Postpartum

Thyroid disease after pregnancy may be the most overlooked and under diagnosed condition affecting new mothers. Taking a conservative estimate, we can expect 300,000-400,000 mothers to develop postpartum thyroid disease this year. That is 10% of all new moms.

But some estimate it may be as high as 17%— and those are only the women who are being tested. Many other mothers will go untested and unheard, their symptoms brushed off as “normal” or “just part of being a new mom.”

This is a condition that takes too many moms far too long to get the right diagnosis and treatment they need. And they’re suffering the entire time they’re moving from doctor to doctor because they know something isn’t right.

Suffering and caring for a new baby does not make for a joyful postpartum experience, as you can imagine. Fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, depression, and decline in breast milk supply are only a handful of the struggles a hypothyroid mother faces.

The blatant dismissal of a mother’s symptoms by her doctor is a huge problem. Too many women have heard the words, “Of course you’re tired, you’re a mom!” Or worse, moms are offered an antidepressant and assured that what they are experiencing is all in their head.

Antidepressants are not a solution to a thyroid condition.

Yet, this is so often what new mothers struggling with thyroid disease are offered in lieu of a simple blood test that could identify the underlying cause.

Previous research on postpartum depression and thyroid disease has been mixed, but there is more recent information showing the connection of postpartum depression and thyroid, including studies citing elevated risk associated with elevated Anti-TPO antibodies and elevated thyroid binding globulin in the 3rd trimester.

This makes sense given thyroid disease is a major cause of depression in adults.

And there are consequences to offering a woman psychiatric meds for a thyroid condition. At best, these pharmaceuticals mask symptoms that are caused by a greater underlying issue. At worst, antidepressants allow disease to progress in women who are trying to meet the demands of a new baby. It’s not an easy task to be a mother, but when you’re a mother with untreated thyroid disease, it feels like an impossible task. And in a lot of ways it is.

Whether you’re a first time mom or have multiple children, you should not have to push through the crippling fatigue and pain of postpartum thyroiditis wondering if the only thing that is wrong with you is that you’re just not good enough.

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Postpartum Thyroiditis — The Most Common Thyroid Disease After Pregnancy

Postpartum thyroiditis is the most common thyroid condition affecting new mothers. It is an autoimmune thyroid disease that occurs when the immune system flags the thyroid tissue as “non-self” and begins signaling for destruction of the thyroid tissue. This usually develops within the first year after the birth of your baby. But it can also occur after a miscarriage or an abortion, something I’ve observed in many of my patients.

The condition can present differently among women and it is important to note that women do not always start off feeling fatigued. The most classic presentation of postpartum thyroiditis is as follows:

About 20-30% of women with postpartum thyroiditis experience hyperthyroid symptoms — weight loss, palpitations, heat intolerance, anxiety, irritability, tachycardia (faster than normal heart rate), and tremors, about one to four months after delivery.

The duration of hyperthyroid symptoms vary from two to eight weeks on average.  

Following the hyperthyroid period, hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone) symptoms begin to arise and this is when mothers really take note of just how tired they are. However, upwards of 50% of mothers experience hypothyroid exclusively — lack of energy, cold intolerance, constipation, sluggishness, joint pain, depression, diminished milk supply and dry skin. Often, it is only after the hypothyroid symptoms occur that women and doctors recognize that hyperthyroid symptoms were ever present.

The onset of hypothyroidism is generally experienced between two to six months after delivery and symptoms may resolve six to 10 months later. But an estimated 20% of mothers will remain hypothyroid and will be diagnosed with Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroid.

Although 80% of mothers are likely to recover from their hypothyroidism within a year, these women have a 20-40% increased risk for developing permanent hypothyroidism in the future. This means that although your thyroid function may fall back into the “normal range” by conventional medicine standards, the autoimmunity has not been addressed and, therefore, will continue to cause destruction of the thyroid.

 What Causes Postpartum Thyroiditis?

So, how does thyroid disease after pregnancy happen? Genetics play a substantial role in the incidence of thyroid disease with approximately 50% of all postpartum thyroiditis patients reporting a family history of autoimmune thyroid disease. That said, genetic markers do not equal a diagnosis. Instead they are just one ingredient in the recipe for developing autoimmunity; in fact, many times the development of this disease is multifactorial.

