Could bfing cause anxiety? Has anyone stopped bfing and had success?

[ilovebabies]

Obviously I do not want to stop bfing. But, if stopping bfing would make me level out and feel normal again, then I would stop. That sounds selfish, but I hate feeling this way and cannot live this way. I'd be a much better mother if I were feeling "normal" yet did not bf.

Has anyone had experience with this?

[mom0810]

You could also feel like a better mom if you were on meds, I answered your other post. And then you would not need to wean. It could be really great!

[heidirk]

bf'ing can tip off anxiety if you have a sensory disorder, or a history of abuse, or already have anxiety issues.

when I had ppd with my first babe, noone could touch me while I was nursing. DH does not know how many times he narrowly escaped death b/c he brushed by me, or laid a hand on my shoulder, or kissed me without warning me first.

and no, that's not an exxageration. I wish I had known what was going on, and gotten treated.

I also have sensory defensive disorder.

[goodygumdrops]

I am sorry your are going through this mama. I responded to your other post. I really dont think the symptoms you are having are from breastfeeding, they are most likely ppd. I responded to your other post.

[Smithie]

I didn't quit bfing with my first child and I'm glad I didn't, but yes, I do think that the significant discomfort and hormonal shifts and relentlessly disturbed sleep associated with establishing lactation made my PP recovery a lot harder. Chalk it up on the long list of things about mothering that are not fair.

[kalisis]

The actual act of breastfeeding releases calming hormones, so in theory, no, bfing should not cause anxiety. As a PP listed, however, there could be some concrete reasons why it does cause you anxiety.

I do not think that stopping nursing will help. In fact, I daresay it might make things worse.

There is a time and place for meds. I put them off for the longest time and although it was the right decision, when I finally did go on them, I was such a better person/mama/wife/etc. It really, really helped.

[principii]

Originally Posted by heidirk

bf'ing can tip off anxiety if you have a sensory disorder, or a history of abuse, or already have anxiety issues.

when I had ppd with my first babe, noone could touch me while I was nursing. DH does not know how many times he narrowly escaped death b/c he brushed by me, or laid a hand on my shoulder, or kissed me without warning me first.

and no, that's not an exxageration. I wish I had known what was going on, and gotten treated.

I also have sensory defensive disorder.

I could have written this post.... wow.

Please do try to get help before you quit! I quit... and regret it.

[lolar2]

There is a hormonal condition, dysphoric milk ejection reflex, where you can feel horribly depressed for a few minutes during letdown and fine the rest of the time. I think I had that. I suppose it's possible that, if you have that, you could then develop anxiety about breastfeeding because you anticipate the dysphoria. If you do think you have d-mer, you can try reading or watching tv or websurfing while you nurse.

[seeing_stars]

Check out d-mer.org . I had it badly and did end up quitting (at 15 months) because of it, I literally could not take it anymore. I am 36 weeks pregnant now and absolutely scared to death that I will experience it again.

[bananababies]

Yep - research D-MER.

[fallriverfox]

Originally Posted by kalisis

The actual act of breastfeeding releases calming hormones, so in theory, no, bfing should not cause anxiety.

For some women this isn't true. I'll echo the advice to look into D-mer. And add this, for me, it got a LOT better after about 6 weeks. 4 months in, I still have a bad episode every day or two, but it's much much better now and I think that's pretty common.

[hempmama]

Yes, BFing can cause anxiety, and no, not just if you have previous issues.It can all by itself(though it's not common). Everyone responds to the hormonal cocktail differently. I do not respond to it by being calmed, at all(calming is kind of abstract- I would say my systems are depressed by the cocktail, and for many people that is calming. For me, it is anxiety provoking.).

But. BUT! Consider drugs. You may decide it's not a good enough choice, and weaning would be better, but it's at least worth looking into.

[MountainMamaGC]

Originally Posted by seeing_stars

Check out d-mer.org . I had it badly and did end up quitting (at 15 months) because of it, I literally could not take it anymore. I am 36 weeks pregnant now and absolutely scared to death that I will experience it again.

Yes look into D-MER. On the website they have possible solutions to lessen the problem. If it is D-MER, SSRI's are not likely going to help you as it is a dopamine issue and has nothing to do with serotonin.

