I asked a few days ago for those who'd nursed during pregnancy to report their feelings at let-down.  I had wondered (from an e-mail my D-MER - depressive MER - client had gotten) if there might be some hormonal connection between the antsy feelings many of us have when we nurse during pregnancy and the "depressive" (not depressed) feelings that D-MER moms have.

What I got kind of surprised me.  The posts - there were 7 - seemed to follow a pattern similar to this one:

Annoyed
painful
Irritated
Calming
Peaceful

In other words, that initial nipple contact and initial sucking are really negative, but as our milk releases, we kind of mellow into the same old oxytocin glow.  That's *not* what the D-MER moms feel - their distress comes *with* the milk release, not before it.

My client's choice of the word "depressive" was inspired.  Here's an internet list for "depressive spectrum", with the ones I know she experiences noted:
  a.. low mood - yes 
  b.. low self-esteem - yes 
  c.. pessimism - yes 
  d.. fatigue, reduced energy - yes
  e.. disturbances of sleep (insomnia or hypersomnia) - not applicable
  f.. disturbances of appetite (anorexia or hyperphagia) - yes 
  g.. agitation or retardation - yes 
  h.. guilt - yes 
  i.. sense of worthlessness - yes 
  j.. hopelessness -yes 
  k.. helplessness - yes 
  l.. poor motivation - yes, because everything feels insurmountable
  m.. poor concentration - yes
  n.. indecision - yes
  o.. loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities - yes 
  p.. low libido - not applicable
  q.. recurrent thoughts of death - yes (at its worst; no, she's not suicidal!)
Remember, this is *not* how they feel all the time, thank goodness!  It's just for that period associated with milk release.  Overall, this particular woman reports an unusually good outlook, as if she's awash in oxytocin's positive effects for all but those minutes during MER.  

Words we keep circling around are oxytocin, vasopressin, amygdala.  Anyone have any way to connect the dots or add new ones?

Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC, LLLL  Ithaca, NY  USA
www.normalfed.com

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