Question! Breastfeeding moms and babies...

[NancyM]

My mom literally kept a box of Fannie May candy "hidden" in her nightstand drawer.

My guess is the Fanny Farmer candy in her nightstand helped her get through having 8 lively kids and their friends over. Your mom sounds like a sweetheart!

NF52 my mom would shudder at the confusion of Fanny Farmer with Fannie May which was always a local treasure in the Chicago area and her lifelong favorite. And yes, she had a sweet tooth and she was a sweetheart! Thanks!

[circular]

I’m the opposite of Nancy. I attribute not having a sweet tooth to the fact that sweets weren’t around our house unless it was a birthday or holiday. I just learned sweets aren’t needed on a daily basis. Their purpose seemed to be to help make special occasions special, and now I don’t even need them for that, although I’d be hard pressed to pass up a bite of spice cake with cream cheese frosting. Good thing that’s never around.

[Greenmachine]

Did any mother here experience a cognitive decline during and post partum? I have traced my greatest issues to that period.

[Health_Hacker]

Did any mother here experience a cognitive decline during and post partum? I have trace my greatest issues to that period.

I’m 4/4 and I definitely experienced post pardum issues. I don’t attribute it to my APOE4 status, rather the lack of estrogen for up to the first year. It seemed to slowly get better.
However, since then I’ve struggled with my body having these terrible hormone shifts (in line with my monthly cycle, so somewhat a normal thing) that last for about 2 days each week. I’ve kept a food diary, seen numerous doctors, and finally decided to do 23&me as a last resort as I couldn’t find an answer to my struggles.
Long story short, after about 6 years (my son is almost 7) I recently started taking omega 3 phospholipids and almost immediately everything seemed to resolve (hoping it’s not a coincidence)!!!

My theory is that my body became somewhat ‘depleted’ in omega3 which affected everything else. Since I have difficulty converting/absorbing DHA (apoe4/4), I apparently have to take a supplement. Fish oil made it much worse- fatigue, heavy flow, etc., so be sure to try Nordic Naturals Omega3 Phospholipids. Krill oil also seemed to work.

[NF52]

...
I’m 4/4 and I definitely experienced post pardum issues. I don’t attribute it to my APOE4 status, rather the lack of estrogen for up to the first year. It seemed to slowly get better. ...Long story short, after about 6 years (my son is almost 7) I recently started taking omega 3 phospholipids and almost immediately everything seemed to resolve (hoping it’s not a coincidence)!!!

My theory is that my body became somewhat ‘depleted’ in omega3 which affected everything else. Since I have difficulty converting/absorbing DHA (apoe4/4), I apparently have to take a supplement. Fish oil made it much worse- fatigue, heavy flow, etc., so be sure to try Nordic Naturals Omega3 Phospholipids. Krill oil also seemed to work.

Welcome, Health-Hacker!

You've given yourself an apt name, after figuring out both your ApoE 4/4 status and your need for DHA! You've also given a great example of how we can be proactive in self-hacking to "upgrade" our system engineering. We hope you'll share more of your story, and will enjoy browsing this site for ideas in the Forums and the Wiki Table of Contents. I bet your son appreciates having a mom who is a strong, smart "health-hacker'!

[SamNZ]

Did any mother here experience a cognitive decline during and post partum? I have trace my greatest issues to that period.

I’m 4/4 and I definitely experienced post pardum issues. I don’t attribute it to my APOE4 status, rather the lack of estrogen for up to the first year. It seemed to slowly get better.
However, since then I’ve struggled with my body having these terrible hormone shifts (in line with my monthly cycle, so somewhat a normal thing) that last for about 2 days each week. I’ve kept a food diary, seen numerous doctors, and finally decided to do 23&me as a last resort as I couldn’t find an answer to my struggles.
Long story short, after about 6 years (my son is almost 7) I recently started taking omega 3 phospholipids and almost immediately everything seemed to resolve (hoping it’s not a coincidence)!!!

