Breastfeeding Archives - Postpartum Progress

Jane Roper: On Getting Walloped By Depression After Weaning

By Katherine Stone May 12, 2013 Comments

Dear new mom,

First things first: Know that depression after weaning is a real thing.

I didn’t realize this. Many people don’t, although there is starting to be more information out there about it. All I knew about was regular postpartum depression, and I braced myself for it, because with a history of depression I knew I was at risk.

But to my relief, I didn’t have any episodes of depression in my twin daughters’ first year. I thought I was in the clear. Then, when I finished the gradual process of weaning my girls when they were thirteen months old, I got walloped.

All of my usual, loathsome depression symptoms set in: I was irritable, exhausted and unmotivated. I couldn’t concentrate. Not much of anything gave me pleasure. The world seemed bleak and dull. There were times when simply existing hurt.

The symptoms themselves were wretched. But the cruelest part for me was this: On top of being depressed, I felt incredibly sad about the very fact that I was depressed. [Read more...]

May 12, 2013 2:00 pm Filed Under: Breastfeeding, Mother's Day Rally for Mental Health, Postpartum Depression

Moms With Postpartum Depression Often Quit Breastfeeding

By Katherine Stone December 12, 2012 Comments

The MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health analyzes a recent study of 42,000 women in Norway and how their anxiety or depression affected their breastfeeding, as well as how quitting breastfeeding affected their depression or anxiety.

In the past there hasn’t been a lot of data on the connection between breastfeeding and postpartum depression, so this is a very large study looking at how these two things affect each other. This one finds that women with PPD are more likely to quit, but also that quitting may make the depression or anxiety worse. Visit MGH to learn more.

Here is a link to the actual study.

December 12, 2012 2:50 pm Filed Under: Breastfeeding

When Is It Okay Not To Breastfeed?

By Katherine Stone July 31, 2012 Comments

For some women with postpartum depression or anxiety — not all, thankfully, just some — breastfeeding doesn’t end up being the best choice. I quit, because I had to save my sanity.

Many others with PPD, of course, don’t quit. Postpartum depression and anxiety and quitting breastfeeding do not go hand in hand, nor should they. I’m grateful that we are doing more to make sure mothers understand that you absolutely CAN be treated for PPD or anxiety and continue to breastfeed. A breastfeeding mother should be supported 100% and not be made to or encouraged to quit for no reason.

I’m always keenly attuned to any policies that might hurt mothers who cannot breastfeed, and there are mothers who cannot breastfeed. Yesterday I waded into the breastfeeding/formula feeding debate, thanks to a new policy in New York City to promote breastfeeding that I believe goes one step too far. I was so pleased to find the discussion on Postpartum Progress’ Facebook page to be very intelligent and constructive for the most part. That’s one of the things I love about our group of Warrior Moms. We are 99.9% troll-free, probably because we’re populated by women who’ve been through enough in their lives (partially thanks to PPD) that they fully understand empathy and the idea that there are always two sides to any issue.

On my personal Facebook page, however, things didn’t go quite as smoothly. I was accused of being against breastfeeding. For example: [Read more...]

July 31, 2012 11:00 am Filed Under: Breastfeeding, Postpartum Depression

Postpartum Depression and Breastfeeding Challenges: The Connection

By Kate Kripke July 31, 2012 Comments

I have recently had a number of moms come to my practice because of sudden symptoms of postpartum depression or anxiety at the time of weaning from breastfeeding. Some of these moms have chosen to wean, some are weaning because of milk supply, illness, or pain that make it impossible to continue, and some are weaning because their babies are leading the way. All of these moms have been struggling with both breastfeeding and also mood challenges that began some time between birth and their early weaning attempts. And all have had questions about whether the breastfeeding and/or the weaning were making them feel worse.

This is not a new trend in my office. As I’m sure it won’t surprise you, many women who suffer with a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder like postpartum depression are also struggling through the challenge of breastfeeding. Not all, of course, but many. There are most certainly moms who I see who hold firmly to nursing their babies because it is the one and only thing that they feel is going well. These moms feel strongly that the breastfeeding is getting them through a very difficult emotional time. But I also see a huge number of moms who feel not only plagued by anxiety or depression but also by the fact that breastfeeding is undeniably and unrelentingly difficult. And so it makes them (and me) wonder if the two are connected.

Recently, an article came out in the Journal of Women’s Health that speaks to this very question. For the purpose of my post today, I am going to attempt to explain this article in good old Plain Mama English. The article helped me to really understand the overlap between breastfeeding and postpartum depression and anxiety, and it may do the same for you.

The main premise of this article is that both mood and lactation might be triggered by the same neuroendocrine mechanisms, or the same hormonal shifts. We have always known that postpartum depression is a biochemical illness that is triggered by the immense hormonal shifts that occur shortly after birth, and that the ability to breastfeed also depends on effective hormonal activity. But is it possible that the challenges that some moms have with breastfeeding are actually caused by the very same hormonal shifts that leave her feeling sad and anxious?

Following the birth of her baby, a mom’s hormones — her estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, thyroid, and cortisol — shift dramatically as her body readjusts from pregnancy to postpartum. These very hormones also have a direct impact on both the brain chemicals that are responsible for emotional wellness and also milk production. Sometimes these hormones work together in helping both mood and lactation, and sometimes they work in conflict with the two. Let’s break it down as the article did: [Read more...]

July 31, 2012 9:56 am Filed Under: Breastfeeding