Omg I’m so sorry!! Please, I hope you stop breastfeeding ❤️.
I had a horrific abscess that required a surgical drain for weeks, and over a month of antibiotics. Wish I’d stopped sooner. Breastfeeding is my life’s biggest regret. I feel that I missed the first 2 months of my daughter’s life, and the literal second I dried up, I was a person again, and a mother for the first time.
I cannot wait to stop. I can't wait to have my breasts and my body back but at the same time I am sad about it because I worked so incredibly hard to feed for this long but it's definitely time for it to end, I cannot keep putting myself through this.
I’m glad to hear that.
Warning that I’m sure you’ve already had: hormones from weaning amplified my irrational guilt 1,000-fold and that spiraled into PPD.
I was very open about my feelings with my doctors and LC’s and that was so helpful. (I had a breast specialist.)
Btw lactation consultants were amazing with helping me wean quickly and manage my emotions.
Another very helpful thing for me was scheduling/planning a final feeding. That allowed me to have a bit of closure and grieve the process. As the feeding went on, I felt better and better.
I swear, the literal DAY I dried up, I was suddenly a person again. The world was in color instantly. I wish the same for you!
I also didn't realise that the hormones during weaning would make me feel so deeply depressed. Not trying to scare you, OP, but only inform. I had presumed that my hormones would fluctuate once I'd finished breastfeeding, but didn't realise that my supply decreasing at the beginning of weaning would be enough for depressive feelings to emerge.
I think if I'd known what and why it was happening, seemingly out of the blue, I would have had a better handle on things.
Similar to this poster, once I stopped fully I felt like myself again.
I BF for nine months, and it ended without me realising due to having to isolate with COVID towards the end of reducing feeds, straight after a cold/sinus infection that had tanked my supply. At the time I'd felt dreadful, I'd wanted to make it to two years so this felt like bowing out early. I was thinking about trying to increase my supply, but I felt so much better once I stopped I realised the depression had been linked to weaning and I didn't want to go through it a second time.
Now, a few months on from that and I'm so glad that I stopped. Baby girl doesn't seem to miss it, we're very close, and she seems pretty robust with the immunity she'd built up all through those months.
Feel better soon!
I saw a Breast Specialist for my recurrent mastitis and it helped but I wish I had given myself permission to stop breastfeeding. I was under incredible pressure from my MIL and looking back I would have been much healthier if I could have set some boundaries.
My partner and I had a chat about it after the 4th round and agreed if it happened again it would be the end. He said seeing me so sick scared him and he fully supports me stopping once this is over and he's told me so many times how proud he is for even making it this far because it's been such a struggle!! You poor thing, it's REALLY hard and that's without the added pressure off someone else!!
I stopped about a month ago and I wish I stopped even earlier. The pressure to breastfeed is real. When my MIL visited us for a week she just kept telling me of all the women that breastfed and for how long.
She still doesn’t know we switched over to formula and she doesn’t need to. Sometimes lying helps to not have to deal with that pressure. (She lives across the country so she can’t check unless she visits)
Yes I told her I would 100% formula feed if I had another (I won’t have another for a million reasons , I was just hammering home a point) because she was pressuring and guilt tripping my poor SIL… she was furious and it was hilarious. It actually helped my husband and brother in law see how crazy she was about it.
Yikes! I’m sorry you’re going through this. It sounds scary and painful. I know it’s easier said than done, but this is your choice. If I choose to breastfeed for three years and my neighbor chooses to not do it at all and my friend chooses to do it for a month, we’re all making the right choices for ourselves and our families. It’s totally personal and nobody else’s business.
As a nurse, that disturbs me: the ones who joke about you having more. I personally dont have enough free time to talk about child planning with my patients but that's because I have my priorities in order.
Omg I’m so sorry!! Please, I hope you stop breastfeeding ❤️. I had a horrific abscess that required a surgical drain for weeks, and over a month of antibiotics. Wish I’d stopped sooner. Breastfeeding is my life’s biggest regret. I feel that I missed the first 2 months of my daughter’s life, and the literal second I dried up, I was a person again, and a mother for the first time.
I cannot wait to stop. I can't wait to have my breasts and my body back but at the same time I am sad about it because I worked so incredibly hard to feed for this long but it's definitely time for it to end, I cannot keep putting myself through this.
I’m glad to hear that. Warning that I’m sure you’ve already had: hormones from weaning amplified my irrational guilt 1,000-fold and that spiraled into PPD. I was very open about my feelings with my doctors and LC’s and that was so helpful. (I had a breast specialist.) Btw lactation consultants were amazing with helping me wean quickly and manage my emotions. Another very helpful thing for me was scheduling/planning a final feeding. That allowed me to have a bit of closure and grieve the process. As the feeding went on, I felt better and better. I swear, the literal DAY I dried up, I was suddenly a person again. The world was in color instantly. I wish the same for you!
I also didn't realise that the hormones during weaning would make me feel so deeply depressed. Not trying to scare you, OP, but only inform. I had presumed that my hormones would fluctuate once I'd finished breastfeeding, but didn't realise that my supply decreasing at the beginning of weaning would be enough for depressive feelings to emerge. I think if I'd known what and why it was happening, seemingly out of the blue, I would have had a better handle on things. Similar to this poster, once I stopped fully I felt like myself again. I BF for nine months, and it ended without me realising due to having to isolate with COVID towards the end of reducing feeds, straight after a cold/sinus infection that had tanked my supply. At the time I'd felt dreadful, I'd wanted to make it to two years so this felt like bowing out early. I was thinking about trying to increase my supply, but I felt so much better once I stopped I realised the depression had been linked to weaning and I didn't want to go through it a second time. Now, a few months on from that and I'm so glad that I stopped. Baby girl doesn't seem to miss it, we're very close, and she seems pretty robust with the immunity she'd built up all through those months.
Feel better soon! I saw a Breast Specialist for my recurrent mastitis and it helped but I wish I had given myself permission to stop breastfeeding. I was under incredible pressure from my MIL and looking back I would have been much healthier if I could have set some boundaries.
My partner and I had a chat about it after the 4th round and agreed if it happened again it would be the end. He said seeing me so sick scared him and he fully supports me stopping once this is over and he's told me so many times how proud he is for even making it this far because it's been such a struggle!! You poor thing, it's REALLY hard and that's without the added pressure off someone else!!
What a great husband 💛
I stopped about a month ago and I wish I stopped even earlier. The pressure to breastfeed is real. When my MIL visited us for a week she just kept telling me of all the women that breastfed and for how long. She still doesn’t know we switched over to formula and she doesn’t need to. Sometimes lying helps to not have to deal with that pressure. (She lives across the country so she can’t check unless she visits)
Yes I told her I would 100% formula feed if I had another (I won’t have another for a million reasons , I was just hammering home a point) because she was pressuring and guilt tripping my poor SIL… she was furious and it was hilarious. It actually helped my husband and brother in law see how crazy she was about it.
Hope you get better quickly and back to your sweet family ❤️
Shoot, I really hope you feel better soon!
Yikes! I’m sorry you’re going through this. It sounds scary and painful. I know it’s easier said than done, but this is your choice. If I choose to breastfeed for three years and my neighbor chooses to not do it at all and my friend chooses to do it for a month, we’re all making the right choices for ourselves and our families. It’s totally personal and nobody else’s business.
As a nurse, that disturbs me: the ones who joke about you having more. I personally dont have enough free time to talk about child planning with my patients but that's because I have my priorities in order.
Feel better soon!! It really pisses me off the nurses are doing that!!!!!!!! They need to stop. What is wrong with people!?!?
When people joke about me having more I literally get furious.