Brief, intense feeling of depression when BF? - Page 2

[sunnysideup]

Originally Posted by mamatoady

laurel, what's the mini pill?

a low dose birth control pill.

[Stone Fence]

I had anxiety

It probably stopped around 6 months. DH was ready to take me to the hospital though! It was brief, but, kinda scary. I thought Oxytocin was supposed to make you feel good?

[mimismith]

Yet again, I am so grateful for MDC!
I thought it might just be my imagination.
I get nauseous every time I bf, and I don't get those "glass of wine", feel good warm and fuzzies I was promised!

Brooklyn Lisa, I have had depression in the past too. I wonder...

[lauralwreath]

mini pill

The mini pill is not just a low dose birth control, it is estrogen free, so it will not interfere w/ milk supply.
It is interesting to me that so many of us thought we were alone w/ this. Why do health care pros not know about it when asked? Just a rhetorical question really..

[tsfairy]

Wow I had never heard of this before, but I get it too. Or something similar I guess. Since DS was maybe 4-6 weeks old, I'd get what I'd describe as a feeling of "dis-ease" like I was just edgy and uncomfortable in my skin and wanted to get away. AF returned around 6 months, and the feeling has definitely diminished, but every once in a while it returns. I never associated it with let-down, though.

Originally Posted by Momtwice

I wonder if it has some connection to long ago baby memories like being left to cry, missing nursing, not having been nursed at all, or just missing being a baby.

Interesting thoughts. I was nursed for almost 3 years, but I don't remember it at all and I think I was weaned, rather than self-weaning, so maybe the feeling is leftover sadness from missing nursing.

[Sarah]

This is a very interesting thread. Now that you mention it- I also have an emotional feeling often when nursing, I think it is probably meloncholy... I think a sad thought about how short a baby is a baby, that it's my last baby- about growing old, about not making the most of the time I have... there are some very wonderful things that sometimes stir up a sense of loss in me- the sound of the goldfinches in the late summer do that to me- I feel like I am dying, that it's all over- they signal an end for me- and it's bizarre morbidity- because they are joyful beautiful little yellow birds.

Anyway- sometimes once you can identify an emotion- you can direct it. For example I have done that with the toilet paper roll- a friend gave me a lecture before marriage that I shoiuld embrace my job as the sole changer of the Tp and it would spare me a ton of marital strife- boy was that some good advice. If I expected anyone else to mamage that job- I'd be raving- but instead it's all mine and I enjoy the three seconds it takes me to do my job thinking about how much annoyance I can save myself by keeping a cheerful attitude.

Maybe we can all, now that we have identified "something" work to direct the energy of that emotion to a positive place- to habituate our mind's emotional reaction to respond with joy to that hormone release rather than sadness. Maybe get a beautiful picture to focus on, or a soft texture to touch, an aroma therapy scented oil to dab on your wrist, a poem or bible verse... a lullaby. Let's try to make an effort to conciously do something emotionally uplifting!

This little book may have some nice little "chicken soup" meditations for when you are nursing.
http://www.maternityandnursing.com/c...roducts_id=185

[ahdoula]

I've made some real groundbreaking discoveries with this concerning myself that may help others. I can type it up and share if anyone is still interested!

[hempmama]

Yes! Me too! Only not only to I get an intense rush of depression while nursing, the entire time I am breastfeeding I am low level depressed. I felt like the biggest freak, and I couldn't be right(because BFing is supposed to make EVERYBODY happy, right? Wrong.), but then when my son weaned the whole world brightened up considerably and I had more energy, within days. Personally I think I have sort of a backwards feedback loop or something with some reproductive hormone- I get hyperemesis gravidarum (extreme morning sickness) with pregnancy, and had trouble conceiving due to a progesterone defect. I'm not otherwise prone to depression and was nursed as a baby.

[dumplingrrl]

Very interesting! I've had the same sort of feeling, hollow empty feeling in the pit of my stomache, wistful home sicky-feeling that turns in to huge thirst. But it happens during nipple play when I had sex and not BF. Strange but it's the exact same feeling. Like a cloud passing over the sun.

[prancie]

Weird. Ever since I was a girl I didn't like touching my own nipples because I would get this really hollow feeling...like nothing really matters after all. Ugh. After I got married and was having sex I was able to enjoy nipple stimulation, but only after going off the pill. I don't notice the feeling so much anymore, but it's not like I get a huge rush of good feelings when nursing either. It's a very subtle, cosy feeling (except when he's trying to rip my nipples off!). And the thirst is unbelievable. I laugh with my sister about how you suddenly feel like you are in a desert...dying of thirst. I could drink a gallon of water, sit down to nurse, and I would still ask for more water.

[becoming]

Originally Posted by brooklyn lisa

btw---

"hollow, empty feeling in my stomach"

that's EXACTLY how I experience it!

Me, too. Coupled with some nausea. In fact, if I even so much as think about food during the first couple of minutes of nursing, I get such a nauseous, YUCK feeling.

Just read the homesick comment a PP made, and that is EXACTLY what it feels like.

[MonkeysRUs]

I have a seizure disorder, and for the first 6 months of nursing my dd, I felt like I was about to have a seizure every time my milk let down. I never did, but the feeling used to really worry me until I figured out it was related to my milk letting down. The link below from kellymom has some info on why these sorts of feelings happen during let down:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nausea-bf.html

[Frenchie2]

I am so glad I found this. I have that total homesick feeling and I start wondering if this is the life that I want - bizarre because I dont think that any other time. I even started to wonder if there was some sexual abuse in my past that was too deep to remember, but I couldnt even fathom how that could be the case. I am so happy and relieved to see that there are lots of women that this happens to.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

I had it too! Just with the first two kids, for a few months. I hated it. It's weird. But normal, so that's comforting.

[ahdoula]

I wanted to let anyone know who was still following this that as I worked as typing up my personal experience thus far I started doing some research. And as a CLC I was able to hook up with a major breastfeeding guru who took a BIG interest in the problem and got two other big *published* breastfeeding guru's on board. Their interest seems so strong, not because it was just me, but because of the threads here, where SO many mothers stepped forward admitting their feelings. They realize it is very possibly a wide spread problem that has yet to be addressed with breastfeeding mothers. We have been emailing a lot this week and getting some blood tests done and talking to some other med professionals, including a endocrinologist who specializes in hormones. I am not sure how far it will all go, or were it will lead, but if you would like to be "in the know" as thing developed, please PM me, as it will all be too lengthy to continue posting. And any other moms who still or in the past, struggled with the problem, I would love to have your contact information. If we come to any conclusions as to the cause we may want to "interview" other mothers who have experienced it in order to make any research more credible to the lactation community.

here is a link to my blog. Some mothers from the threads pertaining to this problem have been quoted (without names.) If you wish your quote to be added or removed, please lmk.

http://emotionalletdown.blogspot.com/

[ahdoula]

Bump for new mamas! Take a look at this new thread!