Other risk factors include:

• • Having a pre-existing autoimmune condition such as celiac disease, type I diabetes or pernicious anemia.

• • Women who have a history of postpartum thyroiditis have a 42% increased risk in developing postpartum thyroiditis with subsequent pregnancies.

• • Elevated Anti-TPO and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies prior to conception or during the first trimester of pregnancy. 40-60% of all women who test positive for Anti-TPO in the first trimester will likely develop postpartum thyroiditis.

• • Nutrient depletions can triggers thyroid inflammation and decrease thyroid hormone production. Nutrient requirements are higher overall during pregnancy and many women enter pregnancy already low in the nutrients important to thyroid health.

• • Family history of autoimmunity or autoimmune thyroid

• • Personal history of autoimmunity

• • Toxin exposure

• • Gut infection

• • Food intolerances

• Leaky gut

Clearly, there are some complex systems at play. Let’s dive into a little more detail about why and how new mothers are particularly at risk for thyroid diseases.

Th1 vs Th2 Immunity

It’s your immune system’s job to identify compounds that it sees as “foreign” like viruses, bacteria, and other molecules in your body. Once the problem is identified, your immune system goes into full attack, protecting you from illness and disease. Th1 is the aspect of the immune system that protects against viruses and bacteria, but with baby being genetically unique, the Th1 system could pose a threat to baby. 

When you get pregnant, your body makes a shift to ensure that your immune system does not attack your baby as a foreign invader.

This is referred to as shifting into a state of Th2 dominance. At this time, your body also increases the production of T regulatory cells to guard baby against an attack.

Th2 developed to protect us against parasites, but in more modern times we associate it more commonly with allergies, asthma and eczema. Th2 is much more tolerant of baby, which is why your immune system shifts to this state during pregnancy.

Often times, this shift actually dampens Th1-driven autoimmunity, making it difficult to detect thyroid dysfunction while you’re pregnant. This means that thyroid antibodies present prior to conception often disappear until after delivery. The antibodies may still be detectable in the first trimester, which is why screening in early pregnancy is important.

After baby is born, your immune system switches out of Th2 dominance and thyroid antibodies can once again be detected. Antibodies are highest, on average, between 3-4 months postpartum, which is when I recommend testing, unless you are already having symptoms.

This shift in the immune system to restore Th1 is thought to be a trigger for postpartum thyroiditis since autoantibodies, specifically the TPO antibodies, are primarily driven by a Th1 mechanism, although it is possible to have Th2 driven autoimmunity. 

HPA-Axis Dysfunction and Your Thyroid

As a new mother, your adrenal glands take a pretty hard hit. Those hardworking little glands that create and regulate many of your hormones are intimately linked with thyroid function.

Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, agitated or anxious about the slightest events may be a clue that your adrenals are struggling. If you ever think, “this is more than just being tired,” you’re probably struggling with adrenal dysfunction.

Other symptoms of adrenal dysfunction include unrestful or interrupted sleep patterns, intense cravings, mild to severe depression, low blood pressure, diminished libido, and the onset of PMS symptoms like increased irritability, mood swings, breast tenderness, and clots in menstrual blood.

The stress hormone cortisol is produced in the adrenals and is a key player in immune system regulation and a potent anti-inflammatory. Problems begin to arise when quality of communication between the adrenals and the brain begins to diminish, which can eventually result in low or “flat lined” cortisol readings.

Low cortisol is associated with elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL6, IL12, and TNF alpha), which can lead to flares in autoimmunity. And mothers who have low cortisol levels at 36 weeks gestation are more likely to develop postpartum thyroiditis.

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Gluten Intolerance

Gluten is a protein made of gliadin and glutenin found in many grains and insidiously throughout our modern food supply, even showing up in vitamins, medications, alcohol, candy, Play-Doh, and cheese.

It’s a large protein and difficult to digest, making it a trigger for gut inflammation in those who are sensitive.

When this protein breaches the intestinal barrier, the gliadin molecule is tagged by the immune system as a foreign invader — signaling a cascade that can result in the attack of your thyroid.

