Spit-up On My Shoulder

When my youngest daughter was four months old, I decided I was ready to wean her from breastfeeding. No one had told me that I should wean slowly. In less than two weeks I had stopped breastfeeding completely and soon after developed postpartum depression.

When you nurse, your body releases the “feel-good” hormones oxytocin and prolactin. I’m convinced that weaning too quickly, and the drop of hormone levels that caused in my body, brought on the depression.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful way to feed your baby, and I highly encourage it, but I also honor your choice to decide what method of feeding works best for your family. If you make the choice to wean, take it slowly. Dropping a feeding every three to four days, or, even better, just one a week, will allow your body the time to adjust to the hormone drop.

You may need to express a small amount of milk to relieve engorgement, but be careful not to express too much or your body will keep producing milk for the feeding you are dropping.

Warning signs that you are weaning too quickly include:

For your baby:
•vomiting
•diarrhea
•irritability
•anxiety

For you:
•swollen, painful, or tender breasts
•warmth in the breasts
•fever
•depression