How does child's weaning affect mom?

[MamaAsheri]

Hi!

I have an 18-month old DS who I just started night-weaning. For the last couple of days I've felt very irritable and emotional. Could that have something to do with dropping a feeding or is it totally coincidental?

Also, I still haven't gotten my first PPAF. How long after dropping a feed (or weaning completely if someone chose to do that) should I expect AF to come back?

Thanks a lot!

Mama Asheri

[Diyan]

Night weaning won't necessarily cause your cycles to return, but if af is about to start those hormones could be the cause of your moodiness.

[juliebird]

I don't have any research to share with you but my understanding is yes, weaning can be the source of increased irritability, moodiness, etc.
the more abrupt the weaning is, the more likely you'll notice effects.

hope that helps!

[lurve]

my toddler is 32 months and still nursing night and day. i didn't get AF back until 28 months after she was born. it was then VERY easy for me to pregnant again...

[TeaLeaf]

I hadn't dropped a feeding at all and AF came back for me around 8 month PP! I wish mine would have been out of commission for 20+ month. With that said, AF coming back may have nothing to do with BFing either.

[3girls1boy]

I have heard from moms who were trying to get pregnant while nursing a toddler that it was the weaning at night that was instrumental in bringing back their period if they hadn't had one yet, so I would guess that might be what's going on.

[Meiri]

With DS, lo these many many years ago, AF returned a month to the day after he had his first bite of rice cereal--mixed with my milk and with no meaningful reduction in nursing.

With DD, AF took it's sweet time, and I don't recall what might've changed that it finally came around. DD had been sampling bits of table and other food for a couple of months or so.

[dziwozony]

i know a few mums who easily got pregnancy very, very soon after they stopped breastfeeding their toddlers. this doesn't always mean having a period first!

[honey-lilac]

I got my period back 2 weeks PP with DS, and about 6 months with DD.

DD just weaned and I'm a huge mess of hormonal misery right now.

[zinemama]

Oh, man. I was also super irritable and emotional. It took me a really long time to adjust. Something very precious had been lost forever.

Naptime.

Yes, the day my child decided to stop nursing was the day he stopped napping, too (nursing was the only thing that got him to sleep in the daytime). Without that daily two-hour break to anticipate, mama was not happy.

[Mama2Rio]

about a week before my first af returned, dd dropped about 2 night nursings. then she picked up those nursings again a few months later. she's not night weaning like i thought she was, but i notice that right before i get my period, she will drop a nursing or 2 and then picks them right back up.

oh, and i was very easily upset right before af came back for the first time.