If you have been diagnosed with postpartum thyroiditis, it is best that you avoid gluten altogether, but at minimum gluten should be avoided for six months with a tracking of symptoms upon reintroduction.

And in all honesty, I advise against gluten reintroduction in patients who have had thyroid antibodies because of the risk of it causing another autoimmune flare. If you do decide to reintroduce gluten regularly into your diet, then you need to have thyroid antibody testing approximately a month after introducing and if symptoms arise or you’re planning to conceive.

Remember, 20% of postpartum women will continue to have elevated thyroid antibodies and subsequent thyroid dysfunction after the first year. Even if you have recovered your thyroid function and antibody levels after six to twelve months postpartum, it is possible for gluten to trigger an antibody cascade that will cause your body to resume the attack on your thyroid.

Epstein-Barr Virus

Infections can also trigger autoimmunity. These include Epstein–Barr virus (commonly known as the mono virus or simply, “mono”), influenza B, mycoplasma, candida, Yersinia, rubella, rubeola, Coxsackie virus, and retrovirus. These infections cause a cross reaction between thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptors and the infectious agent, resulting in thyroid dysfunction. 

Epstein–Barr virus can also cause antibodies to T3, which is why in addition to testing for the virus, it is important to test for total T3 and free T3 on your thyroid panel. If you do test positive to Epstein–Barr virus and if it’s attacking T3, the result will be an elevated T3 but a low free T3 on your lab work.

It is important to be screened for these infections but it’s also important to get these underlying infections treated by an experienced functional health care practitioner.

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, is another trigger for postpartum thyroiditis.

SIBO is a condition in which there is an increase in the number of bacteria found in the small intestine, which should be relatively free from bacteria compared with the colon. The increase in bacteria may be an overgrowth of what is normally found in the small intestine, but more commonly, it is the result of bacteria finding their way from the large intestine into the small intestine.

SIBO is incredibly common in those with hypothyroidism.

Because thyroid hormone is involved in normal gut motility, the lack of thyroid hormone can result in reduced gut motility and contribute to bacterial overgrowth. However, SIBO can also damage the intestinal lining, causing leaky gut, which can lead to autoimmunity. As you can imagine, the two – hypothyroidism and SIBO – can feed each other in a vicious cycle, so it’s important to treat bacterial overgrowth!

Find a qualified medical practitioner to help you combat SIBO. The most effective approach combines herbal antimicrobials or pharmaceutical therapy along with a targeted dietary protocol, but treatment options may change if you’re breastfeeding.

Even natural treatments can be harmful if used without medical supervision. Please do not begin antimicrobial therapy without first speaking with your healthcare provider.

What to Do Now If You’re Pregnant

If you’re reading this and pregnant, you’re probably wondering what to do now. Here is what I would recommend you do if you’re just not learning about this condition.

Have a Full Thyroid Panel Completed

Because thyroid disease can be a risk factor for the development of preeclampsia, developmental delays in baby, autism, miscarriage and many other conditions, it is important to have thyroid testing completed early in pregnancy. In my opinion, all women should have thyroid screening prior to conception, during the first trimester and again in the early postpartum stage to ensure her thyroid is healthy.

In pregnancy, The American Thyroid Association’s Guidelines for pregnancy recommend that TSH be kept below 2.5 IU/L during the first and second trimester and below 3.0 IU/L during the third trimester.

Have Your Antibodies Checked

Anti-TPO and Anti-Thyroglobulin antibodies should be tested to understand the risk of developing postpartum thyroiditis. In one study it was found that postpartum thyroiditis was 5.7 times more likely to occur in women with positive Anti-TPO antibodies during pregnancy.

Work with a Thyroid Expert

While your OB or midwife is an expert at pregnancy and certainly are equipped to help deliver baby, they may not be as well versed with thyroid disease. Have a conversation with your provider and make sure they are familiar with the 2017 Guidelines of the American Thyroid Association.

I created the Thyroid Masterclass to help women understand what they need to know about their thyroid, beyond the basics, so that they can enter into a conversation with their provider much more educated. It is my hope that this will help you advocate for your health and get the care you deserve!

Here is a clip from my interview for The Thyroid Secret Documentary where I share more about how thyroid disease should be approached in mothers.

