The breastfeeding journey is unique for each person. While we may plan for breastfeeding and consider things like pumping, burp cloths, a healthy diet, and learning well-nigh variegated holds or getting the latch just right, not many of us consider what happens without we finish breastfeeding. Regardless of whether you fed for three days, three months, or three years, many women wits weird symptoms, intense emotions, or mood swings without stopping breastfeeding. Some individuals may go on to develop post-weaning depression.
What Is Post-Weaning Depression?
Post-weaning peepers refers to feelings of anxiety, depression, irritation, and moodiness without someone stops breastfeeding. It’s important to understand that regardless of how long you breastfed or whether you wean intentionally or for other reasons outside of your control, you may wits post-weaning depression.1 It’s moreover important to differentiate that while it is not a clinical diagnosis like postpartum depression, and research is still emerging, post-weaning peepers experiences can be very real for many women. So, let’s swoop into why it might occur and what symptoms to squint out for.
What Causes Post-Weaning Depression?
Many of us know well-nigh the massive hormonal changes that occur without giving birth, but a similar shift moreover occurs when weaning.2 When we feed our babies via the breast, we release:2,5
- Oxytocin: Moreover known as the love hormone, our persons release oxytocin when we are tropical or skin-to-skin with our babies. It helps us release or let lanugo milk, supports our bond with our babies, promotes a sense of well-being, and reduces stress.
- Prolactin: This helps with milk supply and increases feelings of relaxation and sleepiness.
When we closure breastfeeding, our persons no longer release these chemicals at the same level and consistency, and it has to adjust. We no longer have these feel-good chemicals on tap, and there can be an welding period as our soul weans off these feel-good hormones!
What Are the Symptoms of Post-Weaning Depression?
In addition, breastfeeding is not just well-nigh chemicals. There are moreover the physical (body) and emotional changes to consider without stopping breastfeeding, such as:3,4
- Guilt: Perhaps you didn’t breastfeed for as long as you wanted or had to wean for some reason. Mothers feel a lot of pressure to breastfeed, and you may squatter stigma if you don’t or can’t.
- Bonding: Many finger that breastfeeding is a time for bonding and miss this wits when they wean. In addition, weaning signifies a step toward independence . . . and stuff yonder from you. This can be upsetting and distressing.
- Engorgement: There are physical side effects of stopping breastfeeding. For instance, when breasts don’t fully phlebotomize without feeding, they can wilt uncomfortable and full. They can finger warm to the touch, leak, and swell in size until they are used to no longer producing milk.
- Mastitis: This can sometimes finger like the flu and is associated with weaning. Others wits mastitis when their breast doesn’t fully drain, and it can lead to flu-like symptoms or infections considering the stagnant milk can wilt a tastefulness ground for bacteria.
- Periods: Your period may return or change. This is considering hormones influence our periods, and the swings and hormonal shifts when weaning can midpoint our periods squint variegated in terms of duration, flow, pain, and emotional upheaval in the lead-up.
- Weight gain: We shrivel calories when we breastfeed, and when we stop, many women are used to a particular nutrition or volume of food. It can take a little while for appetites to return to normal, so it’s natural to wits weight proceeds or other soul changes.
How Long Does Post-Weaning Peepers Last?
You may be curious well-nigh how long it takes for hormones to wastefulness without weaning, and while there is no word-for-word stage or timeline, symptoms will likely resolve in a few weeks. Post-weaning peepers is only temporary, and your soul will adjust.1,2 Please know that plane if things are temporary or relatively normal regarding weaning experiences or if your symptoms scarecrow or snooping you, it’s still okay and essential for you to seek support.
Can You Prevent Post-Weaning Depression?
Because weaning is associated with chemicals and hormonal changes, you might not be worldly-wise to stave off post-weaning peepers entirely. But there are things you can do to reduce the likelihood or severity:3,4
- Slowly wean: This isn’t unchangingly possible, but if you can gradually taper lanugo your breastfeeds, your soul gets used to a gradual reduction rather than a sudden change.
- Don’t rush it: Some parents finger pressure to wean considering of milestones like age, the minutiae of teeth, etc., but don’t fall into that trap. Wean whenever is necessary or right for you and your child; only you will know when it is right.
How To Get Help for Post-Weaning Depression
There are some things you can do for yourself to help with post-weaning depression, like finding another way to yoke with your baby or keeping up skin-to-skin contact, which helps with oxytocin release.1 You can moreover engage in other feel-good activities like exercise or self-care.
Understanding the potential changes and making plans is essential; if you understand the impact of physical and emotional changes, you can largest plan for support. Consider things like meal prep (to ensure you have a good source of nutrients and healthy meal options while you wean), trammels in with your unstipulated practitioner, find telehealth services, or try face-to-face counseling if you need support. You could moreover trammels in with your local lactation consultant, find a local La Leche rep, yack with friends, or plane unify emotional support check-ins with loved ones.
Weaning is a big step. Sometimes, it’s the first significant marker for parents that their child is rhadamanthine independent. This can be a time of triumph but moreover a time of distress or mixed emotions. Ensure you make the right or necessary choices for yourself and your family, with no pressure from external influences. And make sure you have a good support network when you start the weaning process. You’ve got this!