[rzberrymom]

I posted on here about anxiety 2+ years ago, and I wish I'd gone to a doctor right away back then. My progesterone plummeted after my DD's birth and with all the breastfeeding, and the low progesterone was causing me tremendous anxiety. I lived with it for so long before actually getting help--my doctor figured out right away what the problem was, and I was so mad at myself for not going sooner.

It's hard to know what could be causing it for you, but I would definitely seek help.

[In Exile]

Yes, that can happen. In 14 months I only twice experienced anything remotely "calming" about Breastfeeding.

I breastfed for hours straight with a 24 hour baby and boy, that hormone mix can be quite something.

We had several breastfeeding issues, never came easy after the second nursing strike and pumping again and again we did not nurse anymore.

One week after this unplanned stop of nursing I started feeling WONDERFUL, and FINALLY that feeling of PPD went away. I acutally felt depressed and never realized until I was not nursing anymore. I am glad I nursed the 14 months we did but I could feel how something changed- for the better.

I wished I had checked my hormone status in that time, something was off.

[koalove]

YES! i seriously had major anxiety evry time i nursed ds. he would scratch my chest, or try to pinch my nipples, dig his toes ito my belly etc. and none of it seemed cute or relaxing. when he was 12 months old i finally decided it was time to wean because i was resentful about the whole thing. if you are really really feeling this way, perhaps you can bottle feed with pumped milk? i fully plan to do that this time around. it made it very hard to bond with ds when 20 times a day i could think of nothing but how great it will be when he is not touching me anymore. it was hard, i feel or you mama. if its not working out for you, its not good for babe either. maybe you could also pump and give a bottle for say, half the feedings, and see if that helps. good luck!

[NaturalMindedMomma]

Originally Posted by ilovebabies

Obviously I do not want to stop bfing. But, if stopping bfing would make me level out and feel normal again, then I would stop. That sounds selfish, but I hate feeling this way and cannot live this way. I'd be a much better mother if I were feeling "normal" yet did not bf.

Has anyone had experience with this?

It made me anxious. I stopped and it didn't really help my PPD. I think the issue is just one more thing to compound already feeling icky. Like you have to perform to make the child live. It can be tough. ((HUGS))

[NaturalMindedMomma]

Originally Posted by koalove

YES! i seriously had major anxiety evry time i nursed ds. he would scratch my chest, or try to pinch my nipples, dig his toes ito my belly etc. and none of it seemed cute or relaxing. when he was 12 months old i finally decided it was time to wean because i was resentful about the whole thing. if you are really really feeling this way, perhaps you can bottle feed with pumped milk? i fully plan to do that this time around. it made it very hard to bond with ds when 20 times a day i could think of nothing but how great it will be when he is not touching me anymore. it was hard, i feel or you mama. if its not working out for you, its not good for babe either. maybe you could also pump and give a bottle for say, half the feedings, and see if that helps. good luck!

Be careful, I relied on this and it was not any better. Your supply diminishes quicker usually. Baby jaws are stronger than a pump. I was having to pump every hour and through the night, the stress of carrying that stupid pump EVERYWHERE was so ridiculous. Just another angle to look at it from.

[dot1]

I too am curious about this. I found that when dd started eating more solids and my cycle returned at 9-10 months, I felt more level for longer periods (instead having increased anxiety just before period - PMS). After nursing for just over 2 years, nightweaning and reducing nursing to 3-4x/day, periods are lighter, anxiety is less, sleep is better. Not perfect but much better. And I often wonder if a total weaning would make me feel totally myself again?

However, I do get a relaxing feeling when the milk starts flowing and it feels great to connect with my sweet dd. So it seems that in the moment, I feel good when nursing....but the less often we nurse, the better I feel

[mamajax]

I'm so glad I found this thread. I have never heard of D MER but I am sure this is what I had with my ds. Waves of depression came over me each time he started to feed, it was awful. I never felt that blissful calm and contentment many women describe.

With my dd it was better and I bf her for longer but when she finally stopped after 2 years it was such a blessed relief to me and I really did feel alot better mentally very quickly.

I fully intend to bf this time around too, but am anxious about how it's going to affect me. Thanks for all the info.