Dear Lactneters,
I have permission to post.  I am a midwife in Independent Practice in
New Zealand.  I am currently caring for a 29 year old woman who has had
her second child two weeks ago.  I did not care for her in her first
pregnancy.  Antenatally she told me that with her first experience of
feeding she used to experience a black cloud engulfing her when she had
a 'let down'.  This had lead to her early weaning when her son was four
months of age.
 
Two weeks ago this woman had a beautiful medication free water birth
following a spontaneous onset of labour at 39 weeks gestation.  She and
the baby (a little girl) were immediately skin to skin and remained so
for the first hour.  During this time there was a physiological third
stage of labour.  With the first feed she described the black cloud
coming down and remaining for the duration of the feed.  The intensity
of the 'black cloud' seems to have decreased in the last two weeks and
is now only occurring with let downs.  I believe this must be hormonally
related but always thought that oxytocin was a feel good hormone.  I
would be interested to know if others have had women describe similar
feelings.  Is there any medication (homeopathic, herbal or otherwise)
that you could suggest that might help this woman to continue with a
longer duration of breastfeeding. So far she is continuing with Baby led
feeding and the baby was 30 grams above her birth weight by day 6 having
only lost a maximum of 70 grams on day 5.   
 
I do not think this is PND as the woman displays no signs of depression.
She is in a very stable and supportive marriage relationship.  One thing
is that she said her mother also experienced a similar feeling when she
was breastfeeding.  I don't know the duration of her breastfeeding.
 
Thanking you,
Colleen van der Laan
IBCLE, Midwife
Hamilton, NEW ZEALAND
 

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