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    • February 2016
      • Congenital Hypothyroidism…You Know…
    • January 2016
      • To my littlest love, who also happens to have Congenital Hypothyroidism
      • A Letter to My Son on his 10th Birthday – Congential Hypothyroidism
    • November 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-11.18.15
      • Thyroid Mom receives Liebster Award
      • Motivation Monday & Your Thyroid Disorder
    • October 2015
      • Thyroid Disorders and Your Skin
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.28.15
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.14.15
      • ADHD and Thyroid Disorders
    • September 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.30.15
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.23.15
      • Thyroid Mom Birthday Giveaway
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.16.15
      • Growth Awareness Week: September 2015
      • Are You An Empath & What Impact Does It Have On Your Health?
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.2.15
    • July 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.15.15
    • June 2015
      • Giving Infants Medication
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-6.18.15
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-6.3.15
    • May 2015
      • Congenital Hypothyroidism and Blood Draws and Courage
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-5.20.15
      • Congenital Hypothyroidism: The First Year
      • Thyroid and Mental Health
    • April 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-4.22.15
      • Too Young To Be So Sick: A Young Woman’s Battle With Graves’ Disease
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-4.15.15
    • March 2015
      • Trust Your Gut: Raising Children With Thyroid Disorders
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-3.11.15
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-3.4.15
      • Vitamin D and Your Thyroid
    • February 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-2.11.15
      • How Do You Stay Hydrated in the Winter?
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-2.4.15
    • January 2015
      • 7 Lessons Chronic Illness Has Taught Me: A Retrospective Look at Hypothyroidism
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-1.14.15
      • Hypothyroidism in Children: Not So Rare After All!
      • Rise and Thrive!
    • December 2014
      • ThyroidChange: What It Means To Me by Thyroid Mom
    • November 2014
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-11.5.14
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-11.12.14
      • Vitamin B2 and Thyroid Function
    • October 2014
      • Thyroid Disorders Don’t Have to be Scary!
      • Fill ‘er up! Fellow Thyroid Warrior, Is Your Tank Empty?
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.22.14
      • Your Journey with Thyroid Disease
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.15.14
      • Autism and Congenital Hypothyroidism: Why Newborn Screening Matters
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.1.14
    • September 2014
      • Scrub Phobia: Battling Your Child’s Fear of Doctors
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.17.14
      • Growth Awareness Week: Why it Matters to Me.
      • Growth Awareness Week
      • Thyroid News-Newborn Screening-9.10.14
      • THYROID MOM HITS 2,000 LIKES
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-Thyroid Cancer-9.3.14
    • August 2014
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-8.27.14
      • Congenital Hypothyroidism and Thyroid Resistance: A Story About Heart
      • You Are Your Child’s Best Advocate
    • July 2014
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.30.14
      • Thyroid Imbalance: A Yin-Yang Perspective
      • My Child Has Congenital Hypothyroidism: A New Mom Confronts the Diagnosis
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.23.14
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.16.14
      • Undefeated Q2

Thyroid Mom

Raising awareness of Congenital Hypothyroidism and building support for parents and children

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To my littlest love, who also happens to have Congenital Hypothyroidism

January 25, 2016 by Blythe 1 Comment

A letter to my youngest son on his 6th birthday... My Sweet Alex aka Alexander the Great, I can hardly believe that you have made 6 trips around the sun already.  What an incredible 6 years it has been!  I have a few things to tell you and writing them down is always my best way to communicate. If I could tell you just one thing that I would want you to know for the rest of your life, it would be: "Be You".  You know that you are loved and adored.  Who you are is simply incredible.  Never doubt that. Let me begin by reminding you of how you came to be.  In the beginning, I was told that there was a problem with my pregnancy and that you may not make it.  It was stressful, but I knew that you would be okay.  I prayed that day as I laid on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Congenital Hypothyroidism, My Journey, Parenting

A Letter to My Son on his 10th Birthday – Congential Hypothyroidism

January 7, 2016 by Blythe 5 Comments

To my sweet son, William on the eve of your 10th birthday, Tomorrow, you will be 10!  I've had a lot on my mind that I wanted to tell you.   So, here goes... Ten years ago today, I went to Grammy & Grandpap’s house for an impromptu Bojanlges breakfast before Uncle Nick headed back to Florida.   I wasn’t feeling so well, but couldn’t put my finger on why. The rest of the day was a pretty normal Saturday. That is until your Dad and I went to REI to cash in his gift cards from his birthday a few days before. I was standing there waiting for him to decide on a knife and I felt a pretty intense pain.   I figured I was just tired (you were pretty heavy in my belly by then) and went to wait in the car. Later, it was determined that I was in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Congenital Hypothyroidism, My Journey, Newborn Screening, Parenting

Giving Infants Medication

June 20, 2015 by Blythe 1 Comment

congenital hypothyroidism

You want me to give a PILL to my NEWBORN?!  I remember asking my son's pediatric endocrinologist that question.  As if it's not enough to have to deal with giving birth, having your newborn diagnosed with Congenital Hypothyroidism, endure repeated blood draws in those first few days, and then you are told you must get your infant to swallow a medication that (at least in the US) only comes in pill form.  Our endocrinologist said to crush the medicine and give it to our son through a syringe.  It was as if this was no big deal.  For me, it was a big deal. The conversation had occurred over the phone.  We hadn't even seen our pediatric endocrinologist in person yet.   Where would we get the syringe?  Oh, the pharmacy has them?  Are you sure? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Administering thyroid medication, Congenital Hypothyroidism, giving infants medication, Helping Kids With CH, Parenting, synthroid

