Post breast feeding blues?

[houmousandcarrotsandwich]

I breast fed 10 month old DS up until very recently. For various reason I decided it was time to stop & although I will miss a cuddle & feed, I feel the time is right (10 months is pretty good going right?). I weaned him off over about 2 weeks & had no engorgement at all.

However for the last week or so, I feel so down. I'm making stupid mistakes, I'm anxious, I'm tired but can't sleep through (despite DS doing so - very annoying!), basically feeling not on the planet.
I don't feel sad about stopping breastfeeding, but about most other things in my life & irrationally so (earlier I was upset about my cat who died several months ago, questioning my role in the event)

I love my DS so much & I'm scared of talking about it in real life. I worry that HV or Doc would report me to social services. And others would judge me as a mother. I've been a relaxed, happy mum so far (bar coming on here in need of odd breastfeeding advice of course!).
I have been depressed in the past but I felt different then. Then I felt like I wanted to be locked away & sleep so things couldn't hurt me. But I don't have these feelings at all now.
I go to lots of baby activities, which me & DS enjoy (although recently I have found them more stressful chasing around a very mobile 10 month old).

So, is this related to stopping breast feeding? Some kind of hormonal thing?

I would really appreciate any input on the matter.

Sorry for the long post x

oh bless you - i'm sure it will pass. i would say that 2 weeks was quite quick to stop (for you, i'm sure it was fine for baby)and that it is very probably hormonal - i bf for a year, and by the end it was only once a day so it was a very gradual thing, (and in any case by then i was pregnant again so the happy hormones were buzzing around).
sometimes when i feel hormonal i have flashbacks to earlier events in my life and feelings of paranoia, and a strange lingering sense of deja vu.
but well done for bf'ing for 10 months, you're right, that's brilliant.
hope things start to feel a bit more normal soon.

Thanks stinkypants. I was hoping someone would agree that probably hormonal. At least I slept pretty well last night, but still feel abit 'off the planet'

I should have said that DS was only have 1-2 bf's a day when I started winding up (as needed to get him on to beaker in the day for my return to work)

If it helps at all, my MIL told me she wept when she finished bfing so I think it must be very normal. It's the end of a big phase in your life after all!

Don't be afraid to get RL help if you need it - no one is going to question your mothering skills, 10 months is a brilliant acheivement and even if you had stopped much sooner or not BF at all, the Doc or HV won't judge. And there's absolutely nothing to report to social services! Your DS is happy and well, you're just feeling a bit down, that's all. But could you start by talking to DP, your mum, or a friend?

The lack of oxytocin is going to mess with your sleep for one.

Definitely talk about it IRL - you've done brilliantly, no one will question your mothering skills!