post-weaning depression

[blondieblonde]

I have been gradually weaning our baby, who is almost two, and am suddenly feeling a great wave of depression and bad pmt-like symptoms. Has anyone else had this? AIBU to attribute it to weaning? Does it mean I am weaning too quickly, etc?
Any advice appreciated- in a total mess.

It's probably just your hormones adjusting to no longing producing milk. Feels shit though!

I felt the same way after weaning dd2. I put it down to hormones and it passed after a week or so, hope it does for you too.

I have this, I have been trying to find if any research on it but obviously there isn't any.

Have you had a period yet? I found that once I got back on track with that I was ok.

Sorry that was brief.
I am bf my nearly two year old. But I have bf continuously for four years as I bf my older dd before that with no break. I'm not sure if that makes it worse, but whenever I miss a couple of feeds I get really bad and sudden anxiety. A feeling of doom, totally out of nowhere. It is really obvious as it comes on suddenly and knocks me out.

I'm convinced it is the reduction in feeds. Out of interest I looked it all up and think perhaps it's the reduction on oxytocin but I'm not an expert. However oxytocin has a powerful effect. It's given in synthetic form for withdrawal from narcotics. So maybe something to do with that? I'd love to know if anyone knows what is going on and I do wonder if postnatal depression and anxiety is to do with weaning from breastfeeding.

I also got sickness and diarrhoea when I was working and had entire days off feeds when dd was younger. Kept getting it then noticed a pattern where it was the evening and day after a long day at work where no pumping facilities. Also accompanied by the anxiety / sense of doom thing.

That's so interesting, thanks for sharing. Particularly lovemylot1 your idea about PND being caused by weaning. Do you think, then, that because I am having a bad time of it (and so is the little one, she doesn't want to wean really), that I am doing it too early? Do you know if people who bf until baby self weans still get the blues?