Overwhelming feeling of depression when I let down

[MrsGravy]

Has anyone else had this? Whenever I let down - even when I'm not feeding my 4mo, just missing a feed - I have this overwhelming feeling of absolute despair and depression. It's horrible but mercifully brief - gone within a couple of minutes. I'm not remotely depressed the rest of the time, quite the opposite.

I guess it's some hormonal thing? Is there anything I can do about it?

With my other 2 kids I had the complete opposite, overwhelming feelings of happiness - I used to laugh out loud like a lunatic when I let down with those 2!!

Hmmm ... it's definately going to be hormonal. Probably prolactin?

I've been digging a bit. It sounds like prolactin is involved in orgasm - do you get a similar feeling, after orgasm? (You don't have to answer! Just one to think about.)

I don't know what you could do about it - it sounds unpleasant, but I would be uncomfortable messing around with my hormone levels to avoid this, if you see what I mean.

Has it been this way throughout this breastfeeding? It's strange that it's changed from your previous two children. What has changed in your body/life in this time?

oohh, there is a condition where this happens. Someone was posting about it. let me see if i can find it!

www.d-mer.org/

found it! fascinating really though probably not for you op!

Hope it helps.

Almost certain to be a rare hormonal reaction to let down - before it was overwhelmingly euphoric, now it is overwhelmingly dysphoric. Hope you get some good info and help, MrsG.

Oooh, thanks for that link SPF, I hadn't read about that!

Best of luck, MrsG.

MrsGravy are you me? I also have a 4 month old baby and experience this (didn't experience this with my other 2 children). I was going to post a while back about this and then read a post from someone else experiencing this. I get an overwhelming feeling of sadness and then it passes. It's really strange as I'm happy the rest of the time and forget about it until it happens again when I'm feeding. It's actually not happening as often now DS is 4 months so hopefully it is something which does pass .

I have an overwhelming feeling of nausea when I feed my son and did with his older brother too - interestingly it did not happen with the first two - all very strange!

That's really interesting, SPF, I occasionally get it, but only ever when I have PMT. I knew it was hormonal, but didn't realise it could happen at other times.

That's an interesting link. I mostly have very happy feeling when I'm bfing, but I've occasionally had the opposite as well, very hollow feelings, exactly as described in the link..

I feel a surge of a particular kind of feeling when I start breastfeeding, it's hard to describe, and it goes away quickly. When feeding at night I feel a little afraid at first, and during the day I have some negative thoughts, though thankfully never about my baby! I remember this from feeding my first born too. Must be hormonal.

I got that with DS and now with DD. There's a name for it.It last only for a few moments, so it doesn't bother me very much, although the feeling is horrendous while it lasts.

yup, had it, it will pass.
it's meant to be rare but I don't believe it is because so many people on here have had it.
I think it just isn't talked about much.

Wow, thanks everyone - especially SPF!! I thought I was just a bit wierd, I didn't realise so many people had shared the same experience or that it was a proper condition with a name and everything.

I hadn't even told anyone in real life about this as it sounds so odd.

I might seek out some of the natural/herbal remidies suggested on that website and see if that eases it. It looks like it will pass on its own anyway.

Yes! I have a rush of anxiety for maybe 20 seconds before the milk lets down! I can't believe this is 'recognised'. I googled it once ages ago and couldn't find anything so its nice to see I'm not imagining it. Now I think about it, its much less now than it used to be. Unless I've stopped noticing it.

Thanks for the link. Really interesting.

In fact, the anxiety is often the first warning that I'm about to have a let down reflex. (When not feeding)