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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Hormone changes after giving up breast feeding - what to expect?

34 replies

AnnaK · 07/11/2004 07:36

Ds is now 8 months and I have just got him onto formula and my milk is gradually drying up. I know there are changes in hormones at this time, what can I expect as everything settles down. I have heard horror stories about violent mood swings among other things and I would just like to be aware of what might happen.

OP posts:

jane313 · 07/11/2004 07:38

I did it very slowly dropping a feed a week. I had no mood swings at all (well no more than usual!)

Tommy · 07/11/2004 08:35

I cut down gradually too and didn't experience any mood changes particularly. Two things though - my periods came back with a vengeance and I've lost just over a stone in about 10 weeks

Twiglett · 07/11/2004 08:38

you lost weight after stopping bf .. how did that happen? did you diet? did you excercise?

(can you tell I'm a big fat bf heifer )

Tommy · 07/11/2004 21:47

I don't know! I lost half a pound without even trying when DS2 went onto solids and these last 10 week or so since giving up bfeeding completely, I've been doing weightwatchers (on my own - can't afford to pay for someone else to weigh me!)and it just seems to be coming off! I suppose I'm being very strict and not eating crap but I'm really surprised I'm doing as well as I am! But, I tried when I was feeding and couldn't lose any so I'm sure it is hormonal

ladymuck · 07/11/2004 22:13

Have to say that I got quite low each time. First time round I had other stuff on as well and ended up with GP prescribing me ad's. Thankfully one of my friends mentioned this effect to me and so I didn't start on the ad's and was fine within a month.

Within my antenatal group I think that half of us encountered this blue phase. (scientific survey of 6 mothers!)

tillykins · 07/11/2004 22:17

I stopped breastfeeding quite gradually and didn't get any violent mood swings but I did have a few good cries which came out of nowhere but as soon as I stopped crying, I stopped feeling bad if that makes sense. But I did that when I was pregnant too (poor husband, he still hasn't recovered )
Good luck

mummylove · 07/11/2004 22:24

Hello

I read about this hormonal moodswings etc before giving up. I cut down gradually over six weeks and the last feed i gave her i didnt knowit was the last feed which really upset me as i would of enjoyed it more, it just so happended the next day that we gave her a bottle of formula and carried on, that evening i was tempted to do one more feed but my breasts felt empty and i thought i bedt carry on with the formula - itwas at that point i realised i had finished bfing and was very upset, i felt silly anf kept it to myself. month or so later i looked back are realised i had been really down so it did effect me. also i did not realise that after you finish your breast feeding, (i bf for 8 months)that your breasts look gross. i was so upset and shocked and could not beleive how cruel nature was to do this to me. i wa revolted by them and quickly got on mumsnet for advice, i was delighted to hear from mums that my breasts would reshape in time. i am happy to say that after a few months they are back to their ownselves but softer than before - well... you cant have it all. at least they look normal now. so be prepared for them looking bad for awhile but rest assured they will osrt themselves out over a few months

pixiefish · 07/11/2004 22:33

am quite intrigued about the weightloss thing... will i lose weight then??? not going to stop just to lose weight but it is something to console myself with... ah well i'll lose the extra tonne when i stop bfing

janeybops · 07/11/2004 22:38

I like the sound of losing weight! BF both of mine and currently thinking of stopping DS now he is 12 months...
The trouble was with DD the midwife told me to eat cake at 4pm to help make my evening/night milk.... Well when a health professional gives you that sort of advice what are you to do!? So followed with my second too...

Hadn't thought of mood swings - might give me a reason to put it off for another week or so.

pixiefish · 07/11/2004 22:40

My mw told me to eat chocolate when i was feeing her in the night... wah- I went through about 4 chocolate bars a day- no wonder i put on so much weight. have put on more post pg than i did when pg

Ghosty · 07/11/2004 22:44

I am gradually knocking the b/fing out too (DD is 9 months) and so far have had no hormonal effects ... although I am stressed because we are moving house.
We are down to a comfort feed at bedtime now (it has been 3 weeks since DD had 3 feeds a day). My periods came back as soon as I went down to 3 feeds a day (at 6 months)
I am losing weight too ... I have noticed a marked reduction in my appetite in the last couple of weeks. When still doing 3 feeds a day I was ravenous in the morning, needed a snack at 10am, ravenous by lunchtime, desperate for a snack at 3pm and starving by dinner (even though I picked at DS' food).
In the last couple of weeks I am finding that it is 10am and I had forgotten to have breakfast, and am not that hungry at lunchtime ... and don't feel the need for snacks ...
So that is the reason I am losing weight I think.

