This is just my personal experience, but after my youngest child weaned (a
slow affair after 8 years of nursing her and/or my son - they both weaned
at 5), I developed migraines (infrequent, but awful nonetheless) and
clinical depression which was linked to my menstrual cycle (I had periods
while nursing, but never depression). I can't say for sure that either was
directly linked to weaning, but the timing was very close. The migraines
and depression have mostly disappeared since menopause.

It seems pretty clear that hormones affect brain chemistry and the whole
body in many different ways and it is very individual for each woman. We
have seen some of the really unusual reactions that some mothers have
during letdowns. Pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and weaning all involve
complex hormone interactions. It is something that we need to keep in mind
as we work with mothers and we do need to listen carefully to what they
tell us in regards to their mental and emotional health. When you become
clinically depressed, it is often difficult to understand what is happening
and one of the aspects of this is that you feel ashamed of what you are
thinking and feeling and try to hide it from others.

Very tough issue. We don't want to scare women that are feeling momentary
grief or sadness into thinking that they may have serious mental health
problems, but if you truly have clinical depression, it is important to get
diagnosed - just understanding what is happening to you can make a huge
difference. We all need to continue to educate ourselves about this and
refer moms that we think may need more help than we can provide.

Sharon Knorr, IBCLC
Colorado


On Sat, Mar 3, 2012 at 8:42 AM, Nancy Williams <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I'm sorry this comment is late in the discussion.  I had trouble with
> Lactnet allowing me to come out of lurkdom and post.
>  From my reading, it appears that the problem with depression  and weaning
> is seen primarily when weaning is abrupt or rushed, rather than a  natural,
> slow course. Second, I'm concerned that when a woman's PPD is  not treated.
> There is some evidence that in many women it can hang on and  worsen, even
> over the course of years, if not treated. At the very least, I'd  suggest
> great care with diet and exercise, including Omega-3s in her  diet.
>
> It may also be helpful to differentiate between sadness, grief, and
> depression.  They share common descriptive criteria, yet some important
> differences.  Many, many women feel sadness--even grief--after a "natural"
>  weaning.
> Clinical depression/bipolar disorder is something else  entirely.
>
> Nancy Williams, IBCLC, MFT
>
>
>
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