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.
You Might Be Surprised By Your Emotions
Even for those who are happy to be done breastfeeding or pumping, the days after weaning can be an emotional time. Some mamas feel tearful, sad or mildly depressed after their baby is done nursing. Others may feel irritable, anxious or moody.
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.
“Once a mother completely stops breastfeeding, her milk supply will dry up within 7 to 10 days,” Borton says, though you may still notice a few drops of milk for weeks or even months beyond when you stop breastfeeding.
How long after weaning will it take for hormones to balance and your cycle to recalibrate? “Any changes to our body's systems typically takes up to three months. This is the time for our hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, which is the communication from brain to ovaries, to recalibrate.
If your weight retention or gain is related to breastfeeding, whenever you decide to stop breastfeeding you may find it easier to lose weight – if that's what you want.
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.
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.
Breastfeeding, even just once a day, is worth it.
Your body is regulating your hormones and your endocrine system with stimulation. Second, the baby receives that contact, that transfer of energy from the parent, and being skin to skin continues to support heart rate, respiration, glucose levels and temperature.
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.
Breastfeeding burns up to 500 calories a day. This means that even though you are probably eating more to sustain breastfeeding, you can still lose weight. On average, if you're taking in the recommended amount of calories each day and breastfeeding exclusively, you should lose about 1 pound every week or two.
There is no general rule around breastfeeding frequency that leads to the return of fertility. Abrupt changes in breastfeeding generally brings back fertility quicker. Keep in mind that you and your baby would have to be ready for this change. Suddenly stopping breastfeeding can impact the bond your baby is enjoying.
Your breast milk will dry up on its own, and it will take some time, but the best way to aid in that process of suppressing breast milk is to limit how much milk you express. That's because every time you release or express any milk, it sends a signal to your body that you're still nursing.
Every moment between a mother and her newborn baby is important. For successful breastfeeding, the first hour after birth is arguably the most important.
Breastmilk or infant formula should be your baby's main source of nutrition for around the first year of life. Health professionals recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, with a gradual introduction of appropriate foods in the second 6 months and ongoing breastfeeding for 2 years or beyond.
Is it OK to breastfeed during the day and formula feed at night? Yes! Combo feeding is a great way to extend your breastfeeding journey.
The best way to lose weight once you stop nursing
Just adjust your diet and exercise habits to ensure you burn calories. Set a cut-off period and make some serious changes to your diet and routine. These are a few pointers — replace carbs like rice and maida with complex carbs and multigrain items.
Breastfeeding. It takes about 500 extra calories a day to make breast milk. You get those extra calories from the foods that you eat every day and the fat that is already stored in your body. Using up those fat stores helps you to lose weight gained in pregnancy faster.
Usually, you will feel back to normal after a few weeks but if you feel like your mood is very low it is important to contact your GP or maternal child health nurse.
Your Hormones
Prolactin is the hormone that tells your body to make milk (2). It will also increase your appetite. This increase may cause you to eat more calories than you need for milk production. Those extra calories could cause you to gain weight instead of losing it.
Overall maternal adaptations during lactation include increased basal metabolic rates and mobilization of fat stores [22–24]. Maternal fuel metabolism is altered markedly, with a 15 %–25 % increase in energy expenditure for milk production [24, 25].
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.
Most breastfeeding mothers will resume their periods between 9 and 18 months after their baby's birth. Weaning your baby will almost certainly cause your menstrual cycle to return, but most people find that they do not need to wean in order for their cycle to gradually resume.