Hormonal Changes It can be really common to feel down or weepy – or even depressed – after weaning. And for some, the feelings are strong and may mean there is a sense of anxiety, insomnia, anger, swings between high and low moods.
It could take up to a month for the body to balance into a hormonal rhythm that is closer to normal again, but there are way to nutritionally support the shift that happens when your nursling begins to breastfeed less frequently or wean.
Stopping breastfeeding suddenly could put you at risk of engorgement, blocked ducts or mastitis, as well as being an abrupt change for your baby's digestive and immune systems to cope with. It may also be difficult for you both emotionally.
It's not unusual to feel tearful, sad or mildly depressed after weaning; some mothers also experience irritability, anxiety, or mood swings. These feelings are usually short-term and should go away in a few weeks, but some mothers experience more severe symptoms that require treatment.
The fact is, it's common to experience a bout of depression or mood swings after you've weaned from breastfeeding. These emotions can occur whether you've weaning voluntarily or reluctantly.
This effect is strongest in the early weeks when your body is establishing how much milk your baby needs. Prolactin impacts the production of other sex hormones. Higher levels of prolactin decrease the levels of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.
It's normal to feel sad that you have stopped breastfeeding for a while. After all, this was a shared moment in time where you will have bonded with your baby. It can feel both heartbreaking and exciting that your baby is growing up and you are experiencing new phases in their life.
Eat iron-rich foods such as beans, egg yolks, and leafy greens to fight against anemia and fatigue. Eat Healthy Fats – Healthy fats are essential for proper hormone regulation because they help them work and move properly through the body. Try eating avocado, almonds, seeds, and wild-caught salmon.
As you stop breastfeeding, you may also experience a change in hormone levels. The changes in hormone levels can trigger: anxiety.
Thanks to biological and behavioral changes, it's totally normal to gain weight when you stop breastfeeding. "It's really common that women will stop breastfeeding and their weight goes up," G. Thomas Ruiz, M.D., an ob/gyn at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, tells SELF.
You will burn some stored body fat, but your body protects some fat for the purpose of breastfeeding. Many women don't lose all the baby weight until they completely stop nursing.
The World Health Organization recommends that all babies be exclusively breastfed for 6 months, then gradually introduced to appropriate foods after 6 months while continuing to breastfeed for 2 years or beyond. Stopping breastfeeding is called weaning. It is up to you and your baby to decide when the time is right.
Hormonal shifts
"Oxytocin, which [rises] during breastfeeding, decreases with weaning," says Dr. Saltz. "This being the bonding, feel good hormone means a woman may miss the oxytocin good feelings and experience a more intense sense of loss and sadness." Other hormones play a role, too.
INSOMNIA & FATIGUE – As our estrogen and progesterone try to rebalance, it can make us feel extremely tired. Also, sleep doesn't just go back to normal as soon as you discontinue night feeds. After months (and years) of lack of sleep, we can't expect our bodies to just pick up where they left off.
When women breastfeed, dopamine (a hormone associated with reward) levels decrease for prolactin (milk producing hormone) levels to rise. Heise suggests that, for some women, dopamine drops excessively, and the resulting deficit causes a range of symptoms, including anxiety, anger and self-loathing.
Myth: Babies who have been breastfed are clingy.
All babies are different. Some are clingy and some are not, no matter how they are fed. Breastfeeding provides not only the best nutrition for infants, but is also important for their developing brain.
"By six months, postpartum hormonal changes in estrogen and progesterone should be reset to pre-pregnancy levels.
Weight Gain
Your body uses a lot of calories to produce breast milk, so you may have been able to eat more during breastfeeding without facing any consequences. Once you stop expending those calories, you may notice the weight adding up more easily.
Issues with lactation and latching. Concerns about infant nutrition and weight. Mother's concern about taking medications while breastfeeding. Unsupportive work policies and lack of parental leave.
Physical pain with breastfeeding can be especially triggering for a mother with risk factors for mental illness. Research has found that pain is associated generally with increased risk of depression, and breastfeeding pain has been associated with increased risk of postnatal depression.
Oxytocin is often dubbed the 'love hormone' or 'cuddle chemical. ' Whenever you breastfeed, the hormone is released in your brain, and your baby's brain too. It's well-known that breastfeeding is good for baby but the oxytocin released during breastfeeding is also pretty great for mums too!
“More than half (51.8 percent) of infants were breastfeeding at six months,” it added. That's up significantly from just 35 percent of women in 2000. But then it drops off. “Less than a third (30.7 percent) of infants were breastfeeding at 12 months,” the CDC said.