Jaye's baby and mom with hypothyroidism

Jaye,
I have read all of the posts about your client whose milk
seems to  
have disappeared. You seem to be in a bit of a bind, as the
family  
does not seem to be willing to trust the baby. I wonder if
the family  
has leapt to the conclusion that nothing should change at
four months  
and does not understand normal infant behavior (becoming
more social,  
often relegating feeding to nighttime and nap-time) and that
babies,  
like anyone, have no desire to have food shoved down their
throats  
and will resist in every way possible. Or, perhaps there is
a family  
history of early oversupply that results in down-regulation
at this  
stage of the game. Since, from my observation, such patterns
do seem  
to have a hormonal component, I would look there (in the
history,  
especially-ask about early feeding behavior.) I would also
look at  
the possibility that., as someone else suggested,
down-regulation has  
some other impetus, such as inefficient feeding due to
structural  
problems (you mention a high palate). I would do a full
nutritional  
evaluation, as well as early feeding experiences (both
babies) and  
outstanding family experiences that might be similar. Also
consider  
that babies will resist feeding when exposed to allergens or
having  
an oral thrush infection.

As to hypothyroidism--factors are most often nutritional,
especially  
iodine deficiency. I would explore those areas to give her
info to  
take back to her doctor, if they seem to be implicated. Many
cases of  
hypothyroidism fully resolve with iodine
supplementation--considering  
that the breast is one of the receptor areas in the body for
iodine,  
I think it is an imoortant factor in supply problems.
Jennifer Tow

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