You Are Your Child’s Best Advocate

August 4, 2014 by Blythe Leave a Comment

best advocate for child

When my oldest son was born, I remember having a conversation with my sister about how I disagreed with a decision made regarding my son's care.  My sister told me: "Never be afraid to flex that mom muscle."  What great advice.  She was so right.  Never be afraid to assert yourself.  You are your child's best advocate and you know what is right for you and for your family.  I tell that to people all the time.  You'd think I would listen to the same advice.  I usually do, but, recently, I failed to follow my own advice. 3 weeks ago, my oldest had to have blood drawn for some allergy/immunology testing. His doctor wanted me to use their recommended lab. I really didn't want to because we (of course) have a lab and phlebotomist we prefer. I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Parenting Kids With CH Tagged With: Congenital Hypothyroidism, Helping Kids With CH, Parenting, Support

My Child Has Congenital Hypothyroidism: A New Mom Confronts the Diagnosis

July 25, 2014 by Blythe 2 Comments

I am Thyroid Mom.  I have been talking to parents and grandparents of children who were diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism for several years now.  Until this year, I had never met (face to face) with another mother of a child with congenital hypothyroidism.  I had never met another child, another than my own, who had congenital hypothyroidism.  Imagine my surprise when one day my endocrinologist said to me that she had a patient I needed to speak with.  She told me that another patient of hers had just had a son diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism and that if it was okay with me, she'd like to pass my email address along to her other patient.  A few months later, I met my friend Shelley and her son, Gavin.  I am pleased to share … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews, Parenting Kids With CH Tagged With: Congenital Hypothyroidism, Helping Kids With CH, Parenting, Shared Stories, Support

Top 5 Tips for Surviving Blood Draws

July 18, 2014 by Blythe 2 Comments

Having to deal with frequent blood draws is one of the worst parts of having a child with congenital hypothyroidism.  When they are infants, it's heart breaking to watch them cry in pain as the phlebotomist squeezes droplets of blood into the little vials.  Then, they become toddlers and are old enough to know what's going on, which may mean that they freak out when you pull in the parking lot of the hospital or lab.  This phase lasts until they are 3 or 4 usually.  As they get older, though, it does get easier as they are old enough to understand what's going on and why they need the blood test. Until then, here are my Top 5 Tips for Surviving Blood Draws. 1) Relax: No matter what the age, kids are perceptive.  They can sense when you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Parenting Kids With CH Tagged With: Blood Draws, Helping Kids With CH, Parenting

Raising Children with Congenital Hypothyroidism

March 14, 2014 by Blythe 3 Comments

WELCOME TO HOLLAND by Emily Perl Kingsley I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Parenting Kids With CH Tagged With: Medication, Parenting, Support

Are your child’s pajamas safe?

February 24, 2014 by Blythe Leave a Comment

thyroid disorders, flame retartant

  Pajamas – have you given much thought to what pajamas your kid wears?  Other than whether they are Dora or Spiderman?  What about the mattress they are sleeping on?  Well, you should.  A few years ago, I read that the flame retardant chemicals used in everything from children’s pajamas to mattresses to infant nursing pillows have been found to be endocrine disrupters.   It upset me beyond words, and worries me to this day, particularly given that everyone in my family has an endocrine disorder (Congenital Hypothyroidism, Hashitmoto's Thyroiditis, & Graves Disease). What is an endocrine disrupter? According to the Natural Resources Defense Council ("NRDC"), “an endocrine disruptor is a synthetic chemical that when … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Parenting Kids With CH Tagged With: Parenting

Thyroid Olympics

February 18, 2014 by Blythe 5 Comments

thyroid,olympics

I love watching the Olympics.  My husband downloaded the Olympic app to his phone.  My kids are glued to the TV.  We are an Olympics loving family.  We love watching sports on TV, so what could be better than watching the world's best athletes compete against each other.  We also love learning more about sports that we aren't familiar with - like curling.  As an aside, I sarcastically asked my boys if they wanted outfits like some of the curlers were wearing.  My youngest (who loves costumes and characters and did not detect my sarcasm) jumped up and said "Yes!  I'd totally wear that!".  HA!  He probably would. I started thinking about what Olympics our family could qualify for and compete in.  Probably not much at this point (thanks to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, February 2014 Tagged With: Parenting

Golden Birthday – Kids with Congenital Hypothyroidism

January 12, 2014 by Blythe Leave a Comment

  Struggles in Raising Kids with Congenital Hypothyroidism That precious, little baby in the picture is my oldest son who has congenital hypothyroidism.  He was 5 months old and in the hospital when that picture was taken.  My oldest son recently had his golden birthday.  Your golden birthday is when you turn the age that corresponds with the day of the month you were born.  For example, if you were born on January 18th, your golden birthday would be the year you turn 18.  I think your golden birthday should be a birthday that gets a little extra attention.  So, we bought some gold balloons ready and ordered a cake with a big gold medal on it.  Just a few things to make this birthday stand out a bit.  When I think about how much he's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, January 2014, Parenting Kids With CH Tagged With: Congenital Hypothyroidism, Helping Kids With CH, Parenting

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About Thyroid Mom

thyroid mom family

I am a mother of two beautiful boys, both born with Congenital Hypothyroidism.  I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism during my late twenties and later learned that it was Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  My husband was diagnosed with Graves' Disease (hyperthyroidism) shortly before our oldest son was born. … Read More

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