stopping BF and feeling down

[babymutha]

anyone else experienced the post BF blues? How long do they last.

I gave up breast feeding at 10 months as I found out I am expecting again, and almost felt like a failure as my innitial plan was to feed for a year. I know this is rubbish though and am so proud of myself for doing it at all. As you should be.

I was very upset about missing the closeness I had with my daughter and the realisation that she is growing up and wont need me as much. Of course she still needs me just as much and we have just as close a bond as before.

I decided on a last feed, and cried the whole time and for the rest of the evening. It still upsets me a bit now if I am honest, but I think that is the denial that she will be 1 year old in a couple of weeks, so grown up!

Good luck, and just keep telling yourself you have to both move on from it sooner or later. Oh, and you get to go out and buy some lovely new underwear too.

it can be hormonal. you get a big hit of oxytocin each time you feed your baby, it's the hormone that triggers the milk to let down, and oxytocin makes you feel good too. It's sort of natures reward for each feed. there's also research to suggest that oxytocin gives a higher tolerance to mundane repetition, therefore you may be finding the day to day stuff just that bit more irritating and you're not getting a dose of happy hormones as much as you were when breastfeeding.

it will settle down, be gentle on yourself and know that this too shall pass

thanks fuzzy and chocolate. Wise words from you both. Nipped into m&s on saturday to survey sad breasts and clothe them in new bras. Ahh, the joys of motherhood. Am trying to be gentle on myself. hey ho.

and fuzzy - congratulations!