My theory is that my body became somewhat ‘depleted’ in omega3 which affected everything else. Since I have difficulty converting/absorbing DHA (apoe4/4), I apparently have to take a supplement. Fish oil made it much worse- fatigue, heavy flow, etc., so be sure to try Nordic Naturals Omega3 Phospholipids. Krill oil also seemed to work.

Welcome Health Hacker - being a functional medicine health coach I love to hear of peoples success in creating their own health. You are obviously very passionate and determined to have not given up during your 6 year struggle. Hopefully the cognitive decline is completely resolved. Another great resource in this website is the Primer which you can click on and gives you a great overview of lots of areas of interest and explains a lot of different information to aid you in keeping your brain functioning optimally . Thank you again for sharing, it really makes our community tick, we would love for you to introduce yourself further.

[Megsmadden]

I realize this is an old post but I definitely experienced the most cognitive issues post partum and while breastfeeding my kids. I nursed each for 2.5 years. My youngest has been weaned for over a year and I still feel my brain hasn’t bounced back. I just turned 37 and am 4/4. I have not been good at taking my omegas so thank you for that suggestion. I ordered the phospholipid Nordic naturals omegas.

We also wanted to try for another child but now I’m concerned with how my my brain would tolerate the sleep deprivation and change in hormones. I know there was the study done regarding HRT, menopausal women and apoe and telemere length, but has anyone found any research or information about the perimenopausal period/ post partum to prevent cognitive issues during this time?

[Megsmadden]

One other thing to add is I am also COMT +/+ which i believe is the same as met/met? I’m new to looking into all of this so I wonder how much of time that played as well…

I started researching this years ago and got overwhelmed. So now I’m re-starting again..

[Kmlseattle]

I realize this is an old post but I definitely experienced the most cognitive issues post partum and while breastfeeding my kids. I nursed each for 2.5 years. My youngest has been weaned for over a year and I still feel my brain hasn’t bounced back. I just turned 37 and am 4/4. I have not been good at taking my omegas so thank you for that suggestion. I ordered the phospholipid Nordic naturals omegas.

We also wanted to try for another child but now I’m concerned with how my my brain would tolerate the sleep deprivation and change in hormones. I know there was the study done regarding HRT, menopausal women and apoe and telemere length, but has anyone found any research or information about the perimenopausal period/ post partum to prevent cognitive issues during this time?

Welcome, Megsmadden.

Thank you for weighing in on this issue. It certainly seems to be a complicated one. I had my first child more than 20 years ago and I believe I did have some cognitive issues post-partum. I think I chalked that up to lack of sleep at the time, but I didn't know my ApoE4 status (3/4) and wasn't aware of any older family members with cognitive issues. The idea that there's a connection is fascinating. Based on the number of members involved in this conversation already, I suspect there will be plenty of answers to your question.

In addition to your consistent supplementation of omegas there are plenty of other lifestyle changes, such as lower carb diet, getting good sleep and managing stress, that can also help cognition.

In the meantime, as a welcome intern, I'd like to make sure you're aware of the many resources on this site. First, I find the Primer quite helpful. It is written by a member physician who carries two copies of the APOE-ε4 allele. In it you will find accessible science background and prioritized sensible preventative measures. There's also a glossary to accompany your reading. Additionally, I find the WIKI to be a useful tool as it has an abundance of information regarding various data, treatments and specific resources. It is searchable and a great place to go if you already know what you're looking for. Finally, Our Stories is a place to read about other members' experiences and to post your own, if you're so inclined.

Please feel free to post additional thoughts and questions here. When responding to another member's post, it's useful to use the Quote button on the upper right to include the text of the post and ensure all members see your reply instead of just the original author.

Best wishes to you in your decision for another child and in your health journey.

Be well,
Kathleen

[Kmlseattle]

One other thing to add is I am also COMT +/+ which i believe is the same as met/met? I’m new to looking into all of this so I wonder how much of time that played as well…

I started researching this years ago and got overwhelmed. So now I’m re-starting again..

One other thing that comes to mind is you may find information about this topic on the WIKI. I did a quick search on COMT+/+ and three or four papers came up.

Kathleen