Download Your Hypothyroid Guide

Download a free copy of my eBook, Your Hypothyroid Guide, and learn how to restore the health of your thyroid naturally and understand what steps you must take to optimize your mood, energy and metabolism.

Read Healing Your Body Naturally After Childbirth: The New Mom’s Guide to Navigating the Fourth Trimester

In my postpartum book, I share vital information to healing after baby, thriving in the fourth trimester and completely rocking motherhood!

Taking care of your adrenals and thyroid are vital to creating incredible health after pregnancy and absolutely essential to getting your energy and mood back. That is why I dedicate several chapters to teaching you how these glands work and how you can optimize your hormones.

This is the only book on the market that specifically addresses the needs of a mother struggling with thyroid disease and provides safe and effective treatments that can be used during breastfeeding.

Get your copy of Healing Your Body Naturally After Childbirth and take back your health in motherhood.

Read Your Healthy Pregnancy with Thyroid Disease

Both Dana Trentini and Mary Shomon have experienced pregnancy with thyroid disease. In their book they detail the information women need to know before becoming pregnant, as well as during their pregnancy.

With personal stories and cutting-edge medical advice from leading health practitioners, the book explains how to recognize thyroid symptoms, get properly diagnosed/treated, manage thyroid problems during pregnancy.

Get your copy of Healthy Pregnancy with Thyroid Disease here.

What to Do If You Suspect Postpartum Thyroiditis

Request Testing

If you suspect you’re suffering from postpartum thyroiditis or one of the conditions that may trigger it, ask your doctor for the following tests:

• • Adrenal Stress Index (ASI)

• • SIBO Lactulose Breathe Test

• • IgG Antibody Testing

• • Celiac disease:
    • • tTG-IgA
    • • IgA Endomysial Antibody (EMA)
    • • Total IgA
    • • Deaminated gliadin peptide (DGP IgA and IgG
    • Remember, false positive tests can occur in people with autoimmune conditions. If you have a positive test, a tissue biopsy will help determine if you truly have celiac disease.

• Thyroid: Antibodies are highest, on average, between 3-4 months postpartum, which is when I recommend testing, unless you are already having symptoms.
  • • TSH
  • • Free T4
  • • Free T3
  • • Reverse T3
  • • Anti-TPO
  • Anti-Thyroglobulin

Work with an Experienced Thyroid Expert

It is important that your labs be interpreted using the optimal reference ranges and that your symptoms are considered in conjunction with the results. There are several mechanisms that can contribute to hypothyroidism, which is why you must be examined as a whole person, rather than as a single gland.

Partnering with a doctor who understands the unique needs of a postpartum mom who is struggling with thyroid disease is imperative to your health.

Every woman has increased nutritional requirements the year following childbirth, but women with autoimmune disease require specific nutrients in order to heal and repair after birth, provide enough breast milk to feed baby, and keep autoimmune symptoms at a minimum.

Remove Gluten

If you’re experiencing hyper or hypothyroid symptoms, I suggest you remove gluten. If you plan on testing for celiac disease, test before you eliminate it from your diet as blood tests will only detect what is in your system.

Take Care of Your Adrenals

There’s plenty you can do on your own to support adrenal function. Start small and work your way up. After all, self-care should not be stressful!

• • B vitamins. The most common nutrients that are needed for restoring the adrenal glands include B vitamins, so I typically recommend a good B-complex with methylfolated folate (activated folate) and methylfolated B-12. This can sometimes be found in a prenatal.

• • Adaptogenic herbs. Adaptogenic herbs are a beautiful way to restore adrenal function. Some adaptogenic herbs that I find helpful in postpartum moms include licorice, rhodiola, schisandra, reishi, astragalus, and ashwagandha. However, I don’t recommend that any herbs be taken during pregnancy without direct supervision of a skilled and qualified medical practitioner.

• • Sleep. I know you moms, especially new moms, are either laughing or crying at that suggestion. Even if you’re still waking up with baby, start by sleeping in a completely dark room and create a bedtime routine for yourself and baby. This will help to maximize the sleep you can get!

• • Find support. Enlist your partner, family, and friends to help you, especially in those early months postpartum. If you can, a postpartum doula can be helpful, or you can hire someone to help clean the house. Do what you can to find time for rest.

