Is it possible for PND to be linked to breastfeeding in some women?

[ilovesummer]

I bf both dd and ds and am now expecting dc3 in April. I bf ds for 11 months and dd for 15 months with ds I had quite bad pnd and with dd had mild pnd, each time the pnd improved though the year but seemed to totally go in the month following the dc stopping bf. My question is, was this a coincidence or can there be a link between pnd and bf? Btw I really enjoy bf, but obviously hate the pnd. I am wondering what will happen this time around?

I think there is a proven link between pnd and lack of sleep, and arguably you may get less sleep when bf (I bf for 8 myself and am a strong supporter, before anyone flames me for doing it down!)

I didn't think there were any direct causal links (i.e hormonal) that I have heard of, but someone more knowledgable will be along I am sure.

I think that pnd is a mixture of factors. There are many women who have never breastfed or stopped breastfeeding for one reason or another very quickly after the birth and have severe postnatal depression. A lot of women who really want to breastfeed end up disappointed and depressed if things don't go to plan.

I think that tireness is a definate factor and breastfeeding does make you tired. However the guilt factor of bottlefeeding can also pnd.

For me postnatal depression ended when I returned to work.

Thank you for responses.
pnd is definitely a strange one. I just wish that it was straighforward cause and effect.

My sleep was not too interupted.

I guess I was wondering if i could be hormonal?

I suppose maybe it could be related to hormone changes, like how depression is common in teenagers. I have mild PND and am breastfeeding - but I couldn't give up, I think that would make me feel worse. I feel breastfeeding is one of the things I can be proud of and I find it comforting to curl up with my baby and feed him.

I can see why there could be a link though - especially for those women who perhaps did suffer depression during their teenage years? Hormone changes could be a factor for some people.

ilovesummer

i think i suffer from neuroses...whether these are b/f related i am unsure -BUT like you it goes when i stop..

It is mild but enough to 'mar' the first few months

I still continue to bf all my dcs but feel much happier when the b/f bit is over

Oh Leonie, life sounds hard, i do hope that things get better for you, amd soon.

Cherrychoc, that's how I felt too, I didn't want to give up as I felt I was giving my best and that I was doing it well!!

I guess i'm aware that this time round I will have 3dc and dh to be there for and i don't want to have pnd.....

RP - so i'm not alone!

Really interesting quote Leonie, perhaps it could have been worse had I not been bf??

I don't think bf itself causes pnd, but I do think like other posters have said, that for an inexperienced first time mum struggling with bf and lacking sleep and perhaps struggling because they feel out of control, it might predispose someone more to pnd than ff.
with dd1 I was a GF type routine rigid mother and it stopped my supply. I was gutted that I ended up stopping bf at 6wks when my target was 6mths and felt I had failed, cue pnd.
with dd2 no goal set, no routine for first 6mths except bedtime and naps. BF for 6mths and no PND. By the second time round I had researched bf so much and learned about feeding lying down/benefits of rooming in (which I refused to do after 3wks with dd1) and generally was more confident so no real sleep deprivation as I fed lying down and slept while she fed, just waking to put her back in her crib, so no pnd this time.

My bf had no PND while breast feeding but horrendous once she stopped which was hormonal.
I think birth trauma can also be a massive contributing factor against individual expectations iyswim.

ilovesummer

I have bf six children and am pretty sure that this is the pre cursor of my low mood...

I get a bit agoraphobic and generally paranoid - low level so 'folks' might not know

close friends say to me are you going to 'hibernate' after the birth etc ...kind of laugh it off but kind of sad that i spend this time feeling a lot less than happy

actually quite nice ilovesummer not to feel alone

i DO blame breastfeeding - too coincidental that it stops when i stop

bf= best friend!

dillydaydreamer - i have had six children and all sleepers

still suffer horrendously

Leonie so sorry for your circumstances, you have every reason to feel depressed and are certainly not neurotic x

Ria it is really a strange thing isn't it, so many factors in who gets it and why. Perhaps some depression is not actual pnd but more of a situational depression iyswim. For you it seems an inherent thing that happens to you after the birth, whereas with me I could say why I felt depressed- related to a EMCS under general when I planned a HB in a pool. Breastfeeding going wrong, social isolation etc.
Its just a shame that not all women get the treatment they need.

Leonie what you think and feel are totally normal, its about how much you allow those thoughts and feelings to intrude into your every day life. Every mother has unvoiced fears about something awful happening to their baby, you are not on your own

OMG leonieissleepy...

I actually said 'oh my god' out loud

I do also panic constantly about 'have i got enough milk'

the paranoia thing ruins a lot of things for me...