, he said that a celiac body is quite kind to pregnant women.

Just remember, that even though we have hypothryoidism and celiac disease (and for me I also had collagenous colitis), it is still within our reach to have children......

Have a wonderful day!

Karen

[cdford]

The folic acid suggestion is a great one. You may also want to be on a good multi-vitamin. Make sure your thyroid meds are at the correct level and that you are completely gluten-free. In order to avoid the worst of the morning sickness, find a good source of B complex and get started on it as soon as you know for sure if not sooner.

Work with your doctor. Here is what we did as well...

Research natural family planning and "do it all wrong"...in other words, do the opposite of what it says. Most of the good ones will have you checking mucous, etc. We used the information after the delivery of our first child to naturally plan for our remaining children. Over 23 years of marriage, we have had only four pregnancies, one of which miscarried. We spaced them about three years apart and it all worked quite well as long as we followed the rules when we did not want a child and broke them all when we did.

Once you have a child, be sure that you nurse for as long as you can. It will help that child in many ways. It will limit the exposure to allergens, provide protection against disease, and even effect how well they learn to read and perform in mathematics. Another thing that significantly effects the math skills is making sure that a child crawls well with the opposite arm/leg motion prior to walking. We sometimes have to retrain even college students who struggle with math by reteaching them how to crawl. It all works much more quickly and effectively when they learn it as a baby.

[pugsnapps]

Thank you both for your suggestions - I know it will definately be put to good use. I will find a folic acid supplement right away.

As far as the vitamin's I have just been taking centrum over the counter (I called and it's gluten free), an Iron supplement (to combat my fatigue), a liquid b complex (also to combat my fatique) and a calcium/vitamin-D as well. I will admit that although I am on a gluten free diet, but frequently eat out ordering gluten-free items... I still end up getting sick about once a month from cross contamination. That is something I will have to change. My schedule just makes it difficult to always cook.

I never knew about the crawling & math connection... that's amazing.

Thanks again!

[Canadian Karen]

Also, make sure your doctor checks your thyroid regularly during your pregnancy. My thyroid was all over the dial during my pregnancy and numerous times the dose had to be adjusted..... Also, make sure you take your thyroid meds and iron supplements at opposite times of the day (one in morning, one in evening). Iron substantially affects the amount of thyroid medication you absorb.

Karen

[mommida]

I agree with all the advice given here. Good job ladies!

Get a book on breastfeeding. If you are lucky enough to have a lactation consultant available, she might not have a clue how to relate to you. I had to send my nurse out of the room, to be able to spend time with my son. It is a learning experience for baby and mom. Be patient, there are many rewards that come later.

Just something I noticed... I only conceived when I was taking a decongestant.

Laura

[cdford]

I am not surprised that you have not heard about the links between reading and math skills and the normal way a child was designed to grow. Only someone who had attended a course on preschool education or a mathematics teacher like myself would usually be overly concerned about such physiological impacts. You would not believe how many older students we work with...even college level. If your child reaches middle school and suddenly struggles with math, reassess the way they crawled and for how long.

[cdford]

For any who look at this post and panic because they have to work and therefore must bottle feed...just make sure that you and your caregiver know to hold a baby while it is being fed in as close to a nursing position as possible and feed half the bottle while holding the baby in one arm and half the bottle in the other arm. (This impacts how the two halves of the brain are linked in early months.)