• • Movement. You’ll likely be cleared for exercise around 6 weeks postpartum. At this point, it’s important to get some form of movement in daily. Walking, light jogging, stretching or yoga will do!

• Don’t forget to eat! High quality protein and fat at every meal will help to balance blood sugar and support your adrenal glands. Here are some tips to balance blood sugar. 

Remember, all of the statistics outlined here do not account for all the mothers who go undiagnosed. It’s my belief that these numbers would be staggering if we actually listened to mothers’ symptoms and tested appropriately.

My philosophy as a doctor and a mother is that if we want to ensure the health of our future generations it begins by taking care of our mothers— all mothers and our future mothers.

Take the first steps towards health by downloading
Your Hypothyroid Guide.

Mother’s Day is this weekend and in celebration of all mothers, I am sharing important information about health and nutrition that will support fertility, optimize pregnancy, help moms thrive in the postpartum healing and continue to support their health for many years to come.

I compiled some helpful resources for you to implement or share with a mom you know!

Fertility Articles: What to do to create the most optimal fertility.

Pregnancy Articles: Tips, tricks and more to stay healthy and alleviate common concerns.

Postpartum Articles: Information and steps to heal your body and be at your best as a mother.

Hormone Articles: Identify your hormonal imbalance and understand the best practices to bring them back into balance.

The Mom’s Wellness Book

And as a way to make Mother’s Day extra special for all the moms out there, I put together The Mom’s Wellness Book that contains over 100 recipes, practical tips, inspiration and more from over 25 health experts!

I am giving away The Mom’s Wellness Book (valued at $29.95) this week at NO COST. This book is jam packed with valuable information & recipes. It has over 100 recipes, tips, mom hacks and more!  

I recently tried the Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole recipe from Kristen Bohemer on page 69 at a potluck, which was a huge success!!! And by success, I mean everyone loved it— toddlers included!

At no cost, you can instantly download The Mom’s Wellness Book and have your own collection of nourishing and delicious recipes for moms at every stage of life.

And if you’re looking for a really amazing resource for moms and moms-to-be, and really, moms at all stages in life, take a look at The Mom’s Wellness Bundle!

Mom’s Wellness Bundle is ON SALE!!!

This is an amazing resource of recipes, exclusive interviews, expert supplement and nutrition guides, discounted programs, and a variety of coupons from fantastic vendors. I personally am releasing my eBooks: Your Thyroid Guide, Dr. Brighten’s Detox Guide and Healing Your Adrenals in Motherhood as part of the Mom’s Wellness Bundle for the first time!

I also want to let you know about an incredible fast action bonus that goes along with The Mom’s Wellness Bundle just for today.

Today only, The Mom’s Wellness Bundle includes a bonus of 4 weekly meal plans + recipes (value $27)! That’s over 25 more recipes in addition to the 250+ that are waiting for you in the Mom’s Wellness Bundle.

The recipes are all gluten and soy free. And many are dairy free, egg free, with anti-inflammatory friendly options.

The Mom’s Wellness Bundle is the VERY FIRST comprehensive collection of resources aimed at supporting mothers:

• Make Healthy Eating Choices Easier with over 250 gluten-free recipes. Food is the foundation of health and there is no better place to start than with nourishing meals for the whole family.
• Understand Your Hormones and The Appropriate Interventions to bring them back into balance months to years after baby. Imagine feeling a greater sense of calm in your day, having easier periods, better moods or maybe even a little more libido.
• Improve Your Fertility and Prepare Your Body for Baby with preconception, hormone and supplement guides.
• Create Optimal Health In Pregnancy and Postpartum with trimester specific nutritional guides, breastfeeding support, and creating a foundation of health for after baby.
• Build Strength, Flexibility and Resilience with yoga and fitness videos, along with a home workout program.
• Pamper Yourself with self care guides, easily implemented daily detox practices, and better sleep support.

You deserve the best this Mother’s Day and everyday!

Any mom knows … motherhood is a crazy journey full of hard days, even harder laughter, and unexpected lessons learned along the way.

I decided to write down some of what I experienced that medical school did not prep me for and the common concerns that many of my patients share with me (that is, once we close the office door) about the surprises they faced as a new mom.

