What symptoms did you get after weaning from breastfeeding (over two years)

[Inthedarkagain]

I've weaned my son (very gradually) but have been either pregnant or breastfeeding for eight years! I'm starting to have some strange symptoms - bloating and crampy, dizziness, feeling knackered and a bit flat in mood, plus i keep feeling suddenly panicky, but not quite having a panic attack. I didn't expect this as I have decreased feeds very slowly and they were pretty sporadic towards the end. I'm still making a little milk, but not feeding. Normally spring is a great time for me, but I just feel like a lazy, bloated slug.

I was also hoping to lose weight as I seem to have retained around my tummy after my second child and in my upper arms. I've heard prolactin can do this, but I feel ridiculously huge from the bloating, so worried about my weight now. Before kids I struggled to gain weight but after kids this switch definitely flipped, but I put this down to breastfeeding. My period returned pretty quickly after having kids despite the bf, so it's not that.

Anyone else had these symptoms? There is so little help with weaning off the breastfeeding. In hindsight I feel breastfeeding was a huge mistake for me personally, but once I started I had kids who were very reluctant to wean, so was stuck with it.

My thyroid packed up and I felt as if my body was falling to pieces. Sorry, not terribly helpful.

Here feeding my three year old so no advice

BUT

Are you SURE you’re not pregnant??

I had my first and only panic attack (very extreme - I really thought it was a heart attack and got rushed to hospital) just after weaning and I've heard the same from someone else so I've often wondered if it was linked. Also knackered around then but put it down to six years of disturbed sleep!

Definitely not pregnant. Unfortunately it's like Miss Havisham's dining room down there. Very cobwebby 😀Kids are a great contraceptive.

I was really hoping to lose some weight too. Assumed I couldn't lose because of hormones, but I'm so bloated. I feel like a blimp.

The panicky feeling is the worst. I hate meetings as it is and am not a confident public speaker and I'm really conscious of it now and am worried I will get it over the next few weeks. I'm not sure how to manage it.

I felt awful when I stopped breastfeeding - doctor said it was hormones. I felt tired, dizzy, had these episodes of hot flushing, suddenly feeling faint and sick - it was all really weird. I think I didn't wean gradually enough as mine was still constantly feeding to sleep in the night. You have my sympathies!

I weaned at 21m (hope this is still helpful, there’s so little info on weaning after extended breastfeeding!). I felt tired and very very weepy and depressed for a week, maybe two, but no more. I lost a dress size over the following three months, back to close to my pre pregnancy size - I think my body had been holding onto a bit extra the whole time I was breastfeeding, especially hips.

I was taken aback by how rubbish I felt, but it was relatively short lived. Not saying this to brag, but more so you have another data point if your symptoms persist longer and you’re wondering about seeking medical advice. Many sympathies!

Thanks for your responses, they are very helpful. The panicky feeling went for the while but it has come back today! I'm probably at the bad end of my monthly cycle though. I did start losing some weight but it's creeping back now, but its only a kilo or so. Most disheartening. I'm still lactating though! It's not a lot, but it's taking ages to stop. I have constant loose BM's too. It's weird how it affects you.

Can I just ask anyone where you think you kept the weight on if you retained while bf. I have found it piled on my stomach after I was feeding about 15 or so months. It looks like melted cheese! My upper arms are big too. I'm not overweight, but borderline but I also lift weights, so I am quite muscular too. I was hoping to drop some of this after weaning, but it seems it is probably some early peri symptoms instead.