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Infant feeding

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Bottle feeding from birth, hormones and post-natal depression

9 replies

YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 02/06/2012 14:27

This is a bit of a random one, but I am hoping that if anyone will know it will be someone on here.

I was talking to a friend at toddler group the other day. She bottle fed both her children from birth (and was happy with that decision - what follows isn't linked to issues with breastfeeding at all). She also suffered horrible post natal depression both times.

She said to me she wondered whether there was a link. Her reasoning was basically that, as far as her body was concerned, her baby had died or been taken from her, so the hormones left her body unnaturally fast. She wonders if this 'crash' could be linked to the depression.

I had to admit I had no idea, but I suppose I can see the logic in her hypothesis. I wondered if anyone knew if any research had been done in this area?

[N.B I am not raising this to try to make anyone feel guilty about bottle feeding. As I said, my friend was very happy with her choice. Her point was really that, if it was a risk factor, people should be warned as she thinks she would have recognised the illness quicker if she had been].

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PeggyCarter · 02/06/2012 14:36

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YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 02/06/2012 14:37

If I'm honest, I'm hoping someone will come along and say 'oh, there was a study, no there's no correlation'. But it's interesting to know if anyone has actually looked into it.

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PeggyCarter · 02/06/2012 14:39

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YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 02/06/2012 14:42

Clearly my google skills are defective today. I didn't find that Confused. Interesting, so maybe there is something in it. I wonder if women who plan to bottle feed should be warned they are at higher risk so that they can be alert to the sign.

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PeggyCarter · 02/06/2012 14:42

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YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 02/06/2012 14:43

Oh, missed that it was only 50 mothers (sorry, v tired today. DD2 held an all night party in the cot). So more like 'worth looking into' then.

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EauRouge · 02/06/2012 14:46

Actually there was something in the news not so long ago that echoed exactly your friend's theory about a woman's body going into mourning here is the story.

Breastfeeding releases oxytocin aka 'the love hormone'.

This is another interesting article.

YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 02/06/2012 14:49

I think that is the same study Eau. How interesting. Not sure if my friend will be pleased to be backed up, or annoyed she didn't think of it first Grin.

The article about stress reducing hormones is interesting too. So it could even be a double whammy. Pregnancy/feeding hormones exiting fast and no stress reducing ones to help out.

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EauRouge · 02/06/2012 15:03

Ah, it took me longer to find it that Joyful Grin

I think the key is that BF could help to reduce PND if a woman is given the right support. As we see time and time again, women are being failed by the system and having an awful time which ends up contributing to PND rather than helping to prevent it or lessen it :(

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