DS is now nearly 1 year old and I am giving up breastfeeding, since I have stopped I feel terrible, hormonal, stressed, horrible. Is this normal

[AnguaVonUberwald]

Did anyone else get all sorts of PMTish/hormonal feelings when they finally gave up breastfeeding?

Its really intense.

I also know, if this is the normal result of giving up breastfeeding, thankgod I didn't have to go through this when DS was born, I would definatly have thought I had severe baby blues - at least!

I have tried googling it, but everything is about people stopping much earlier - and how to carry on.

I am very pleased with the fact that i have managed to breastfeed, this is the right time to stop, but I am so hormonal its horrible. Please tell me this doesn't go on for too long!

Hi,I felt exactly the same way each time, but looking back it was the right thing to do. It's just your hormones settling down. I have had 4 babies so I have plenty of experience regarding hormones.
You will be fine in a few weeks...honest!!!

I cried for a fortnight. I used to get DS up in the middle of the night for a secret fix.

Now I don't know what all the fuss was about.

I had a hormonal few days both times. It's only to be expected really. It'll be fine, and it's normal.

Thankyou very much ladies, its really reassuring to hear that it is normal and does end, though the thought of a few weeks like this is really scary!

Many thanks for your replies!

I'm probably over-exaggerating to be honest when I say a fortnight. It did seem to go on forever and I'm not lying when I talk about the secret fix - that's honestly what it felt like, an addiction! It's absolutely normal though, and in a week or so you will wonder what the fuss was about.

In the meantime...

yes i think it messes you up for a bit
take care of yourself

Thankyou ladies, its still going on, though not quite as bad as before, DH is being lovely and supportive which helps. I really do feel like having a "secret fix" sometimes, but I am calculating that it will only prolong the stress, so might as well go cold turkey!

Its really like bad PMT! Why aren't there warnings about these things?

Oh I had this when I stopped feeding dd2 a year ago. It took ages to get over (sorry!) but I had a contraceptive implant at the time which I believe exacerbated the problem as I didn't get it when I stopped feeding dd1.

I felt exactly the same and non of my family understood at all, the only thing I can say is it does pass in a few weeks. Big big hug

i didn't even breastfeed, only express, and I still had the same horrible hormone thingy. I

also wondered that with everything I had read, there was nothing on this.

Hi Angua - I was just coming on to post exactly the same! I am down to one bf a day and will stop that in the next week or so and I was a complete emotional wreck yesterday which was definitely hormonal. I did have it a little bit when he dropped several feeds quite quickly when he was established on solids, but I feel worse this time. Like you say, if this had happened when he was newborn, I would definitely have thought I had PND!

Yes I felt exactly the same. It was far more upsetting to me to stop, then to dd2, who really wans't bothered. Also loads of my hair fell out, but nobody noticed except me, and it grew back fairly quickly.

When done for getting this far bfing.

Belago, thankyou, I am really proud of how well I did with breastfeeding, but it was definatly the right time for me to give up! DS also doesn't seem very bothered, though he has occasionally been pulling at my top and trying to suck my neck!

HolidaysQueen, its truly horrible isn't it. There should be information on it somwhere, I tried googling it but all I got was sites aimed at stopping people giving up breastfeeding earlier!

I was just reading up on weaning my 12 month old completely. Not looking forward to the hormones!

Ask Moxie talks about this in the 4th para from the bottom. I really like this site for all sorts of parenting info.