Tommy · 07/11/2004 22:49

Pixie - my SIL's midwife told her to eat lots of cake when she was breastfeeding - breast fed for 3 weeks but sadly admits that the cake eating carried on

mummylove · 07/11/2004 22:50

hello

dont worry about your weight yet!!! your baby is 8 months old, remember it took nearly 10 months to make your baby so you need to be easy on yourself. it generally takes a year for yur body to recover, you have done really well to breastfeed this long so your body should recover well. i noticed a big drop in my appetite and thirst wheni gave up, by the time my dd turned one i was back to my pre pregnancy weight without dieting, i just ate healthy when pregnant and bfeeding. if you eat healthy now and exercise when you can it should come off byitself. give yourself a year before you start some serious action.

relax, it sounds like you deserve a girls night out and a large one... spirit that is, we dont want to back here too soon

poppyseed · 07/11/2004 22:53

I fed both of ours until 16 and 14 months. I didn't get any mood swings at all - well no more than usual , and I didn't lose weight . I did however lose masses of hair - not in a balding way, just in a block the plug kind of way. It's the extra hair that you didn't lose during pregnancy apparently - it did make me worry!!

pixiefish · 07/11/2004 22:53

thanks mummylove- I'm sort of a bit worried about my weight IYKWIM. BUT dd comes first so I'm not worried enough to do anything serious about it. Am waiting to go and get ingrowing toenail done (see seperate thread) so once that's done I shall start walking longer distances- have suffered that for months so haven't been able to walk far.
need to stop the hobnobs as well- another thread on here

mummylove · 07/11/2004 22:58

if any of you are experiencing trouble losing weight than i wonder if you own a car?

i dont have a car and all my mum friends who walk everywhere are back to their pre preg shape, a few of them inc me are slimmer than before... so ditch your car and walk everywhere, think of all those extra calories you burn whilst your fingers are burning carrying the shopping with one hand as there is no more room on the pram handles for more bags.... ouch!

Tommy · 07/11/2004 22:59

Pixie - you're right - baby's needs come first. I'm only losing the weight because we want to try for another baby and I don't want to put a load more on on top of what was left from last time (and the time before )

pixiefish · 07/11/2004 23:01

mummylove- will walk more when I'm able to - am waiting for removal of ingrowing toenail and can hardly walk to the front door at the moment.

mummylove · 07/11/2004 23:03

sorry - i forgot to say excl. you - saw that in message below, that must be so painful. have you had it long? it must of been toug for you walking at all.

pixiefish · 07/11/2004 23:03

Tommy- the thing that annoys me is that I only had a baby belly when pg- from the back i didn't look pg. came out of hospital after a week and was nearly back in old jeans- only the floppy belly left- THEN i started eating and eating and eating... and the rest is history...

pixiefish · 07/11/2004 23:05

mummylove- have had it for months and the hospital have refused to do anything cos i was bfing here's the saga anyway following advice from here and gp i have insisted on getting it done as i am very nearly crippled with it

Tommy · 07/11/2004 23:06

It's a bugger isn't it? Wish I could offer some advice but I was always starving while feeding - and there's only so many bowls of cereal and apples you can eat when your body is crying out for cake! Good luck

mummylove · 07/11/2004 23:08

hi i remember at 8 months, i was still not wearing my old jeans, i lost the weight very slowly over the course of a year and continued to lose weight until she was about 15 months and then it stopped.

the slower you lose weight the better.

as soon as your toe has healed, start eating healthy, cut out sugary biscuits and cakes etc. eat wholemeal bread and pasts to a minimum and walk and i guarantee you will notice a difference. take care x

pixiefish · 07/11/2004 23:08

the hunger's nowhere near as bad now- it settled when dd was about 3 or 4 months i spose- it's me and biscuits now

TracyK · 12/11/2004 21:17

I read somewhere that when you are bf - your body 'holds' onto half a stone or so - just in case there's an emergency and you have to carry on bf. Its natures way of preserving the milk supply.
Good excuse I think - although I've got 2 stone extra not just a half!

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