7 Things Medical School Didn’t Teach Me
About Postpartum
(And Your Doctor Probably Didn’t Share)

1. Ouch, My Nipples! Um, I had no idea I’d want spew a slew of curse words every time my child latched on that first week. Sure, you find your rhythm with your child eventually because it’s like … find your rhythm or die!
2. My Swollen Vagina. Why doesn’t anyone talk about this? There was some attention paid to the thought of using cold packs following birth, but no one really talked about the degree of swelling, pain, discomfort and how my vagina would be the most foreign part of my body for a good while. And then when the swelling went down…eek! Speaking of vaginas…
3. Forget Hemorrhoids … What is up with this bump on my vagina? Vaginal varicosities is what is up and they happen the same way hemorrhoids do— too much pressure on the blood vessels. But no one tells you that you might get a vaginal “hemorrhoid” and very few patients will want to bring this up to their doctors. I’ve diagnosed many cases of vaginal varicosities with many of my patients after delivery and can tell you, it is more common than you might think.  
4. There’s No Deadline. Due date … passed. Number of hours it took my mom to birth … passed. These arbitrary dates and times mean nothing and that baby comes whenever it wants. Needless to say, I learned some patience and humility as I birthed. And continue to learn that time is truly relative.
5. Pooping is Scary!!! My body just delivered a human and now I need to pass stool? No way. NO. WAY. There is a real fear about anything coming out of anywhere down there for at least a day … maybe a week. But as I talked about in my book, you do not want to find yourself constipated so taking necessary steps to soften your stool and make sure you are regular is a must!
6. The Guilt! OMG, what is with all this guilt us moms feel? We are feeling down on ourselves for breastfeeding too often, not enough, for feeling exhausted, for taking a bath … you name it, one of us has felt guilty about it.
7. I Am Utterly Alone. This is was a sobering realization for me while I was birthing and it continued throughout my postpartum period. It isn’t that I didn’t have people supporting me, but when you are birthing, it is 100% you and your body that is charged with the task of delivering your baby. It’s scary, isolating, but also incredibly empowering because no matter how you chose to birth, you are the mother that grew that little human and did whatever it took to bring that life to this world.
   The feelings of being alone, isolated, and in need of greater support are almost universal. This is probably the least talked about and the hardest aspect of being a mother (besides the sleep thing … don’t get me started on the sleep). After recognizing how little my doctor prepared me for postpartum and really, how little I had prepared myself, I set out on a mission to support all mothers – whether you’re in the preconception, pregnancy, or postpartum portion of your journey.

That’s why I set out to create a first-of-its-kind bundle of original eBooks, videos, audio courses, and special offers just for moms. And in honor of Mother’s Day, we are celebrating the entire week by offering this unique and valuable resource for only $47! 

Learn everything you need to know about this amazing package that includes contributions from  50+ of the leading practitioners in health and wellness. Just as a little sneak peek, the Mom’s Wellness Bundle includes:

• The Mom’s Wellness eBook with 100+ recipes, wellness tips, and more from more than 25 leaders in the health space.
• The Mom Bundle, which includes exclusive interviews with the top docs and scientists in natural and functional medicine, eBooks, online courses, eCookbooks, videos, and more.
• More than $400 in savings from some of my favorite natural brands.

I hope you’ll check out this invaluable resource created for anyone who wants to learn more about fertility, postpartum care, self-love, deep nutrition, and more! And remember, the special price of $47 is only good until May 7th, after that, the price goes up to $97. 

If there is one universal piece of advice that I give to all moms it is—Support Your Adrenals Postpartum! Postpartum adrenal fatigue is serious.

You may have been warned about the massive fluctuations in hormones after childbirth. The fallout from the rapid drop in estrogen and progesterone in the weeks following birth results in different symptoms for different women. The biggies are changes in energy, sex drive, and mood.

Birth alone creates stress on the body and is a state of inflammation that creates demand for proper adrenal function. Your adrenal glands are responsible for producing stress hormones. They dampen inflammation, provide energy and allow you to have an appropriate stress response. 

But the hormonal shift that takes place after birth, in conjunction with your new sleeping schedule (fun!), and the general stressors of being a mother can make it difficult for your body, adrenal glands and hormones to normalize. 

