Question: If a Baby Is Hypothyroid, Can a Nursing Mother Take the Medication For the Baby?
If a baby is diagnosed with hypothyroidism, some mothers wonder if they can take the thyroid hormone replacement medications themselves, and have it pass through into the breast milk, as a treatment for the baby.
Answer: No. If a baby is found to be hypothyroid -- the mandatory "heel stick" test conducted on all newborns in the U.S. includes a test for hypothyroidism -- the infant will need his or her own thyroid treatment right away to normalize thyroid levels.
Untreated hypothyroidism in infants and newborns must be treated, or the child is at risk of developmental and growth delays and impairment. The amount of thyroid hormone that passes into breast milk is not sufficient to act as a substitute for direct treatment for hypothyroidism in infants.
Read more Frequently Asked Questions About Breastfeeding and Thyroid Disease
