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Step Aside, PPD — Post-Weaning Depression is About to Steal Your Infamy
If you had a severe mood dip after you stopped breastfeeding, you’re not alone.
My son just turned one a few weeks ago. PHEW. It has been one hell of a year. There have been lots of beautiful moments, and he has been a joy. Hormonally speaking, this year of motherhood has been hell for me — probably for my husband, too. If you can relate to this then read on, my friend. We’re going to do a deep dive into this hidden beast.
So, pregnancy is a wild ride. It’s an emotional process anyway, and then you have hormones spiking and dropping left and right. After it’s all said and done, well, those hormones continue influencing your body in the background. Not only are they left in a confusing mess after giving birth — they can also go through a crazy dip after you stop breastfeeding if that’s a feeding route you went.
What Might Symptoms be Like?
I don’t know about you, but I did not know about the post-weaning hormones and the havoc they would wreak upon my life. The rest of the spikes I’d been warned about, but not those. I stopped breastfeeding around eight months post-partum. Since then, there were noticeable increases in irritability bordering on rage (especially when…