The longer your body struggles with hormone imbalance, the longer you’ll struggle with unwanted weight, fatigue, diminished sex drive, and possible mood disorders.

On the flipside, there are things we can do to support your adrenal glands and balance your hormones naturally, so your body can handle those inevitable day-to-day stressors without losing your cool or passing out from exhaustion at the end of every day.

Related product: Adrenal Support

Supporting Your Adrenals Postpartum

Your adrenal glands, two almond-shaped glands right above your kidneys, are part of what’s called the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-axis, or HPA-axis. This axis is all about the communication between your environment, your brain, and your body.

When this dance is disrupted, symptoms can arise. Many people call this “adrenal fatigue” or simply refer to it as hormone imbalance, but it’s really a disruption in that HPA-axis, i.e. the hypothalamus, pituitary, or adrenals, and/or communication between the three.

Stress causes cortisol secretion.

Stress in our environment or on our bodies (deadlines! baby crying! dinner’s not ready and it’s 8pm! a 10-mile run! not sleeping!) triggers our brain to release a hormone that communicates to the pituitary gland, which signals the adrenals to secrete cortisol (along with epinephrine and norepinephrine, both excitatory neurotransmitters).

This response is just fine under normal circumstance, but when there are prolonged periods of stress or a super stressful event (read: childbirth), there can be a disruption in hormones that presents itself in many different ways.

For new moms, this generally presents itself as the inability to handle normal day-to-day stressors. Cravings, addiction to stimulants, exhaustion, feelings of agitation or anxiety over the tiniest things. All of these things signal possible adrenal dysfunction.

Other symptoms include:

• Acne or rashes
• Depression
• Difficulty waking
• Increased illness
• Low libido
• Brain fog
• Dizziness
• Irritability

You can evaluate your adrenal function with a simple test and I suggest you find a practitioner you trust to help you along this journey (let’s face it, you have a lot on your plate!). We can also easily support healthy adrenal function naturally and at home.

As hormones regulate, sex hormones return, and our immune system strengthens, we’re way more equipped for those inevitable hiccups in daily life. That cool, calm, collected mama you pictured yourself being? Yeah, that’s you! Now, let’s help get those hormones back online.

6 Ways to Support Your Adrenals After Baby and Fight Postpartum Adrenal Fatigue!

Cuddle Your Baby

Breastfeeding and cuddling your newborn stimulates oxytocin, a hormone that protects your body from the ravages of stress.

Eat Regular Meals

You need fuel. Whether you’re breastfeeding or not, eating regular meals with ample protein ensure even, steady blood sugar levels, which means you’re ready for whatever life throws your way.

Sleep

I know, I know, easier said than done. But hear me out. Long-term lack of sleep can have a huge impact on your body’s ability to heal, your mood, even your ability to bond with your baby, so please don’t feel guilty about napping when baby does or passing off chores to family members.

Breathe

Breathe deeply and often, especially when you’ve just about “had it!” Breathing deeply brings our bodies back to that parasympathetic or “rest and digest” mode in mere minutes – faster than medication and with zero negative side effects.

Rhodiola rosea

30-60 drops of tincture 2-3 times daily. Rhodiola improves energy, lowers anxiety, reduces inflammation, and supports your immune system. This, along with other adaptogens are often recommended for those with adrenal dysfunction. Should not be taken without supervision if you have a history of depression.

Magnesium

150-300 mg nightly. Magnesium supports adrenal gland function and many in the U.S. are deficient. You can also find magnesium naturally in dark green vegetables, almonds, pecans, cashews, brazil nuts, seeds, legumes, millet, brown rice, avocado, and dried apricots.

But first and foremost, be gentle with yourself. You’re an amazing woman doing all you can for your family. Take a moment to honor yourself, because that’s the first step of radical self-care!

A Special Moms Only Gift

If you’re a mama or mom-to-be, check out this amazing special eBook curated by yours truly JUST for moms.

When I put the word out to some of the top experts in health and wellness that I wanted to put together a gift for mothers, the response was overwhelming!

The Mom’s Wellness eBook is a free resource with more than 100 recipes, wellness tips, and mind-body medicine techniques created with the busy mother in mind.